Latest news with #LibertyMedia
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trees cut down in Albert Park to make way for $350m pit lane upgrade
Up to 34 large trees will be cut down at Albert Park to make way for the state government's $350 million upgrade of Melbourne's grand prix facilities. Workers used heavy machinery to fell several trees around the park's permanent pit lane building on Tuesday as part of a major redevelopment of the street circuit's garages and hospitality zone. The new facilities are being built after the Labor government renegotiated its contract with Formula 1 owners Liberty Media in 2023 to ensure the event stays in Melbourne until 2037. As part of the new deal, the state government agreed to upgrade the pit lane garages, race control and media centre, as well as the Paddock Club hospitality area. It is expected to be open by 2028. Construction will not begin until after the 2026 F1 race, however early works have started, including the erection of temporary fencing and clearing of trees that are in the path of the new buildings. Opponents of Formula 1's annual takeover of the park say it is yet another increase to the permanent footprint of an event that was always supposed to be temporary. 'It's just another, further encroachment on a public park, all for an event that's three days every year,' said Geoff Gowers, a committee member of Save Albert Park, which has protested the lakeside grand prix since before its inception in 1996. 'It involves carting in thousands of tons of concrete and steel. And then taking them back out again. So you might well say it's already an environmental disaster, as well as cutting down trees.'
The Age
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Age
Trees cut down in Albert Park to make way for $350m pit lane upgrade
Up to 34 large trees will be cut down at Albert Park to make way for the state government's $350 million upgrade of Melbourne's grand prix facilities. Workers used heavy machinery to fell several trees around the park's permanent pit lane building on Tuesday as part of a major redevelopment of the street circuit's garages and hospitality zone. The new facilities are being built after the Labor government renegotiated its contract with Formula 1 owners Liberty Media in 2023 to ensure the event stays in Melbourne until 2037. As part of the new deal, the state government agreed to upgrade the pit lane garages, race control and media centre, as well as the Paddock Club hospitality area. It is expected to be open by 2028. Construction will not begin until after the 2026 F1 race, however early works have started, including the erection of temporary fencing and clearing of trees that are in the path of the new buildings. Opponents of Formula 1's annual takeover of the park say it is yet another increase to the permanent footprint of an event that was always supposed to be temporary. 'It's just another, further encroachment on a public park, all for an event that's three days every year,' said Geoff Gowers, a committee member of Save Albert Park, which has protested the lakeside grand prix since before its inception in 1996. 'It involves carting in thousands of tons of concrete and steel. And then taking them back out again. So you might well say it's already an environmental disaster, as well as cutting down trees.'
TimesLIVE
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Oliver Rowland takes Formula E title with two races to spare
Nissan's Oliver Rowland won the Formula E title for the first time, with two races to spare, on Sunday and became the all-electric series' 10th different champion in 11 seasons. The Briton had needed to lead Pascal Wehrlein by 59 points after the second of two races in Berlin, the championship's penultimate weekend, and he did it by finishing fourth with his Porsche rival fading to 16th despite starting on pole. "Daddy, you're the world champion," four-year-old daughter Harper told the 32-year-old Barnsley-born Yorkshireman over the radio as the team celebrated. Rowland, who failed to score on Saturday and started eighth on Sunday after a five-place grid penalty, has 184 points with Wehrlein on 125. "I was thinking before the race not to have too much damage going into (the final round in) London," he said. "I can't believe it, I have no words. It's incredible. I was trying to play it safe but everybody was so aggressive, so at some point I was all in. Thankfully I stayed out of trouble." The final two races are on July 26 and 27. Sunday's race at Berlin's old Tempelhof airport was won by Jaguar's Nick Cassidy in a late surge, after starting 21st on the 22 car grid, to complete a weekend sweep after teammate Mitch Evans won on Saturday. Andretti's Jake Dennis was second and Jean-Eric Vergne third for DS Penske with Evans fifth and McLaren's Taylor Barnard sixth. Aston Martin F1 reserve Felipe Drugovich, making his Formula E debut at the weekend with Mahindra, scored his first points in seventh. It was the first time a Japanese manufacturer had won the championship and Rowland stamped his name on it from the start with wins in Mexico, Jeddah, Monaco and Tokyo. The team and manufacturers' championships are open to be won with Porsche leading Nissan in the two. Only one driver, France's Jean-Eric Vergne (2017-18 and 2018-19), has managed to win two titles since the series started in 2014. Rowland has said in the past that even a serial Formula One winner and champion such as Max Verstappen would struggle to dominate in the electric series, so closely-matched are the drivers and cars. Liberty Global-owned Formula E expects its cumulative television audience to surpass 500-million by the end of the season and has set a target of being the world's second biggest motorsport series by 2030. "To do that by fan base we have to topple MotoGP at just over 500-million fans," CEO Jeff Dodds told Reuters. "That's the next target we look to. That may become more challenging as they (MotoGP) are under the Liberty Media wing and being looked after by Liberty Media (who also own F1), who may invest a chunk more than they have in the past. "But that's our growth target. We're aiming to get by the same period to about 850-million cumulative TV audience. That's a pretty big jump."
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Apple reportedly outbids ESPN for F1 U.S. broadcast rights as coverage could move to streaming platform in 2026
Formula 1 racing telecasts could reportedly move from ESPN to Apple in 2026 with the streaming platform outbidding the network for the next broadcast rights agreement. Apple offered Liberty Media $150 million per year for F1 rights, Puck's Dylan Byers reported. That exceeds the approximate $85 million ESPN was paying for the current package, which expires after the current season. Advertisement According to the Athletic, Liberty is "trending" toward picking Apple because of the gulf in numbers. The Athletic said ESPN offered $95 million while the Apple bid was between $120 million and $150 million and ESPN won't be matching Apple's offer. Byers reports that Apple officials, including CEO Tim Cook and Disney executives CEO Bob Iger and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro, presented their offers to Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang at the annual Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. In an intriguing instance of timing, Apple is reportedly winning the F1 broadcast rights two weeks after the company's "F1" film starring Brad Pitt finished No. 1 at the box office. To this point, "F1" has grossed $300 million worldwide. Advertisement So Apple and F1 are effectively already in business together. But elements of the filmmaking process, directed by Joseph Kosinski, could make their way into Apple's coverage. ESPN currently uses the world feed with announcers from Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Technology could lead to a much more immersive experience for viewers than the world feed that is currently broadcast on ESPN. For instance, the custom camera system used to film footage in actual F1 cars could also be used on broadcasts, according to Puck. Apple and CEO Tim Cook have already been in business with Formula 1 racing, partnering on the production of the "F1" movie starring Brad Pitt that has grossed $300 million worldwide in two weeks. (Photo by) (Mark Thompson via Getty Images) F1 will be the third sports package that Apple has agreed to, joining Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. Streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Peacock and YouTube continue to take steps into sports broadcast rights, lessening broadcast networks' previous hold on live sporting events. Advertisement The risk for F1 is going exclusively to a streaming platform that won't be available on traditional broadcast or cable television. That might alienate some fans who don't want to pay for an Apple TV+ subscription to watch races. MLS has arguably suffered from no longer being as accessible to casual viewers or devoted fans who don't or can't pay for MLS Season Pass. However, F1 gained significant popularity through another streaming platform with Netflix's "Drive to Survive" docuseries, which created a whole new contingent of fans who learned about the teams, drivers, competition and much of the drama surrounding events on the circuit. Advertisement Yet ESPN has averaged 1.3 million viewers per race this season, doubling numbers from seven years ago when the network took over F1 broadcasts from NBC. Can Apple match that audience? It's difficult to say since Apple does not release viewership numbers from its MLB and MLS broadcasts. F1 might be less concerned about that with the major money that Apple will reportedly be paying for its U.S. rights package.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Apple reportedly outbids ESPN for F1 U.S. broadcast rights, moving coverage to streaming platform
Formula 1 racing telecasts will reportedly move from ESPN to Apple in 2026 with the streaming platform outbidding the network for the next broadcast rights agreement. Apple offered Liberty Media $150 million per year for F1 rights, Puck's Dylan Byers reports. That far exceeds the approximate $85 million ESPN was paying for the current package, which expires after the current season. Advertisement While the exact number of ESPN's bid isn't known, the network will not match or top Apple's offer, according to Business Insider. The deal has not yet been finalized, but Byers reports that Apple officials (including CEO Tim Cook) and Disney executives (CEO Bob Iger and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro) presented their offers to Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang at the annual Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. In an intriguing instance of timing, Apple is reportedly winning the F1 broadcast rights two weeks after the company's "F1" film starring Brad Pitt finished No. 1 at the box office. To this point, "F1" has grossed $300 million worldwide. So Apple and F1 are effectively already in business together. But elements of the filmmaking process, directed by Joseph Kosinski, could make their way into Apple's coverage. Technology could lead to a much more immersive experience for viewers than ESPN was able to offer. For instance, the custom camera system used to film footage in actual F1 cars could also be used on broadcasts, according to Puck. Apple and CEO Tim Cook have already been in business with Formula 1 racing, partnering on the production of the "F1" movie starring Brad Pitt that has grossed $300 million worldwide in two weeks. (Photo by) (Mark Thompson via Getty Images) F1 will be the third sports package that Apple has agreed to, joining Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. Streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Peacock and YouTube continue to take steps into sports broadcast rights, lessening broadcast networks' previous hold on live sporting events. Advertisement The risk for F1 is going exclusively to a streaming platform that won't be available on traditional broadcast or cable television. That might alienate some fans who don't want to pay for an Apple TV+ subscription to watch races. MLS has arguably suffered from no longer being as accessible to casual viewers — or perhaps even devoted fans. However, F1 gained significant popularity through another streaming platform with Netflix's "Drive to Survive" docuseries, which created a whole new contingent of fans who learned about the teams, drivers, competition and much of the drama surrounding events on the circuit. Advertisement Yet ESPN has averaged 1.3 million viewers per race this season, doubling numbers from seven years ago when the network took over F1 broadcasts from NBC. Can Apple match that audience? It's difficult to say since Apple does not release viewership numbers from its MLB and MLS broadcasts. F1 might be less concerned about that with the major money that Apple will be paying for its U.S. rights package.
