Nine ‘definitely' keen on Formula 1 broadcast deal amid EPL speculation
Foxtel currently broadcasts every race of the F1 championship behind a paywall, apart from the Australian Grand Prix, which is aired by Network 10. Network 10 owner Paramount is also likely to consider a bid for the full rights package.
The rights to the F1 championship are soon to officially go to market, with Foxtel understood to be in the final year of its three-year contract renegotiated in 2022, worth around $45 million a year. Foxtel's new parent company, DAZN, is the broadcast partner in Japan, Portugal and Spain.
Foxtel was approached for comment.
Formula 1 has emerged as a statistical anomaly among sports, with a rapidly growing fan base, in part owing to the success of Netflix's Drive to Survive, with younger fans, and crucially, women, its highest growing demographic. Around 41 per cent of its fans are now women.
The Australian Grand Prix, held annually in Albert Park and recently reinstalled as the season-opener, is broadcast by Network 10, as it is protected by federal anti-siphoning laws, which demand certain sporting events of national interest remain free to access.
This year's event in Melbourne attracted a record crowd across the four days.
Piastri, in just his third year, is currently leading the drivers' championship for McLaren, and has won the three most recent races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami. He has emerged as a fan favourite globally and is tipped to challenge for the Drivers Championship for many years to come.
F1 rights bring with it an audience of between 200,000 and 400,000 subscribers, according to industry figures. Across the past decade, the championship has added five more race weekends, with 24 different circuits on the 2025 calendar.
The F1 season would complement Stan's existing motor sports offering, which includes Indycar, the World Endurance Championship, and the World Rally Championship. Stan also holds the rights to all four tennis grand slams, as well as the Summer and Winter Olympics and the Paralympics.
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Last month, Nine agreed to a new broadcast rights deal with Rugby Australia worth $210 million across five years. Wallabies, Wallaroos and Super Rugby matches will air across Nine, 9Now and Stan. Nine owns Stan, and is also the owner of this masthead.
Stan's subscriber base has stagnated over the past few years, facing increasing competition from international streamers with more money for programming.
Meanwhile, Foxtel has a much more extensive suite of motorsports rights, which includes NASCAR, MotoGP and the Supercars championship. Its rights package for the latter also expires in 2025.
It is one of several negotiation battles Foxtel faces this year, with its partnership with the NRL also set to be tested, while also recently losing its exclusive access to ESPN, the broadcaster of the NBA and NFL, now also offered as part of a Disney+ subscription.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Piastri-Norris boilover 'inevitable' in F1 title hunt
Lando Norris knows it's only a matter of time before his brewing rivalry with Oscar Piastri reaches boiling point. Piastri heads the Formula One championship by 10 points over teammate Norris after leading the third McLaren one-two finish this season with a flawless race at the Spanish Grand Prix. Australia's Piastri is in career-best form ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, shooting into title contention after banking five race wins. Meanwhile, Norris - long viewed as McLaren's No.1 driver - has taken just two wins. Well aware that his biggest competition is on the other side of the garage, Norris concedes an on-track confrontation is inevitable as the season progresses. "We never said we're going to avoid everything," Norris said. "We've actually been quite open in saying at some point something is probably going to happen. We just have to be ready for that. "Everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person, and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year. "I think Andrea (Stella, McLaren team principal) said it, it's not an 'if', it's a 'when' and we'll see when that time comes. "We'll try and avoid everything as much as possible, but it's inevitable that it happens in racing." Piastri and Norris wouldn't be the first F1 teammates to come to blows on the track. In 2018 former Australian racer Daniel Ricciardo was involved in a high-speed crash with a then-young upshot Max Verstappen. The two had banged wheels multiple times on the Baku City Circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before Ricciardo eventually ran up the back of Verstappen at the end of the main straight. Lewis Hamilton also had numerous volatile confrontations with former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, with Sebastien Vettel also locking horns with Mark Webber at Red Bull. Piastri, managed by fellow Aussie Webber, conceded that Norris poses a larger threat than reigning four-time champion Verstappen. Red Bull heavyweight Verstappen has won two races and is 39 points behind the McLaren pair. "Lando is the main opponent, but I'm not going to rule out Max," Piastri said. "The gap is obviously a bit bigger now, but it's not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. "We're going to keep pushing to try and make our car even faster, make myself even faster, but yeah, I think the main opponent, let's say, is Lando." Piastri is keeping a lid on the championship hype after joining Hamilton and Ayrton Senna in holding eight consecutive podiums. The 24-year-old has only missed the podium once this season - his home race in Melbourne. "I mostly blank it out. I know exactly why I'm here. It's to try and win a championship," Piastri said. "I think all the other stats that go along with that - yeah, OK, they're cool. "The coolest one by far is putting myself in the list of world champions." Lando Norris knows it's only a matter of time before his brewing rivalry with Oscar Piastri reaches boiling point. Piastri heads the Formula One championship by 10 points over teammate Norris after leading the third McLaren one-two finish this season with a flawless race at the Spanish Grand Prix. Australia's Piastri is in career-best form ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, shooting into title contention after banking five race wins. Meanwhile, Norris - long viewed as McLaren's No.1 driver - has taken just two wins. Well aware that his biggest competition is on the other side of the garage, Norris concedes an on-track confrontation is inevitable as the season progresses. "We never said we're going to avoid everything," Norris said. "We've actually been quite open in saying at some point something is probably going to happen. We just have to be ready for that. "Everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person, and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year. "I think Andrea (Stella, McLaren team principal) said it, it's not an 'if', it's a 'when' and we'll see when that time comes. "We'll try and avoid everything as much as possible, but it's inevitable that it happens in racing." Piastri and Norris wouldn't be the first F1 teammates to come to blows on the track. In 2018 former Australian racer Daniel Ricciardo was involved in a high-speed crash with a then-young upshot Max Verstappen. The two had banged wheels multiple times on the Baku City Circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before Ricciardo eventually ran up the back of Verstappen at the end of the main straight. Lewis Hamilton also had numerous volatile confrontations with former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, with Sebastien Vettel also locking horns with Mark Webber at Red Bull. Piastri, managed by fellow Aussie Webber, conceded that Norris poses a larger threat than reigning four-time champion Verstappen. Red Bull heavyweight Verstappen has won two races and is 39 points behind the McLaren pair. "Lando is the main opponent, but I'm not going to rule out Max," Piastri said. "The gap is obviously a bit bigger now, but it's not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. "We're going to keep pushing to try and make our car even faster, make myself even faster, but yeah, I think the main opponent, let's say, is Lando." Piastri is keeping a lid on the championship hype after joining Hamilton and Ayrton Senna in holding eight consecutive podiums. The 24-year-old has only missed the podium once this season - his home race in Melbourne. "I mostly blank it out. I know exactly why I'm here. It's to try and win a championship," Piastri said. "I think all the other stats that go along with that - yeah, OK, they're cool. "The coolest one by far is putting myself in the list of world champions." Lando Norris knows it's only a matter of time before his brewing rivalry with Oscar Piastri reaches boiling point. Piastri heads the Formula One championship by 10 points over teammate Norris after leading the third McLaren one-two finish this season with a flawless race at the Spanish Grand Prix. Australia's Piastri is in career-best form ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, shooting into title contention after banking five race wins. Meanwhile, Norris - long viewed as McLaren's No.1 driver - has taken just two wins. Well aware that his biggest competition is on the other side of the garage, Norris concedes an on-track confrontation is inevitable as the season progresses. "We never said we're going to avoid everything," Norris said. "We've actually been quite open in saying at some point something is probably going to happen. We just have to be ready for that. "Everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person, and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year. "I think Andrea (Stella, McLaren team principal) said it, it's not an 'if', it's a 'when' and we'll see when that time comes. "We'll try and avoid everything as much as possible, but it's inevitable that it happens in racing." Piastri and Norris wouldn't be the first F1 teammates to come to blows on the track. In 2018 former Australian racer Daniel Ricciardo was involved in a high-speed crash with a then-young upshot Max Verstappen. The two had banged wheels multiple times on the Baku City Circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before Ricciardo eventually ran up the back of Verstappen at the end of the main straight. Lewis Hamilton also had numerous volatile confrontations with former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, with Sebastien Vettel also locking horns with Mark Webber at Red Bull. Piastri, managed by fellow Aussie Webber, conceded that Norris poses a larger threat than reigning four-time champion Verstappen. Red Bull heavyweight Verstappen has won two races and is 39 points behind the McLaren pair. "Lando is the main opponent, but I'm not going to rule out Max," Piastri said. "The gap is obviously a bit bigger now, but it's not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. "We're going to keep pushing to try and make our car even faster, make myself even faster, but yeah, I think the main opponent, let's say, is Lando." Piastri is keeping a lid on the championship hype after joining Hamilton and Ayrton Senna in holding eight consecutive podiums. The 24-year-old has only missed the podium once this season - his home race in Melbourne. "I mostly blank it out. I know exactly why I'm here. It's to try and win a championship," Piastri said. "I think all the other stats that go along with that - yeah, OK, they're cool. "The coolest one by far is putting myself in the list of world champions." Lando Norris knows it's only a matter of time before his brewing rivalry with Oscar Piastri reaches boiling point. Piastri heads the Formula One championship by 10 points over teammate Norris after leading the third McLaren one-two finish this season with a flawless race at the Spanish Grand Prix. Australia's Piastri is in career-best form ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, shooting into title contention after banking five race wins. Meanwhile, Norris - long viewed as McLaren's No.1 driver - has taken just two wins. Well aware that his biggest competition is on the other side of the garage, Norris concedes an on-track confrontation is inevitable as the season progresses. "We never said we're going to avoid everything," Norris said. "We've actually been quite open in saying at some point something is probably going to happen. We just have to be ready for that. "Everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person, and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year. "I think Andrea (Stella, McLaren team principal) said it, it's not an 'if', it's a 'when' and we'll see when that time comes. "We'll try and avoid everything as much as possible, but it's inevitable that it happens in racing." Piastri and Norris wouldn't be the first F1 teammates to come to blows on the track. In 2018 former Australian racer Daniel Ricciardo was involved in a high-speed crash with a then-young upshot Max Verstappen. The two had banged wheels multiple times on the Baku City Circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before Ricciardo eventually ran up the back of Verstappen at the end of the main straight. Lewis Hamilton also had numerous volatile confrontations with former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, with Sebastien Vettel also locking horns with Mark Webber at Red Bull. Piastri, managed by fellow Aussie Webber, conceded that Norris poses a larger threat than reigning four-time champion Verstappen. Red Bull heavyweight Verstappen has won two races and is 39 points behind the McLaren pair. "Lando is the main opponent, but I'm not going to rule out Max," Piastri said. "The gap is obviously a bit bigger now, but it's not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. "We're going to keep pushing to try and make our car even faster, make myself even faster, but yeah, I think the main opponent, let's say, is Lando." Piastri is keeping a lid on the championship hype after joining Hamilton and Ayrton Senna in holding eight consecutive podiums. The 24-year-old has only missed the podium once this season - his home race in Melbourne. "I mostly blank it out. I know exactly why I'm here. It's to try and win a championship," Piastri said. "I think all the other stats that go along with that - yeah, OK, they're cool. "The coolest one by far is putting myself in the list of world champions."
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris F1 title fight will lead to 'inevitable' on-track battle
A fight between McLaren teammates on track has been called "inevitable" by British driver Lando Norris, as he enters this weekend's race 10 points behind partner, and world championship leader, Oscar Piastri. Melbourne-born Piastri has been terrific through nine rounds, winning five grand prix to Norris's two. Norris has been a consistent performer throughout the season, not finishing a grand prix lower than fourth and securing two wins. The Brit's win at the season opener in Australia, where Piastri spun late and finished ninth, is the furthest the two have been split in 2025. After defending world champion Max Verstappen finished 10th at the Spanish Grand Prix two weekends ago, leaving him 49 points off Piastri, the drivers' championship fight appears to be down to the two McLaren racers. Asked ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, Norris said he and Piastri have been open about their desire to become world champion and knowing that each other's path to the title will cross throughout the year. "I think we've actually been quite open in saying at some point, something is probably going to happen," Norris said in Montreal. "We just have to be ready for that. I think both Oscar and myself know that, we're competitive, we want to beat each other but the main thing is we stay strong together as a team. But everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year." There was a moment between the McLaren drivers during qualifying in Spain, when Norris got in the slipstream of Piastri's car to increase his speed at the start of a flying lap. Piastri was heard over the radio calling Norris's move "cheeky", but any animosity was hosed down by team principal Andrea Stella. 'We always tell our drivers like, 'don't leave anything in the back of your mind, anything, throw it out, say what you think'. In this case I think that Oscar's comment was to highlight a situation that we didn't discuss before," Stella said following the incident in Spain. 'In itself, it's not anything too controversial, but we sort of did not discuss that before and we don't want to surprise our drivers with situations that we didn't discuss before, so a little bit to take on for the team rather than for the drivers." Piastri was able to put that moment aside to qualify on pole in Barcelona, then drive a flawless race to claim the win. Despite a huge focus on the intra-McLaren battle in 2025, Piastri has taken a longer-term view of his battle with Norris. The Australian said the team planned on being at the front of the F1 field for many years, meaning he and Norris would hopefully be battling for race wins and world titles beyond 2025. "We want this to be the case for many years to come and the best way to protect that is by having a very strong team around both of us," Piastri said. "We're aware that whatever happens in the championship this year, or how things go, is much bigger than just this season and potentially defines our whole career. "We're very aware of that fact, of course we still want to beat each other and win a world championship but we know that there's a bigger picture as well." ABC Sport will have a live blog of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix from 2am, AEST, on Monday, June 16.
7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Australian Olympian and national champion Heath Ryan suspended over ‘alarming' whipping video
An Olympian and Australian dressage champion has been suspended after video emerged of him whipping a horse at his property in New South Wales. In a v ideo uploaded by DressageHub, Australian Grand Prix champion Heath Ryan can be seen in a short video allegedly whipping a horse 42 times in a matter of minutes. Heath Ryan made his Olympic debut at the age of 50 at the 2008 Beijing Games. Ryan had previously been the assistant coach of the Australian Team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Ryan coached the eventing teams to gold medals in Atlanta and Sydney. He competed in individual and team dressage at the 2008 Beijing Games, placing 35th and eighth respectively. Ryan is also a popular commentator for various events, including Equestrian news sites such as Equestrian Life for his ' Ryan's Rave' opinion pieces. Equestrian Australia, Australia's sporting body for the equestrian Olympic sports, has been quick to suspend Ryan pending further investigations and are 'alarmed' by the actions seen in the video. 'Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,' they said in a statement to 'Equestrian Australia's Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy includes high standards to protect all participants and their horses against any adverse physical, social, and emotional conditions during all EA endorsed equestrian activities that are conducted under the auspices of EA or by any EA affiliate. 'We also have a Code of Conduct which requires participants to adhere to the FEI code of conduct for the welfare of the horse. 'The person depicted in the video is a member of Equestrian Australia. 'Equestrian Australia has this afternoon imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership.' Ryan is now banned from taking part in any competitions affiliated with Equestrian Australia, with the suspension affective immediately barring him from the current competition season anywhere in Australia. Because of his Equestrian Australia suspension, Ryan has been automatically suspended by the world equestrian sports body, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). Equestrian Australia has also denied they asked for Dressagehub to remove the footage on YouTube. An RSPCA NSW spokesperson confirmed to a report has been made to them, with an investigation into the alleged abuse starting. 'After being sent footage this morning that contains distressing content of a person whipping a horse, RSPCA NSW has commenced an investigation and will be making further enquiries,' they said. In NSW, the penalties for animal cruelty can vary depending on the severity of the offence. For general cruelty acts, individuals face a maximum penalty of $44,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment, while corporations face a $220,000 fine. RYAN'S RESPONSE Hours after the video was made public, Ryan responded to the video on his Ryan's horses facebook page, claiming the horse was dangerous and had hospitalised another rider and friend of his. Ryan posted a video of the same horse, Nico, with another rider on him. Where the horse can be seen being pushed forward without a whip by a female rider using a training aid gadgets, such as spurs and a 'stabilising' martingale, which is used prevent the horse lifting his head up. According to Ryan, Nico is now 'thriving' under a new owner and rider. Ryan claims the video comes from an 'unhappy ex-employee' 2 years ago. He doesn't apologise for the whipping of Nico, instead claiming he has never ridden like that, and said it was a 'life or death moment for Nico.' 'I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable,' he said. 'I have never ridden anything like it. I am so sad this was caught on video. 'If you think I did that flippantly, you are wrong. I hated reaching out in those moments to Nico and asking the hard questions. That was the last place I wanted to be. I have never before ridden a horse that reacted like that, and I certainly will never do it again.' Ryan said that Nico would've gone to a slaughterhouse if he had not intervened. Ryan has not responded to his suspension. WHAT IS NAPPING? In the sport of dressage, or flatwork used for other disciplines such as Showjumping or Eventing, the horse is taught to move forward off the riders leg with minimal interference from the rider. A long dressage whip is commonly used in training, to tap horses on their flanks to encourage engagement from their hind end, so they move forward into the bridle and contact from the rider. Napping behaviour by the horse Nico in the video is a known negative behaviour, which according to Horse & Country describes the behaviour as a horse who refuses to move forward, often planting itself, rearing, spinning, or even turning and heading back towards home or another familiar location. This behaviour can be a challenge for new and experienced equestrians, according to Horse & Country. Other issues than can influence a horse's risk of negative behaviour include: Physical discomfort. If a horse is in pain — whether from an ill-fitting saddle, sore muscles, or dental problems — it may resist moving forward. In these cases, identifying and addressing the source of discomfort should always be the first step. Lack of confidence: Horses that feel uncertain or anxious, especially in unfamiliar environments, may use napping as a way to cope with their lack of confidence. Reinforced behaviour: Napping can become a habit if the horse has previously been allowed to return to a place of comfort after an episode. If a horse has learned that this behaviour gets them what they want, they are more likely to keep doing it. Social instinct: Horses are social animals, and when separated from companions, especially during solo outings, they may nap as a way to seek a return to the herd. Mental stimulation or boredom: Horses that are underworked, bored, or lack proper mental stimulation may develop napping as a coping mechanism to deal with their idle state. VIDEO BACKLASH As other news outlets both in Australian and internationally started to pick up the video posted by Dressagehub, there have been thousands of comments wanting Equestrian sports bodies to take such incidents of abuse caught on video more seriously, with some equestrians wanting a lifetime ban for riders who are caught doing the wrong thing. Another NSW dressage rider commenting on the DressageHub video being shared in Facebook equestrian groups labelled Ryan a 'barbarian'. 'This makes me physically sick,' they said. 'All it shows is that Heath is not a horseman trying to find a way through an issue but a barbarian. 'Not acceptable, whatever his excuses. I bet Tristan Tucker or Michael Pearce or any other true horseman could have done a calm soft job of helping this horse understand. Sorry Heath, you should be very very ashamed.' The Animal Justice Party of NSW has also comment on the video, pushing for an independent office for animal protection. 'Olympian Heath Ryan was caught on video whipping a horse named Nico around 40 times. His defense? That it was in the horse's 'best interest',' they said on Facebook. 'No animal deserves this. 'This isn't an isolated incident, it's a symptom of a system that lacks real accountability and protection for animals, especially in competitive sports. Horses are sentient beings, not tools to be pushed until they break. 'We're calling for an independent Office of Animal Protection. An office that puts animal welfare above industry interests.' On Friday, Bates Saddles announced they have dropped Heath Ryan's sponsorship in response to the whipping footage. Bates is one of the biggest saddlemakers in the world, and are very popular for various equestrian disciplines. 'At Bates Saddles, horse welfare isn't just our priority, it's our purpose. Horses deserve nothing less than our complete respect, care and protection,' the said on Facebook 'We are shocked and heartbroken by the recent video involving Heath Ryan and do not support any treatment that causes distress or harm to horses. The video footage is completely at odds with the Heath Ryan we have partnered with for decades, and we have immediately ended our sponsorship. The saddles will remain at the property, as the comfort and safety of horses must come first. 'We respect the due process that the relevant federations will follow in their investigations, and we will not be making any further comments while this process takes place.'
