Belgium’s RTBF renews Formula 1 rights

Courtesy of Formula 1

Belgium-based broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) will show Formula 1 across its Tipik and La Une channels and digital platform Auvio in the French-language region until 2027. 

The renewed deal with Formula 1, includes coverage of all practice and qualifying sessions, F1 Sprint events and Grands Prix across all race weekends on the broadcaster’s channels Tipik and Auvio over the next four seasons

Select races from the motorsport will also be available to watch on RTBF’s channel La Une throughout the seasons.

The racing tournament is currently underway, with the US Grand Prix to take place on Sunday October 22. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has since been named 2023 champion ahead of the final on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.

Michaella Snoeck, head of media rights for Formula 1 said: “As F1 continues to grow and attract new audiences, we are delighted to extend this special relationship with our long-standing broadcast partner. We look forward to working with RTBF to further improve our broadcast offering and build a best-in-class viewing experience for fans in Belgium to enjoy the drama and excitement of Formula 1.”

Benoît Delhauteur, head of sports at RTBF said: “We’re very pleased to extend this historic partnership with Formula 1. Our priority is to maintain the widest possible sports offer for all our audiences. F1 is precisely the sport with which we can reach all age groups, and particularly younger audiences. What’s more, we’re finding that we’re watched on Auvio and Tipik by a more female audience than for our other sports broadcasts. Naturally, the Drive to Survive documentary was one of the reasons for this renewed enthusiasm. But it’s far from the only reason. Our audience success is also due to the quality of our commentary and coverage, on all our platforms. In addition to qualifying and the live Grand Prix, our Warm-Up program is very popular, as are our digital sequences and our podcast, Pilotes. Extending our contract with F1 means continuing to tell a story that fascinates a very large number of people in French-speaking Belgium.”