F1 ‘talking to Netflix’ over 2018 link-up

Formula One parent company Liberty Media is close to agreeing a coverage deal for the motor-racing world championship with online streaming service Netflix.

According to the Auto Bild news website, F1’s head of commercial operations, Sean Bratches, confirmed the negotiations in a cluster press conference with local media ahead of the US Grand Prix this weekend.

Bratches (pictured) is quoted as saying that F1 is “talking to Netflix” regarding a possible collaboration in 2018.

“We are in the evolution phase,” he added, before refusing to elaborate on the talks. Bratches also said that improving the presence of F1 on multimedia channels – and particularly the internet – was a key focus of Liberty Media.

Netflix is reported to have about 100m subscribers worldwide.