Bell Media expands ad, sponsor options for Formula One broadcasts

The Canadian Grand Prix will feature new opportunities on-track and across platforms.
By Josh Kolm
February 27, 2023

With the 2023 Formula One season set to begin this weekend, Bell Media is opening up more opportunities to advertisers looking to connect with the sport’s growing audience.

For the first time, brands will have access to licensing rights, on track and on-site advertising, digital and social opportunities and promotional activations at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, in addition to opportunities for Bell Media’s national broadcasts of the other 2023 Formula One races.

This year’s Canadian Grand Prix is slated to take place from June 16 to 18 in Montreal. Bell Media will broadcast the event across TSN, RDS, CTV and Noovo, with all other events in the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship airing on TSN and RDS.

Bell Media’s broadcasts of this year’s Formula One season begin on Sunday with with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Subway has been confirmed as a returning sponsor for the Canadian Grand Prix on TSN, with Expedia and Heineken sponsoring broadcasts throughout the rest of the season. Heineken and the Jeep Dealers of Quebec are returning as sponsors of RDS’ broadcasts.

“As audiences for Formula 1 continue to grow, brands who broaden the scope of their partnership with Bell Media and a 360-degree integration at the Canadian Grand Prix will benefit from world-class experiences for their clients and consumers, international visibility, as well as enhanced brand reputation,” said Perry MacDonald, VP of advertising sales and partnerships at Bell Media.

Formula One has had a surge in popularity in recent years, especially among younger Canadian audiences, partially attributed to the success of Netflix documentary series Drive To Survive.

The Canadian audience for Formula One races across the board doubled in 2021, and the momentum carried through 2022. Last year’s broadcast of the Canadian Grand Prix averaged 1.28 million viewers across the four networks where it aired, the highest Canadian F1 audience on record and an increase of 39% compared to the previous edition of the race in 2019. In addition, 346,000 fans attended in-person at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal.