Observed Signal · Jun 17, 2026 · Funding · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Apple Secures Largest GMPF Grant Ever
Apple TV has received a €20 million grant from the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) for the Siegfried and Roy series "Wild Things," making it the first provider to receive the maximum funding level introduced in 2025. The GMPF funds up to 30% of eligible German production costs, implying at least €66.7 million of German-qualified spending for the project. Netflix also received a large GMPF subsidy — €15.6 million — for its series "The Boys from Brazil." Since early 2026 the fund has distributed about €70 million across 15 projects; Apple TV accounts for more than €33 million and Netflix for more than €22 million of that total. Other beneficiaries include Prime Video, ZDF, Disney, Sky and ARD/ARD Degeto. Filming for "Wild Things" began in Las Vegas earlier in 2026; no release date has been announced.
Shows significant public grant support concentrating large production budgets at major streaming platforms (Apple TV, Netflix), which affects content investment and production economics but does not directly alter core AdTech infrastructure or major platform policies.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Apple TV received a €20 million grant from the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) for the series "Wild Things."
- Apple is the first provider to receive the maximum GMPF funding level introduced in 2025.
- GMPF covers up to 30% of eligible German production costs, implying at least €66.7 million in German-qualified spend for "Wild Things."
- Netflix received €15.6 million from the GMPF for the series "The Boys from Brazil."
- Since early 2026 the GMPF has disbursed around €70 million to 15 projects; Apple TV accounts for >€33 million and Netflix for >€22 million.
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Apple TV Becomes U.S. Home for Formula 1
Apple TV will become the exclusive U.S. home for Formula 1 beginning in 2026 under a five-year rights deal that moves live races, qualifying and practice sessions from ESPN to Apple’s subscription streaming service. Reports indicate Apple is paying roughly $150 million per year, up from the approximately $90 million ESPN paid. All F1 content, including the F1 TV Premium service, will be bundled into a standard Apple TV subscription. The deal follows the commercial success of the Apple Original film "F1 The Movie" starring Brad Pitt and is part of a broader industry trend of major sports migrating from linear cable to streaming platforms. The article notes the global rights landscape remains fragmented and that existing Netflix series like "Drive to Survive" are not affected.
Germany unveils streamer investment law, €250M film funding
Germany's cabinet approved a major change in film policy: state film funding will be doubled to €250 million and a new law — the Mediendienste-Investitionsverpflichtungsgesetz — will require streamers, large broadcaster groups and public broadcasters to invest more in German production. The compromise sets an initial investment quota of 8% with an opening clause at 12%. Interviewee Wolfram Weimer says the measures are expected to create a new market design for the German film industry and could prompt up to €15 billion in investments over the next five years. The Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA) may levy an ersatz payment if obligations are not met. The law is described as genre-agnostic and will proceed to parliamentary review with an embedded evaluation phase.
Apple and Netflix Partner on U.S. Formula 1 Coverage
Apple and Netflix have agreed to a content partnership around Formula 1 in the United States. Netflix will make its docuseries Drive to Survive available on Apple TV, while Netflix will simulcast Apple’s live coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix. The collaboration supports Apple’s role as F1’s exclusive U.S. rights holder—an agreement reported to be worth up to $150 million annually—and forms part of Apple’s broader strategy to integrate F1 across its ecosystem (3D track visuals in Maps, live audio in Music, selectable commentary in 4K broadcasts). F1 executives highlighted the sport’s younger, increasingly female-skewed U.S. audience. The deal also complements plans to bring select races to IMAX theaters.
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