SBI Holdings, the Japanese financial services group, has announced a new media sponsorship agreement with motor racing’s Formula 1 (F1) Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the event's organizers continue to build out their commercial portfolio.
Under the new deal, SBI Holdings becomes an official presenting partner of the event’s media category, with the company looking to capitalize on the race’s global audiences to boost its visibility, create new business opportunities, and develop its Neo-media strategy.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Yoshitaka Kitao, chairman and president of SBI Holdings, commented: “This partnership is not merely a matter of brand exposure, but a significant step toward ‘Japan’s SBI to the World’s SBI’.
“By taking part in events like the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, where global audiences and business leaders converge, we endeavor to raise SBI’s global recognition, build stronger relationships with companies and investors worldwide, and create new business opportunities.
“SBI Holdings will continue to create new value for the world through the SBI Neo-Media Ecosystem by combining finance and media.”
The latter objective centres around SBI Holding’s ‘SBI Neo-Media Ecosystem,’ the company's strategic initiative to connect its financial operations with sports, entertainment, intellectual property, and media.
The new partnership comes amid the company’s rapid expansion in the sports and entertainment space, having recently acquired music businesses and partnered with Japanese advertising giant Dentsu to build out its media and content capabilities.
SBI Holdings is also in negotiations with Madison Square Garden Entertainment to develop an immersive arena in Tokyo based on the Las Vegas Sphere.
Brendan Dolby, vice president of commercial for Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc., said: “Welcoming SBI Neo Media as an official presenting partner of the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix reflects the continued global momentum of our event and the strength of Las Vegas Grand Prix as a platform where sport, entertainment and business converge.
“SBI’s vision for the SBI Neo-Media Ecosystem … aligns naturally with the energy of our race, and this collaboration will help create meaningful connections with fans and partners around the world.”
The new agreement comes weeks after F1 announced the Las Vegas Grand Prix will continue to feature on its race calendar until at least 2037, after striking a 10-year contract extension with the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Las Vegas is one of three US Grands Prix on the F1 calendar, with Austin (Texas) secured until 2034 and Miami (Florida) confirmed until 2041.
First joining the calendar in 2023, the launch of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix was years in the making, with F1 owner Liberty Media investing $500 million to secure a plot of land in the city centre to build its Grand Prix Plaza paddock that spreads over 300,000 square feet.
Three years on, it is now billed as one of the series’ biggest events, with all three editions to date selling out and delivering “$3.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for Southern Nevada,” according to F1.
Records show that last year’s race generated $43 million in state and local tax revenue, with more than $2 million secured for non-profit organizations.
Taking place on a Saturday night, the track layout includes drivers racing along the city’s famous Strip past the biggest casinos. The race has also seen iconic moments, including Max Verstappen being crowned as a four-time world champion in 2024.
The deal comes as part of the process of integrating the Las Vegas GP into the wider F1 organization, which has operated as a separate entity since the project got underway in early 2022.
This year’s Las Vegas GP weekend is due to take place from November 19 to 21 and will be the first edition to take place under streaming service Apple TV’s new domestic rights agreement, having taken over from international sports broadcaster ESPN from the 2026 season.
For the first three editions of the race, ESPN drew high viewership, averaging 1.3 million viewers in the US for its 2023 debut, despite the race taking place at 10 pm local time (PST).
However, the 2024 edition failed to build on the excitement of the inaugural race, averaging 905,000 viewers on ESPN, a close to 30% fall from the 2023 edition.
The last edition to feature on ESPN drew strong audiences, averaging 1.5 million viewers – making the 2025 edition the most-watched in the US. Crucially, it improved 70% on the 2024 edition of the race due to organizers moving the start time of the race forward to better suit the easternmost time zones in the country.
