F1 to leave terrestrial Tv

[emporer_k]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35889736

From 2019 F1 will be broadcast exclusively on Sky.

Although this announcement seemed somewhat inevitable from the day Sky secured joint broadcasting rights it's sad to see the sport disappear behind a paywall, because it will exclude both current fans and I fear prevent future fans from discovering the sport.

It also adds to my view that those running the sport are only interested in generating as much revenue as they can as quickly as they can rather than building value.

[AndyL]

Some small consolation that they will be showing highlights on an FTA channel (presumably satellite not terrestrial, but if FTA then it would be available on Freesat etc.). But I expect their highlights package will be treated as an extended trailer for Sky Sports rather than core programming like it was for the BBC and is for Channel 4.

[Starter]

What's the success rate for sports on pay TV in general? There is no chance that Bernie is letting those rights go cheaply. They'll need a LOT of viewers just to break even.

[Mark]

F1 has already lost it's 'caché' when the BBC dropped doing full live coverage and for many not being able to see live coverage at all in the UK is going to be it's death knell, at least in this country.

The 'channel' thing doesn't sound encouraging either, if the likes of the BBC or Ch4 were to have a guaranteed highlights package for each race it wouldn't be so bad.

At the moment I still have Sky Sports F1 for free, lets hope they don't go back on that deal!

[Mark]

What's the success rate for sports on pay TV in general? There is no chance that Bernie is letting those rights go cheaply. They'll need a LOT of viewers just to break even.

It depends on the sport. Premier League football in the UK is wildly successful on Sky Sports and the league is the richest in the world as a result. But that's because vast numbers of people are prepared to pay to watch their team. Is that the same with F1?

[henners88]

Although it's a tough thing to come to terms with, I will be ending my viewership of Formula One in 2018. I've not been following it as avidly as I used to in recent years due to family commitments and the rather poor quality of the sport in general. It's glory days are in the past and the desperation they've shown trying to spice the 'show' up has sadly demonstrated that.

Moving the coverage completely off free to air is just a big two fingers up to fans. It's basically suggesting unless you have a lot of money, you don't deserve to watch and unfortunately it's really not worth the premium in any case.

Even with rapidly diminishing viewing figures the decision makers have forced the sport down this route. The teams stay awkwardly quiet because they have a financial interest in deals like this. It's easier to avoid it, take the money, give fake statements about appreciating fans. It's a sad state of affairs but one that has been coming for years. It's losing appeal and the only way to secure the money coming in is to sell off the tv rights. The next action will be reduced races per year and circuits like Monza, Silverstone, and Spa disappearing off the calendar.

[Starter]

Although it's a tough thing to come to terms with, I will be ending my viewership of Formula One in 2018. I've not been following it as avidly as I used to in recent years due to family commitments and the rather poor quality of the sport in general. It's glory days are in the past and the desperation they've shown trying to spice the 'show' up has sadly demonstrated that.

Moving the coverage completely off free to air is just a big two fingers up to fans. It's basically suggesting unless you have a lot of money, you don't deserve to watch and unfortunately it's really not worth the premium in any case.

Even with rapidly diminishing viewing figures the decision makers have forced the sport down this route. The teams stay awkwardly quiet because they have a financial interest in deals like this. It's easier to avoid it, take the money, give fake statements about appreciating fans. It's a sad state of affairs but one that has been coming for years. It's losing appeal and the only way to secure the money coming in is to sell off the tv rights. The next action will be reduced races per year and circuits like Monza, Silverstone, and Spa disappearing off the calendar.
Yes, it reminds me a bit of CART in the US when the owners took the money and ran.

[Rollo]

unfortunately it's really not worth the premium in any case.

The Pay TV coverage doesn't offer anything other than what that free-to-air did a decade ago; literary nothing.

[Bagwan]

Things are changing faster than something that's really quick .

A wee electronic devise available almost everywhere can circumnavigate Rupert or anyone else .

Rupert must be sweating .

It's the same in the music industry . Nobody knows how they are going to make any money in the future , other than going out and playing gigs .


Dip your hands into the stream , kids , and watch Rupert float away .

[henners88]

As Bagwan said there are 3 or 4 alternatives that I know of where you can get access or even full Sky coverage including every single channel for a fraction of the official cost. I have a SkyBox F5 that is affectively running Android and uses my satellite feed and Internet connection. It costs about £30 for a years support as Sky do tend to scramble the feed every 4 months. It does mean we have access to Sky's full offering. You can get Amazon Fire sticks with software on them to do pretty much the same thing. Facebook is full of these devices but you have to understand they are not authorised. I wouldn't condone using them ;)

[henners88]

The Pay TV coverage doesn't offer anything other than what that free-to-air did a decade ago; literary nothing.
Exactly, it's the same product but now you have to pay at least £50 a month for it if you go the official route. It's a struggle for most to see the appeal in that and it's why I don't do it lol. Despite viewing numbers reducing rapidly, the sport has pushed for this outcome. A 1300% hike in broadcasting fees in the last 20 years has made sure FTA has been squeezed out. They are getting the money from companies like Sky now, but the long term effect is less fans will be watching in 10 years time. I was once a big fan and never went a day without posting about it or having it in my mind. I'm not terribly sad about cutting my ties with it, and I never thought I'd say that.

[MrJan]

At first I was a bit narked by this announcement, but when i actually thought about it I realised that I probably prefer the extended highlights option, as long as it's shown at a reasonable time (the later night ones are a bit annoying for races like Canada or Brazil). Firstly you cut out the majority of the boring laps (I think we can all agree that most races have a period of status quo where you're just waiting for the next pit stop for strategy to unfurl). Secondly you don't lose a whole day of time because you need to be in front of the telly between 12 and 3pm on a Sunday, this means that I can go out and do things (like watch or compete in live motorsport) and still be home in time to watch the race.

It's certainly crap that Murdoch has squeezed his way in, but we all knew the writing was on the wall for FTA when Sky first got involved. Personally I'd rather see Motors TV have a bit of support (and not drop off the face of a platform for days on end) and get to watch more live endurance racing with commentary from the RLM/Midweek Motorsport crew. To my mind endurance racing is currently in a position where it's more exciting to watch than F1, I caught the last 3 hours or so of the Sebring 12hr race the other week and it was gripping. A few hours later I watched the highlights of Melbourne and even found that to drag a bit.

[henners88]

Does anybody else think that the highlights will end up on ITV like Moto GP is now? Run on a Monday night at 11pm so there is extra incentive for fans to just subscribe? I somehow doubt Sky are going to offer highlights the day of the race and at a reasonable time. They want subscribers, they are not interested in keeping fans happy.

I could make do with highlights if the actual racing improved. Right now I'm missing 6 races in every 8 due to lack of interest.

[AndyL]

Does anybody else think that the highlights will end up on ITV like Moto GP is now? Run on a Monday night at 11pm so there is extra incentive for fans to just subscribe? I somehow doubt Sky are going to offer highlights the day of the race and at a reasonable time. They want subscribers, they are not interested in keeping fans happy.

I could make do with highlights if the actual racing improved. Right now I'm missing 6 races in every 8 due to lack of interest.

There have been statements about Sky running the highlights on a new FTA channel of their own. But sub-letting their highlights to someone else would make sense.

[henners88]

There have been statements about Sky running the highlights on a new FTA channel of their own. But sub-letting their highlights to someone else would make sense.

I had heard that yes. If sky have their own channel to air highlights I can't imagine them being as comprehensive as the BBC or C4. There must be some emphasis on why it's better to subscribe to the whole channel and see the race in full. I would imagine they will use it to advertise the channel and make highlights short and sweet.

They won't want fans getting enough from highlights as it undermines the main event. This is why I think the highlights show will either be aired the day after or perhaps midweek like the F1 Show used to be. I think whatever way you look at it, it's going to be crap.

[Rollo]

They won't want fans getting enough from highlights as it undermines the main event. This is why I think the highlights show will either be aired the day after or perhaps midweek like the F1 Show used to be. I think whatever way you look at it, it's going to be crap.

This is how I currently see half the race on the calendar (in Australia). Channel 10 plays highlights of half the races starting at 10pm or 11pm on a Monday night; or in some instances on a Tuesday. I forget which GP it was last year but the highlights were shown at 1am on a Wednesday.

[acescribe]

At the moment I still have Sky Sports F1 for free, lets hope they don't go back on that deal!

I still have it thrown in with my HD package too. I certainly wouldn't pay extra for it, with regret.

[tommy2k8]

F1 has already lost it's 'caché' when the BBC dropped doing full live coverage and for many not being able to see live coverage at all in the UK is going to be it's death knell, at least in this country.

The 'channel' thing doesn't sound encouraging either, if the likes of the BBC or Ch4 were to have a guaranteed highlights package for each race it wouldn't be so bad.

At the moment I still have Sky Sports F1 for free, lets hope they don't go back on that deal!

How did you get SSF1 for free?!

[tommy2k8]

I can't help thinking, now that UEFA have realised that they have made a mistake awarding CL rights to BT Sport and not giving them to ITV, wonder whether Bernie will see the same thing (Sky vs FTA). But then I thought, Pigs Might Fly!)