ESPN acquires US television rights for Formula 1 from 2018 [Archive]

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Jag_Warrior

4th October 2017, 17:41

truefan72

4th October 2017, 19:47

ESPN acquires US television rights for Formula 1 (https://www.grandprix247.com/2017/10/04/espn-acquires-us-television-rights-for-formula-1/)

I don't know what the chances are that NBCSN's broadcast team will jump over to ESPN, but if the guys don't, then this will be a day that will live in infamy. :(

Crap! :mad:

There is a good chance that they will move to ESPN. Just makes too much sense

As to the move itself...On race day, probably a good move with less commercials etc.
But i need to see how they manage FP1,2,3 and Qualy as well as the online content etc., before blessing this move

Starter

4th October 2017, 21:56

Knowing ESPN's past history I expect less coverage, more commercials, and odd show times. This is definitely NOT an upgrade.

Duncan

4th October 2017, 22:16

This is the critical line:

NBC Sports Group had the F1 rights since 2013, but said it “chose not to enter into a new agreement in which the rights holder itself competes with us and our distribution partners.”

Apparently Liberty Media is planning an online offering, and NBC wouldn't renew knowing that they would have to compete with it. This is what I was hoping would happen, actually; even though the online service will cost money, if they do a half decent job it should be a big improvement. There's a vast amount of footage coming from the race, most of which doesn't get seen because everything has to be squeezed into a single world feed. Hopefully, the online service will provide access to a much greater range of content.

I know not everybody will like this, but hopefully a free to air version will persist.

zako85

5th October 2017, 00:11

It's probably a good thing because NBC's coverage already has way too many commercials. Sometimes they run a group of commercials after every three laps of the race, as if trying to make up for a certain number of commercial breaks per show.

N. Jones

5th October 2017, 03:22

Yes, NBCSN's commercials are so bad I usually watch the Univision broadcast!
I think this is a crap move because ESPN loves to do more talking than showing sports.

zako85

5th October 2017, 12:19

Yes, NBCSN's commercials are so bad I usually watch the Univision broadcast!
I think this is a crap move because ESPN loves to do more talking than showing sports.

They can talk as much as they want before and after the race. I would be fine with that.

Bagwan

5th October 2017, 14:57

I believe Joe Saward mentioned that they would be carrying the Sky feed .

It sounds as though NBC weren't happy with it not being an exclusive offer any more , which sounds to me like Liberty will offer a stream or two at the same time .

It makes sense , because they have a slick package with Sky , so why not just sell it on to ABC , who don't have to do squat but slot it in .
Then , add all the extras , advertised on TV , to the stream on line .

So , you play it when the fanatic needs it , at race time .
If that's at stupid o'clock for N. Americans , you replay at a better time , not opposite a big game , so Joe Average can watch it .

The real fan(with cash , the ideal customer) gets the race twice , with added streams .

Remember , we're talkin' about "the Mouse"(Disney) here .

truefan72

5th October 2017, 20:52

hmm interesting.
So if they take the sky stream, that would be a plus.
Also if, as a few mentioned, F1 comes out with an online package themselves. then that might be worth the money to get uninterrupted sessions and the race, along with extra onboards, etc.
it depends on the price point though. NBC did show FP1 online,2 Broadcast and 3 online and Qualy and the race on Broadcast and online. But it the commercials were too much and hunt to find races on cnbc or nbcsc etc. were bothersome. But I do believe that the online package from Liberty appeals to a different crowd than the cable package NBC or now ESPN would offer.

At the end of the day it comes down to developing and offering a compelling package that would draw people in and keep them there. NBC only got it half right and certainly could have done more.
Despite what people think the US is still a fairly huge market for F1. If you look at the viewer numbers rather than percentages, it still makes it a large market and one worth investing in.

We shall see

AAReagles

7th October 2017, 07:31

Yes, NBCSN's commercials are so bad I usually watch the Univision broadcast!...

Ditto. Even if Dismal Disney (because that's ESPN) actually did start off well, there is no way it would operate without non-stop nonsense of commerciaism. Especially since it is a sinking ship anyways with regards to other sports. I fail to see where it would be any different with any form of motor racing whatsoever.

I may only understand 1/10th of what's being said but that's fine since I am tuned in to watch the races, instead of the listening to the babble that most reporters offer these days.

Jag_Warrior

9th October 2017, 17:46

Knowing ESPN's past history I expect less coverage, more commercials, and odd show times. This is definitely NOT an upgrade.

Back in the CART days, I well remember having to keep a piece of cardboard beside my TV when the races were shown tape delayed. Why? Do you remember how ESPN2 would run the results of the race WHILE you were watching the race?! I would tape the cardboard to the bottom of my TV set to block any results that the doofuses would scroll across during the race. I well remember CART races being joined late, preempted by little league baseball and girl's high school soccer. I remember the coverage ending as soon as the winner crossed the finish line. I have nightmares of the ESPeeN F1 team being Scott "Snoozy" Goodyear (taking Diffey's place), Eddie "Backmarker" Cheever (taking Hobbs' place as the F1 driving "expert") and Danica "The Brand" Patrick (taking Matchett's place as the technical analyst - I think she knows what a steering wheel is... since I doubt she'll be real busy next year). Bad memories mean very low expectations for the future under the gang at Disney. Of all the outlets, ABC/ESPN is my least favorite for motorsports. Other than bouncing channels during broadcasts, I think that Fox does well. I'm OK with CBS for the most part. But from NHRA to NASCAR to everything else I've watched, I have a long, deep hatred for the motorsports coverage on ABC/ESPN. IMO, they put the "S" in suck.

I dislike the myriad of commercials on NBCSN too. Even their app has unavoidable and VERY long commercials on it. But other than Speedvision/Speed Channel, NBCSN has been my favorite F1 outlet over the years.

If the Mouse House does give us the Sky coverage, from what people say about it, I guess that would be the best hope that we have. And I will certainly sign up for whatever Liberty offers, assuming the price isn't crazy. My main thing is I need to be able to watch by way of a DVR or on-demand. I've been unable to watch live races for years.

Bagwan

9th October 2017, 20:23

Be calm , Jag , I know what you're talking about , and your life , in F1 terms is about to change dramatically , as you'll be greatly impressed with the Sky coverage .
They are at every race , doing a lot of wandering around , bumping into grid folk , asking often uncomfortable questions .
They have a good amount of detailed analysis as well , so you get a little added insight .

I do hope the mouse stays out of the broadcast for you , but perhaps produces an F1 movie or two in the background to get the ball really rolling in the US .
Then just add another race or two and you'd have what Bernie wanted and couldn't get done .

Tazio

10th October 2017, 01:43

AS long as they broadcast the races the rest really doesn't make much difference to me, as I have Univision to switch to during the commercials. Now If you take away Univision to fall back on I will get all pissed off!

Stan Reid

10th October 2017, 02:07

Being OTA here, it looks like I will only see U.S. and Mexico. NBC carried those as well as Canada and Monaco.

Jag_Warrior

1st November 2017, 17:39

I'd love to hear more about the digital offerings from Liberty that are rumored to be in the cards for next year. Some sort of "on demand" offering would be great.

Jag_Warrior

27th November 2017, 15:23

Sounds like the NBCSports F1 crew's services will not be picked up by ESPN, and David Hobbs has chosen to retire. :(

NBC Sports commentator David Hobbs’ broadcasting career essentially is being forcibly ended, as ESPN has secured the rights to air Formula One races starting in 2018. But that’s been a tough pill to swallow. Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hobbs said he’s upset that the switch to ESPN means he won’t get to sign off on his own terms, but he’s more bothered by the reason Liberty Media chose to sign a multi-year deal with the network, according to RACER. “It’s a bit galling that my last show is not me retiring, but me being retired,” Hobbs said. “If ESPN or anybody had come along and outbid NBC in a rights war, and we were pushed out by a clearly superior team and deal, that would be one thing. You could say, ‘OK, I guess the best guy’s won.’ But the deal they’ve got is horrible.” Although NBC has had a three-man team of Hobbs, Leigh Diffey and Steve Matchett call every race — apart from the United States, Monaco and Abu Dhabi — from its studio in Stamford, Conn., and only has sent pit lane reporter Will Buxton to provide on-site analysis, ESPN reportedly won’t even do that. Instead, it simply will air the F1 world feed. “They’re not paying any rights fees, they aren’t having any studio shows so there aren’t any production costs,” Hobbs told RACER. “It’s meant to be a generic (broadcast) team from across the ocean. That is irritating, that we’re being ousted by what will be an inferior show. To be pushed out by a pathetic deal, including for the viewer, is sad.” Hobbs expects Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to be emotional for him, given that he’s been commentating “as Leigh’s been alive, and Steve would have been eight when I did my first show.”

Starter

28th November 2017, 01:13

Sounds like the NBCSports F1 crew's services will not be picked up by ESPN, and David Hobbs has chosen to retire. :(
And exactly who is surprised by anything that ESPN does? They've been laying off people at an alarming rate for a year now. I'm surprised they had any cash to bid with at all.

Starter

28th November 2017, 01:31

Also, let's not forget the history here. ESPN bought the old SPEED channel (formerly Speedvision) and turned it into NASCAR tv with 24-7 NASCAR. They killed all of the other racing programing, including Dave Despain's very well regarded show. That's how F1 and IndyCar wound up at NBCSN. Now that NASCAR isn't nearly as hot as it was they've got huge gaps to fill. It's no surprise they are going to do this on the cheap. That's pretty much how they do everything these days. Personally I give them maybe two years before they fold or sell out. They've got too many over priced contracts and not enough viewers.

truefan72

29th November 2017, 20:08

Sounds like the NBCSports F1 crew's services will not be picked up by ESPN, and David Hobbs has chosen to retire. :(

its is really a shame. I suppose they will pick up the Sky F1 coverage. But i suspect they wont be showing any pre/post race and or FP1,2 &3 , and I'm not sure qualy is even on the books.
ESPN sucks and has been for years now. Back in the day i used to watch sportscenter and later on occasionally espn news (because that is really just what i wanted a good roundup of the sports highlights without the excessive showmanship.) The NBA and college football/basketball is about the only thing left they do right. But motor sports they never did nor seemed all that interested in giving it its due. They ruined speedtv and are probably going to do more harm than good to F1 in this market.

Tazio

11th April 2018, 01:58

American broadcaster ESPN has confirmed that its Formula 1 qualifying and race broadcasts will now be commercial-free in 2018.Following an Australian Grand Prix debut that resulted in a chorus of abuse from fans about the quality of its telecasts (https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/espn-apologizes-live-broadcast-errors-1019008/?v=2&s=1&q=espn), which featured multiple advertising breaks, ESPN has responded to the criticism and ran commercial-free in Bahrain at the weekend.
It has since pledged to continue this for the rest of the season.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/espn-to-stay-commercial-free-in-u-s-f1-broadcasts-1024704/
Reasonably righteous I'd say!:)

airshifter

14th April 2018, 16:53

Well I'm not that fond of the Sky coverage at all so far. The on screen graphics and position bars are great and easy to follow, but the commentary is a bit on the easily excitable side for my preference. Combined with ESPN giving minimal coverage to what Sky feeds, overall things have been quite a bit reduced from the previous years.

As it turns out I dropped a bunch of fiber channels but retained ESPN. I'm hoping the F1 TV thing works out much better, as I'd gladly pay for something better.

Jag_Warrior

9th June 2018, 18:01

There's not really anything wrong with the Sky coverage, and there's certainly a more of it than what we typically got with NBCSN. I mean, with NBCSN, I'd have to fire up my Roku and watch FP1 with no commentators on the app. NBC's focus was more on FP2. But anyway, mine isn't so much a complaint as just not being in love with the commentators on Sky. Too much of the time they seem to want to attempt being witty (when it's not necessary or welcome) and they banter just because they enjoy hearing themselves talk. The overall coverage is good - track coverage is great. I like that they're live at the races. I personally don't miss Will Buxton one bit (sorry, I just never liked him). But I do miss Steve Matchett and David Hobbs massively. Those were guys who I always thought it would be so cool to sit down and watch a race with. I just haven't warmed up to the Sky crew in that way yet.

Jag_Warrior

27th June 2018, 15:24

I hate to quote myself, but after last weekends race, I have to say this again:

and they banter just because they enjoy hearing themselves talk.

Thank goodness for Anthony Davidson. I enjoyed his presence and input. But the rest of them... I felt like I was listening to a bunch of old hens rattle on about nothing. I'm definitely going to search for another way to watch the coverage by next season.

zako85

27th June 2018, 15:30

The French GP coverage had no commercial interruptions! I like.

mr_swiss

28th June 2018, 04:39

Luckily Mother's products pays in the US for commercial free coverage of every Grand Prix (at least after the disaster of the first telecast)

airshifter

29th June 2018, 12:28