F1 going to Sky

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Originally Posted by Sonic

Yup. Thats exactly what I am saying. I haven't watch an Indycar race for a decade, and have never watched any of the other sports you mention on that list. So, for me at least, it would be £50p/m purely for Formula one, which isn't on for 5 months of the year anyway.

No amount of backtracking (full replays/prime time) will bring me around to thinking this is 'good' for the fans, and the BS from the team bosses in exchange for the extra million quid they are going to get shows how little they respect the people that make the sport possible.

I've already voted with my feet. I've not watched any red button or qually, and tomorrow I will miss my first live GP in many years. If I am not wanted as a fan...no probs.

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This is such a shame that extra money gets a bigger say than the fans that watch, fund and love the sport.

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Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

:mad: :rolleyes: How may people have any interest in Olympic sports other than once every 4 years? What are the audience figures for athletics coverage generally? And yet a fortune is being spent, not just by the BBC, to cover 2012.

Rather than being a once every four years event, F1 has 20 events every year and has an audience of 1.3 billion people in more than 185 countries (link).

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Do the Olympics cost 60 million quid a year merely for the broadcast rights with the promise that the next contract will be even more expensive?

Like it or not the Olympics have a broader appeal and I'd argue that the London Olympics will be as much a social happening as a sporting one. The official tv viewing figures suggest f1 is as popular as the Olympics or the world cup. Even the most ardent f1 fanatic can see that simply is not true

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

Do the Olympics cost 60 million quid a year merely for the broadcast rights with the promise that the next contract will be even more expensive?

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There is a wider problem here, I think, relating to F1's image. Unfortunately, it still likes to present itself as being immensely cash-rich and glamourous, and the element of (let's call it what it is) vulgarity about it, combined with the widespread public detestation of Ecclestone, all makes it an easy target for the BBC's cuts even if other, greater savings could be made elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by thunderbolt

business as usual for F1 coverage in Australia from one tv

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Are you talking about now or next year? I missed the start of qualy.

will the world be any better when Ecclestone and Murdoch finall pop their clogs or will some other horrible little gimps take their place and carry on their "good" work?

What disappoints me most about this is Whitmarsh coming out in support of it.

Bernie Ecclestone confident Sky deal will boost UK audiences | Formula 1 | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1

All of us already knew Bernie was a doube crossing piece of ****. That has been clear for years. I never really thought that Whitmarsh would double cross the fans in favour of it. He always seemed to be a man of more integrity than most others on the pit lane. It's such a shame really. No one should have to invest in Sky Box to watch this sport. It turns my stomach.

I already have Sky so it actually doesn't make much difference to me but this deal still absolutely disgusts me. What should really happen here is that the Sponsors should kick up fuss. If they do that then I'd imagine the teams and like would have no choice but to renege on this agreement.

This rubbish about fans being able to watch the entire race at a later date is a load of cock and bull. As a genuine fan, am I going to wait 7 hours to know what is happening in a race. No. I'm going to check online to see what happened after which watching the race simply won't be the same again. Also, as a huge fan of F1, should I be expected to pay Sky €50 (or whatever it is for Sky Sports subscription) per month to watch three races, at most, per month? If I don't have Sky already and this is why I decide to subscribe that's a hell of a lot I'm paying to simply watch and F1 race, in or around €15 per race. This is a steep price to ask any F1 fan. Imagine if Liverpool fans had to pay €15 to watch every football game. There would be uproar.

It's nonsense to think that the audience will increase as well. Anyone that has Sky has BBC on their Sky Box. This is pure fan exploitation and I'm really disappointed that the teams have allowed this to go through.

I think a lot of people are missing a point that has been proven by "Sky" with other sports, yes it will affect a lot of F1 watchers over the next year, but now "Sky" has got it's foot in it will be only a year or two before they will make the BBC an offer they can't refuse to buy them out, (proved contracts do not mean a thing to SOME people when megga bucks are involved) of course they can outbid everyone as once they achieve total coverage they can recoup the money by upping subscriptions, not for just F1 but for anyone who has Sky sports.

It´s a shame, but in the end you have to pay, I do.

It´s a matter of accepting.

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Originally Posted by Mia 01

It´s a shame, but in the end you have to pay, I do.

It´s a matter of accepting.

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No MIA, it's not a case of accepting, it's a case of being priced out of the market. I can not justify the expense of two hours of sport every other week, at a time when my family has to give serious consideration to 'luxuries' such as a car journey or putting the central heating on!

I don't know how much you pay for your F1 enjoyment, but over my years as a fan and competitor I have poured £££'s into this industry, not to mention my tv licence and cable fee's (which incidentally I am having to have disconnected because it's beyond our means nowadays).

If you are in a position to pay...bully for you...but there will be plenty more like me - F1 will be poorer.

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Originally Posted by Mia 01

It´s a shame, but in the end you have to pay, I do.

It´s a matter of accepting.

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Why should I have to accept putting money into a company guilty (as it will surely be proved) of repeated criminal behaviour that was not just illegal, but entirely amoral?

(Obviously, I know that many companies get found guilty of criminal activity at one level or another, but the Murdoch companies' behaviour goes beyond the pale.)