uk f1 tv coverage - sky, bbc and ch4

[backfire]

I wonder if we will be hearing the sponsor's reactions to losing a vast percentage of their UK audience. I get it being shown on commercial TV, where the costs can be earned back with full access for free public viewing, but do you at a stroke restrict the popularity of a sport that is facing crisis anyway?

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

If F1 isn't interested in me, whey should I be interested in F1?

Says it all really. I will miss it, but not so much that I'll pay Sky for it.

Unlike someone else's post (sorry, can't find it now) I don't think I'll get all the gossip and news from this forum. If I don't watch the races on television my whole interest will wither and die.

I forget who coined the phrase originally, but Bernie Ecclestone is "the unacceptable face of capitalism".

[P38 in workshop]

I posted a bit earlier about the coincidence of the new qualifying format being dreamt up by the same people and now it seems that the universal condemnation wasn't enough to prevent it being retained for Bahrain.If the continuing shift to pay TV continues it will seriously weaken the arguments that the teams sponsorship departments can deploy when seeking funding.Will the income from the pay TV broadcasters be enough to cover the shortfall?

I really do believe that the decision makers inside the F1 bubble have lost the plot.I went to the Autosport Show in January and saw,among other things,the Williams hospitality centre.It only takes fourteen trucks to move it around.Not singling out Williams,but it shows a certain level of remove from building the fastest racing car.

[JABWOA]

I can only assume that BE is going to get Sky (Rupert) pregnant with this deal and then trump him with FOM direct services. I'd much prefer to pay BE direct (and therefore the teams) than Rupert getting his cut first.

Didn't know about WEC digital - will have to investigate that!!

[Peter Mallett]

I concur with Max, this is a bad move all round.

That said if the Formula was as it should be, fast cars, big engines, no gimmicks, then many would probably be signing up to Sky. What is happening is that those who like the gadgetry and gimmicks will keep watching whilst the rest, whose interest has waned with the new rules, don't actually give a flying fig.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I concur with Max, this is a bad move all round.

That said if the Formula was as it should be, fast cars, big engines, no gimmicks, then many would probably be signing up to Sky. What is happening is that those who like the gadgetry and gimmicks will keep watching whilst the rest, whose interest has waned with the new rules, don't actually give a flying fig.

Total.

I think I still watch because it's a habit?

I packed in the ciggies 4 years ago so I need something expensive and pointless to do!!

I think the thing for me is I still get enjoyment (and frustration) out of seeing how the drivers compare and if the new kids are able to threaten the established stars, and if someone's gutsy enough to try and overtake (jeez, remember that?!) but that's probably it as far as actual interest in F1 goes.

It's just not worth a subscription of that cost.

[Born Racer]

midgetman, I think you've hit the nail on the head re: the business model. The point is that they can't have it both ways. If they want to extract revenues from pay-per-view, fine, but the sponsorship value is going WAY down. At least they can empirically measure return on Sky subscriptions, but we're going to enter into a phase of serious doubt about the value of sponsorship and I would foresee that several high-profile sponsors will pull the plug in the next few years. Speaking of which, many teams don't even have high-profile sponsors now. McLaren, for instance, seems to have several smaller ones and props up Alonso's 30+ million salary with Honda.

The value of sponsorship is going to diminish and companies will not feel confident enough about investment. Formula 1 is not the Premier League. It is not as accessible as football and many people have traditionally discovered F1, by chance, on television, unlike football which they discover while playing in the park or at school and then become fans and invest in a Sky subscription.

No new fans coming through mean it is going to become really niche.

I also see that Bernie's possible pride and face-saving has led to the qualifying format being retained for Bahrain, despite universal opposition to it. They had a meeting in which Bernie "persuaded" them to retain it. Arguably, the teams didn't understand properly what they were supposed to be doing in Australia and weren't well-prepared enough. What on earth were cars doing in the garage during qualifying, for example? So they are trying once more.

On a more positive note, I thought Channel 4 did a slick job in putting together such good coverage at quite short-notice. Steve Jones came across well, not too dominant a personality, but letting the experts do their thing well. Mark Webber is a great choice, excellent at elucidating the action, direct and also striking up a great rapport with the others. You can tell he's a bit new to TV in terms of looking at the right camera, etc, but that'll come with time. Karun Chandhok is also a big motorsport fan and on the ball, doing an excellent job in his role.

[BSchneiderFan]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

I forget who coined the phrase originally, but Bernie Ecclestone is "the unacceptable face of capitalism".

Ted Heath said it about "Tiny" Rowland.

[thetool]

Anyone else notice the great irony of Autosport complaining about Sky's paywall shrinking F1 audiences....

[JABWOA]

So, Sky will broadcast race highlights and the British GP live on a "free to air" service.
Free to those who already have access to SkyTV? - what's the delivery method in the UK - cable or satellite or both?

[ScotsBrutesFan]

As I posted earlier...

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

Sky own Pick TV on freeview, they have been showing the odd event from Sky's sports portfolio on it ...they simulcasted a few NFL games onto it during the regular season.

Between Pick on freeview, a "free weekend" offer on NowTV and the other platforms, Sky Sports Mix for non sports subscribers to Sky the reach increases significantly.

Pick isn't on the top tier of Mux/Channels, so might not be on every relay.
Whether this is enough to comply with free-to-air requirements, we will have to wait and see.

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by JABWOA

So, Sky will broadcast race highlights and the British GP live on a "free to air" service.
Free to those who already have access to SkyTV? - what's the delivery method in the UK - cable or satellite or both?

I believe this is a legal requirement rather than a contractual one and a service which requires any kind of subscription does not qualify so I don't think they can get away with requiring access to skytv to watch it, all sky services require some kind of subscription as far as I am aware.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by fourWheelDrift

I believe this is a legal requirement rather than a contractual one and a service which requires any kind of subscription does not qualify so I don't think they can get away with requiring access to skytv to watch it, all sky services require some kind of subscription as far as I am aware.

I do not believe that there is a legal requirement to show the British GP on terrestrial TV; see also the Wikipedia page covering this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofcom_...ignated_Events

[Peter Mallett]

Here you go.

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/bin...ted_events.pdf

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Here you go.

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/bin...ted_events.pdf

Thanks, I always thought "we" were on that list. Feeling let down now ...

[henners88]

It's sad news for fans in the UK, pay up or get lost is the message. I bought an Android Skybox the year before last that gives me every Sky channel for about 30 quid a year. We bought it for the Disney and movie channels and I don't have the worry that I'm paying Sky on my conscience. I planned on watching the F1 on it too but in all honesty I'm not following the sport like I used to. The racing is dull, and I no longer prioritise my Sunday's around watching races with a young family.

Most of my friends who I grew up with who watched F1 have either cut back on watching it or stopped a few years ago. It's just a reflection of how F1 has evolved and no longer do they need millions of people watching it. As long as you see a 2 minute YouTube clip or tweet something about it you are good enough for the sponsors.

The cost for TV broadcasters to buy the rights to F1 has risen nearly 1300% in the last 20 years. The sport has been pushing for PPV for a long time and it's finally moving into place. Maybe this is a good thing in the UK and maybe other forms of Motorsport will be approached by broadcasters and given a prime time slot? F1 is not interested in bums on seats but other forms are crying out for interest and a cash injection.

[Sodemo]

On that same note, I always thought it odd that our European saloon car series isn't massive like NASCAR is in the states. NASCAR has huge sponsorship and is a spectacular event, yet the coverage of the sport is limited to specialist outlets and ITV4. It doesn't seem to have the same scale.

[Raven]

I cancelled Sky (full package inc. Sports & Movies) at the end of 2013 and have no intention of going back. I'm with Virgin now but without the sports and movie channels. For what you get, for the price they're asking, the service just isn't worth it in my eyeballs. I don't watch Football/Rugby/Cricket/Golf/WWE which seem to be the main things on Sky Sports beside F1.

The way I look at it, it's an incentive to turn away from F1 once and for all. The series has been pretty naff for a number of years now and there's no sign of real change.

Moving the sport behind a paywall WILL shrink its audience in one of its biggest and most important markets. If they do the same in places like Germany, it'll pretty much kill the sport in its heartland. Then it becomes a question of how long everything else remains sustainable - track fees with inevitably much lower ticket sales, sponsor interest, manufacturer interest. People have got better and more important things to do with their money than give it to Bernie and Murdoch.

[Akrapovic]

For what it's worth, I cancelled Sky many years ago. I was on a decent TV package and there internet. I dropped it all and went to O2 Internet and freeview TV. When Sky bought O2 Broadband, they attempted to up my price and tried to charge me a re-connection fee for "returning" to Sky.

That was my last dealing with Sky. I am now a Virgin customer and get more internet/tv/phone for less money, and a LOT less hassle. If F1 is the only casualty from this, then that's F1s problem, not mine.

[Lotusonpole]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

For what it's worth, I cancelled Sky many years ago. I was on a decent TV package and there internet. I dropped it all and went to O2 Internet and freeview TV. When Sky bought O2 Broadband, they attempted to up my price and tried to charge me a re-connection fee for "returning" to Sky.

That was my last dealing with Sky. I am now a Virgin customer and get more internet/tv/phone for less money, and a LOT less hassle. If F1 is the only casualty from this, then that's F1s problem, not mine.

I too was a Sky customer. After 12 months of rubbish internet performance, they awarded me the internet part of my package cost as free until that cost had been used up. 5 weeks later they sent me a letter putting up my package price by £10 per month as apparently "I'd been using the internet too much". So from that date I've been with Virgin. Hence my reliance on, up to now, the BBC for F1.

Now Sky having the sole rights to F1 in the near future, I ask is this just UK or all of Europe or indeed global coverage? It seems most popular sports have gone, or in F1's case going, this way.

F1 will self-consume itself.

[Peter Mallett]

Lest we get too tied up with the Sky thing, this is as a result of Bernie's decision making Sky just think the product is worth more than others so have bought the rights. Can't blame them. Whatever one's experience of Sky's service it has nothing to do with whether you want to watch F1 or not. If it's the only game in town then if you want to watch it, Sky is who you pay.

The flavour I'm getting from this thread is that people are so fed up with the product that is Eff 1, they don't see any value in paying to watch it on Sky or any other pay tv channel.

I concur.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Lest we get too tied up with the Sky thing, this is as a result of Bernie's decision making Sky just think the product is worth more than others so have bought the rights. Can't blame them. Whatever one's experience of Sky's service it has nothing to do with whether you want to watch F1 or not. If it's the only game in town then if you want to watch it, Sky is who you pay.

The flavour I'm getting from this thread is that people are so fed up with the product that is Eff 1, they don't see any value in paying to watch it on Sky or any other pay tv channel.

I concur.

Of course it has everything to do with Sky, as the idea of "wanting" to watch anything is not black and white, but rather filled with grey. The benefits have to outweigh the negatives. The feeling I'm getting here is that the reason many will be dropping F1 is 3 fold

1) F1 is not producing a good enough show
2) Sky costs too much
3) Sky service is poor

I want to watch F1. But not enough to overcome Skys downsides.

[Peter Mallett]

Living in various parts of the world as I have/do, Sky is no different to any other TV provider. So I really feel that it has no bearing on the discussion.

[Akrapovic]

Judging by the posts on this page, many will disagree that it's not even the same as other UK providers, never mind the rest of the world. Since that's opinion based, and a good reason many will have to drop F1, I think it's quite important to the discussion, for the reasons already listed.

[Peter Mallett]

Soo just because you have a gripe about the service you would cease watching the sport you love? Hmm, I think that is tenuous. BTW "you" as in "fans in general".

Up until recently I was an avid viewer. Now I can't even be @rsed to watch it on free to air. If I'm typical then I wonder how C4 will get on?

If the rules change back to something that resembles a sport I wouldn't mind betting many who currently won't pay, will change their minds.