Formula One - death of free to air coverage from the BBC?

peter101cycle

The only other sport that I enjoy watching other than cycling is Formula One. Recent seasons have been some of the best racing I have seen in a long time and the BBC coverage has been excellent.

Now times are hard and the BBC (ever dependable to spend money wisely!) has decided to cut coverage to save money and full live coverage for the season is going to Sky Sports.

Good thing or a bad thing for Formula One and sport broadcasting in general in the UK - discuss?

Too old for this

Bad thing, it's another top drawer sport going to sky so only those with a lot of disposable income to spend on sky will be able to watch. :evil:

RichN95.

This will have a big negative impact on grass routes Formula 1.

How will the children how can't afford Sky be inspired to become F1 drivers?

RichN95.

Seriously, though. They had a phone in about this on Radio 5 this morning and one caller genuinely said "the BBC should drop Wimbledon instead. Tennis is an elitist sport that normal people can't afford to play" (I paraphrase)


(I do like the idea that Sky are taking money off petrolheads to fund a cycling team)

peter101cycle

Wimbledon is a complete bore for 2 weeks and lets be honest, we aren't that great at it anyway. After the BBC lost the cricket, I no longer watch any test match cricket.

I suspect it will be the same if F1 goes pay to view.

If the BBC had not broadcast any F1, the FTA rights may have had to go to Channel 4 from what I have read due to the Concorde Agreement with the teams.

morstar

The tv landscape has changed a lot during the time that Sky has been around beyond just Skys impact. However, I always think back to how big a sport boxing used to be in the mainstream media. Bruno, Honeyghan, Benn, Watson etc, etc were household names. Sky took boxing on as a pay per view cash cow and now the general public only really hear of a boxer when they are world champ. I think Sky seriously downgraded the status of boxing in the publics eye.

Maybe it won't be the same today as there are so many more Sky viewers but I believe it will have an impact on the profile of F1.

verylonglegs

I'm surprised it's survived this long before being bought up by a subscription channel, most of the other sports have gone the same way. Wait til it gets properly fragmented like the rugby union and football in the name of 'competition'. Last season the rugby premiership was split between sky and espn with only espn having the final so if you wanted to see it all you had to pay for both. The EU ruling that gave some football matches to espn is nonsense too as again it meant fans who wanted to see all their teams games need to get another subscription on top of sky. Proper competition would be both channels showing the same match and you could pick which service you used so there is downward pressure on prices. Not ever likely to happen though as a broadcaster wouldn't bid for rights without having some idea of the return they could get. In short...dont' pay and don't watch or accept you are going to get screwed even more in future to see sport on tv.

peter101cycle

Yes, boxing is one thing I never watch anymore.
Bernie is only interested in money, trouble is, all the value in F1 is in sponsorship from car manufacturers, etc. Take away a large part of the audience and their perceived value from formula 1 diminishes.

I just think this is the start of the beginning of the end for widely watched Formula 1 in the UK. And why would I fund the Murdoch's after they have been shown for what they represent?

guinea

The BBC did not decide to drop Formula 1. Sky simply paid more.

However, if I was running a minority sport I don't think I'd ditch the free to air BBC for a company that anyone with a brain would not do business with.

I don't understand how people can be happy to pay up to £60 a month for telly that's still infested with adverts. Are people mental?

SteveR_100Milers

RichN95 wrote:

This will have a big negative impact on grass routes Formula 1.

How will the children how can't afford Sky be inspired to become F1 drivers?

The only people without Sky are middle class families with consciences and an objection to funding a certain snake like aussie's pockets. For everyone else, it's the first thing to get along with your 52" LCD TV with your first unemployment / incapacity benefit cheque.

guinea

So basically it's just thick chavs who have Sky.

I think I can agree with that.

verylonglegs

Stupid generalisation. My old man has sky because he likes watching rugby and cricket..hardly the sports of chavs.

Stewie Griffin

India are 56/1 for anyone with the marvel that is satellite telly.

mrushton

F1 is a business disguised as motor sport. Even the term F1 is prob. trademarked. It goes to the highest bidder - that's it. The BBC has to look at the cost and the value offered to the licence payer. The sooner Wimbledon is on SKY the better. The era of 'free-to-air' sport is in some areas coming to an end - cycling seems to be going the other way with ITV4 (good on them).

fast as fupp

peter101cycle wrote:

The only other sport that I enjoy watching other than cycling is Formula One. Recent seasons have been some of the best racing I have seen in a long time and the BBC coverage has been excellent.

Now times are hard and the BBC (ever dependable to spend money wisely!) has decided to cut coverage to save money and full live coverage for the season is going to Sky Sports.

Good thing or a bad thing for Formula One and sport broadcasting in general in the UK - discuss?

f1 isnt a sport

Mettan

I'd prefer it if Sky would remove 'Drama/Soaps' from free tele BBC/ITV/ etc, and give us Sport back. Not going to happen but... Like my F1, and sad to see part of it go. Can still remember the halcyon days of Boxing/Football on tv - good days.

OffTheBackAdam

Moto GP is shown on Eurosport, likewise Superbikes (Qualifying from Silverstone I am watching as I type!)
F1 is pretty boring, you see more passing every lap in Superbikes & MotoGP than in an entire F1 race.

Tom Butcher

I think it shows why we should be careful of ceding power in sport to purely commercial interests. I suppose F1 never has been about participation so it doesn't really matter if the mass of people don't watch it - but for other sports being on free to air TV is still still a massive factor in encouraging grass roots participation.

Personally though I don't watch F1 so I wont miss it. I'd rather see the money spent on some decent drama or on sports coverage that might encourage people to get off their arse and have a go. If it winds up a few petrolheads so much the better.

mrushton

Mettan wrote:

I'd prefer it if Sky would remove 'Drama/Soaps' from free tele BBC/ITV/ etc, and give us Sport back. Not going to happen but... Like my F1, and sad to see part of it go. Can still remember the halcyon days of Boxing/Football on tv - good days.

That was the good old days of 'Grandstand',World of Sport',Dickie Davies and David Coleman. Suddenly a new age came in of satellite tv and 'pay-for-view' and there was shedloads of cash which everyone wanted a share of. I notice that football fans don't object when their team is promoted and there is money available from TV rights. Same reason that J.Vaughters and others are starting to make noises about tv money in cycling. people like Nike dream of Nike athletes appearing in Nike stadia filmed by Nike tv. Paid for by us

redvee

Something raised today amongst friends: Will the BBC tender for the contract again once the current contract is up for renewal?

redvee

We were thinking the same, the end of F1 on BBC.

Crapaud

guinea wrote:

... I don't understand how people can be happy to pay up to £60 a month for telly that's still infested with adverts. Are people mental?

You're the only other person I know who thinks like that, Guinea.It baffles me as well.

peter101cycle

redvee wrote:

We were thinking the same, the end of F1 on BBC.

Probably correct.

morstar

Crapaud wrote:

guinea wrote:

... I don't understand how people can be happy to pay up to £60 a month for telly that's still infested with adverts. Are people mental?

You're the only other person I know who thinks like that, Guinea.It baffles me as well.

You can count me into that group.

So saying, about 15 years ago when this tinterweb thing was taking off we took a cable package that did include phone, dial up and tv (inc films but not sport) for about £35 per month.
After about a year or maybe two, Sky started introducing additional movies (and sports) channels. Our subscription remained the same and did not include the new movie channels. It didn't take long to realise that all the good films we had been enjoying watching were now on the channels we didn't have. Basically we were expected to pay another several pounds per month simply to regain the viewing levels that we had previously.
Subscription cancelled and won't ever go back for that and exactly the reasons others have stated in this thread already.

verylonglegs

peter101cycle wrote:

redvee wrote:

We were thinking the same, the end of F1 on BBC.

Probably correct.

Well I can't think of many sports that have crossed back to terrestial once they gone to sky. It doesn't really concern me though, I got rid of my tv a while back and don't miss it. I resented paying for the nonsense the BBC served up let alone sky's stuff.

McBain_v1

I thought that the BBC was getting a highlights programme out of the deal? I won't be getting a Sky subscription any time soon (as long as ITV4 continues with its cycling coverage that's good enough for me).

I did hear that when F1 has been televised by the BBC viewing figures have been 7m+, but on Sky it's only 1m or so. Sky must be hoping for a mass-migration of petrol-heads to their subscription service.

Personally I won't miss it, most races are little more than a parade. If the gorgeous lasses who stand out on the track got a bit more tv time then I might, but as it is I just can't be arsed.

Gazzaputt

Thing that puts me off Sky showing F1 is their production.

BBC have this off to a tee. A great presenting team, slick interludes and features and are well respected in the paddock for their coverage and thus all the teams are willing to talk with them.

I remember seeing the now defunct A1 Series on Sky. Production was shockingly bad. Tony Jardine just didn't work for some reason. Their champions league, premiership etc production is so far behind the BBC and even ITV.

Blonde bimbo in the pit lane and some non descript ex driver and god knows who commentating. Maybe Carlton Kirby ;-)

I for one will watch the highlights on BBC and hope to god that Humphrey, Brundle, Coultard and Jordan don't jump ship. Also glad to hear 5 live keep their coverage as Davidson and Croft are excellent.

prawny

Gazzaputt wrote:

Thing that puts me off Sky showing F1 is their production.

BBC have this off to a tee. A great presenting team, slick interludes and features and are well respected in the paddock for their coverage and thus all the teams are willing to talk with them.

I remember seeing the now defunct A1 Series on Sky. Production was shockingly bad. Tony Jardine just didn't work for some reason. Their champions league, premiership etc production is so far behind the BBC and even ITV.

Blonde bimbo in the pit lane and some non descript ex driver and god knows who commentating. Maybe Carlton Kirby ;-)

I for one will watch the highlights on BBC and hope to god that Humphrey, Brundle, Coultard and Jordan don't jump ship. Also glad to hear 5 live keep their coverage as Davidson and Croft are excellent.

It was John Watson,I agreee it was shite.
I wouldn't mind so much if it was going to eurosport or sky1, something like that but Sky sports is rediculously expensive. I'm out I'm afraid.

The bastards have bought a lot of the good stuff off motors TV as well, used to enjoy the DTM and F3 Euro series.

Jez mon

Gazzaputt wrote:

Thing that puts me off Sky showing F1 is their production.

BBC have this off to a tee. A great presenting team, slick interludes and features and are well respected in the paddock for their coverage and thus all the teams are willing to talk with them.

I remember seeing the now defunct A1 Series on Sky. Production was shockingly bad. Tony Jardine just didn't work for some reason. Their champions league, premiership etc production is so far behind the BBC and even ITV.

Blonde bimbo in the pit lane and some non descript ex driver and god knows who commentating. Maybe Carlton Kirby ;-)

I for one will watch the highlights on BBC and hope to god that Humphrey, Brundle, Coultard and Jordan don't jump ship. Also glad to hear 5 live keep their coverage as Davidson and Croft are excellent.

The A1 series was pretty flawed though, and never seemed to get any widescale media support. (Which is odd, considering how many newspapers Murdoch owns)

I think Sky will have to give F1 more support, Bernie will probably make sure of that. However, I can't imagine that it will be anywhere near as good as the BBC coverage, which personally, is the best of all the sports coverage which I have seen.

Can't see many fans paying for Sky Sports for just half the races either, so viewing figures are surely going to go through the floor, which will pee the teams off no end.

peter101cycle

Spot on Jez Mon, this is preety much what I see happening.

Ron Stuart

Criminal but I won't miss Eddie Jordan. Shame Eurosport can't be independant of the Sky Mafia though.

http://reverendfrog.co.uk/frogblog/nott ... lking-crap :shock: