FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

Discuss the sport you love with other motorsport fans

For Formula One and Motorsport related videos and images.
By Ichabod
#268252
Wonder what this means for Australian viewers, One rebroadcasts the BBC coverage.


not sure but I think you'll only get what the BBC show
By F1IsInMyBlood
#268253
From James Allen:

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/07/e ... y-f1-deal/

Bernie Ecclestone arrived in the F1 paddock at 2pm this afternoon and is set to meet with the F1 teams after the ninety minute practice session to discuss the SKY/BBC F1 broadcast deal which was announced this morning.

Both Ecclestone and the teams have made it clear in the past that F1 must remain on Free to air TV and yet the Sky part of the deal, where they will broadcast all 20 F1 races and practice sessions live, would seem to contradict that

I’ve spoken to FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh in the last hour and he says that the teams want to understand how the deal will work in the context of the Concorde Agreement wording about TV broadcast.

My understanding of the crucial clause in the Concorde Agreement is that it says that the Commercial Rights Holder must “avoid” a situation where F1 coverage is “only available on pay TV” in key markets, such as the UK.

Ecclestone may argue that this clause has been respected because all the races will be shown on the BBC, it’s just that half of them will not be live but will be highlights. Either way he is likely to have found a wording which allows this to happen.

BBC staff at the Hungaroring are stunned by today’s news and have not yet been informed of the details of how this arrangement will work.

Whitmarsh confirmed that the teams were not consulted on the deal despite the fact that it appears to go against the Concorde Agreement and makes a mockery of Whitmarsh’s recent claim on the subject of Pay TV that “The sport is going nowhere without the teams.”

However when presented with the figures they may change their minds as the revenues from F1 on Sky are likely to be large. If just 1 million people pay £600 a year to watch F1 on SKY that’s £600 million of gross income. The BBC currently pays around £45 million a year in rights. One would imagine that the deal is likely to be based on the actual take up numbers, so there should be a back end for F1 and the teams get 50% of all revenues.

SKY had F1 a few years ago at the time of the multi channel digital coverage. Ben Edwards, John Watson and Damon Hill were involved. That didn’t do so well because ITV had F1 live and free to air at the same time. This deal is quite different to that.

As I understand it the model in Finland and Japan is slightly different again; there the race is live on pay TV but is also available in its entirety delayed on Free to Air TV.

In Japan the audience for the pay TV show is around 2 million, each paying £12 a month. The terrestrial audience is around 5 million. This is down on the Senna days when around 17 million watched F1 in Japan.

Meanwhile word coming through from SKY is that they plan a full scale production of F1, with no adverts, which they say will take the coverage of F1 to a new level.
By F1IsInMyBlood
#268254
James Allen Analysis:

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/07/b ... cclestone/

This morning’s announcement by the BBC and BSKYB that they are to share the coverage of Formula 1 in the UK has come as a bolt from the blue to the F1 paddock and to fans of the sport. It is clear that the teams and sponsors have not been consulted and it remains to be seen how they will react when they learn the details of how this arrangement will work. And it could start a trend across the international broadcast landscape of F1.

The teams are likely to resist any deal which reduces the audience number. Whereas the BBC currently enjoys audiences of around 6-7 million per race the SKY audiences for Premier League football suggest that they might get an F1 audience of around 1-2 million on their pay sports channel, far less when the race is also on BBC at the same time.

Until recently it had appeared that the BBC was likely to drop the expensive contract it signed in 2008 as the BBC Trust looked to make significant savings. The word in the TV sports industry was that Channel 4 was a possible destination.

But with ITV not in the running and no other competitive free to air offer on the table, F1′s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone clearly wasn’t satisfied with the money on offer from Channel 4 and has struck a bold deal, which doesn’t completely go against his and the team’s stated credo that F1 should stay on Free to Air TV, but which offers a rather awkward compromise for fans and sponsors, whereby half the races stay on BBC with the mass audience, while the whole season will be covered in great depth and with significant resources thrown at it by Sky Sports.

Although half the races are free to air, this will still require the dedicated fan to get a Sky dish or sign on to a Sky package on at around £40 per month on BT Vision, Freeview or Virgin Media.

But the economics of the situation mean that as fans will get 10 of the 20 races for free on the BBC, they will still have to pay the monthly subscription for only half the races which are not shown free to air. That seems an awkward sell to me.

Sky also runs adverts during its coverage of long-form sports like cricket, but has confirmed they will not put adverts into the 90 minutes of the live race.

There is already a strong reaction to the principle of this deal among F1 fans in the UK.

Here is my analysis of the situation.

What’s the deal?

Sky Sports will cover all the races, qualifying and practice sessions.

BBC will continue to broadcast F1 in its current format but for only half the races. The only races they have confirmed are Monaco, Silverstone and the final round. This is likely to save up to half the roughly £8 million production budget a year plus offer a possible discount on the rights. But crucially it extends the BBC’s relationship with F1 until the end of 2018 (its original deal was due to end in 2013 and would not have been renewed). They will continue to be active online and on mobile.

“With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers,” said BBC head of sport Barbara Slater.

How will the gaps be filled in?
There are a number of questions arising; for example what races will the BBC show live? If they have a strong negotiating position, they would prefer to go for the races in the UK friendly time zones, which means Europe, Middle East, USA, Canada and Brazil – in other words not the ones which show in the middles of the night.

But one wonders whether it will be as simple and convenient for the BBC as that. Sky need to have some marquee events if BBC are showing the crown jewels of Silverstone and Monaco.

Another question is how the commentary and presentation will work. Will it be two separate units or will there be crossover?

Sky is likely to want the Martin Brundle/David Coulthard line up because they are established and offer credibility. Brundle is not under contract to the BBC and it remains to be seen whether he will want to be part of this. He has described himself as “not impressed” this morning.

One school of thought is that the commentary might perhaps be shared across the two platforms. I think this is probably unlikely given the way the two broadcasters work.

Either way the two broadcasters will obviously have two separate presentation teams. if the BBC really want to save money they will host the race from a studio in London and have just the commentators and reporters on site at the races.

David Croft and Ant Davidson could get either job or may fill in the gaps covering the practice sessions, as they do today on the BBC TV Red Button. It’s all to play for.

What do the teams and sponsors think of this?
Since the NewsCorp/Exor takeover of the sport was first announced FOTA’s chairman Martin Whitmarsh has made a great play of teams insisting that F1 stay free to air in the major markets. Ecclestone himself told me four weeks ago in an interview that F1 would remain based on a free to air model. But circumstances have made him change tack in order to keep the value high.

As I’ve posted here before it’s been inevitable that at some point the UK F1 fan was going to have to pay for his/her pleasure like football fans have been doing for over 20 years on SKY. Williams’ boss Adam Parr, who is reserving judgement on the deal said to me this morning that the balance between revenue and audience reach needs to be right and that, “Nobody asks ‘Where can I see football on TV in the UK?’”

And as with SKY’s investment in sports like football and cycling, F1 will inevitably get much wider coverage in the NewsCorp owned newspapers like the Times and the Sun.

However Whitmarsh has already questioned whether the deal aligns with the principles in the Concorde Agreement which have to do with Free to Air TV. Ecclestone argues that this deal extends the level of coverage of F1 in the UK, Whitmarsh says that the teams want to know the details of how it will work and whether their safeguards under the Concorde Agreement have been protected before giving a detailed response.

Many fans will be unhappy at the idea of having to pay Rupert Murdoch, one of the main shareholders in SKY and its driving force, in order to watch F1, especially in the current climate with all the goings on at the News of the World.

This is a typically bold deal by Murdoch and a strong forward move in the teeth of adversity. To me it feels like it’s been coming for some time. F1 fans will provide new cashflows to the Sky coffers, in a business which always needs to generate new lifeblood.

Who knows, Murdoch may even have personally had a hand in the deal, popping in to see Ecclestone while he was in London appearing in front of the Parliamentary Select Committee last week!

Major sponsors I have spoken this morning have mixed feelings; on the one hand they are concerned that the mass audience will inevitably fall in size, but on the other hand they have more opportunity to activate their sponsorship on Sky as it is a commercial station. And their return on investment from F1 is so much greater than the spend in any case that it is not going to fall in value below what they spend, even with the shrinking of audience.

Foreign broadcast colleagues have already resigned themselves to their own networks looking at this deal and seeing a way forwards for the future. Who said the revolution will not be televised?
User avatar
By Frontrunner
#268255
Wonder what this means for Australian viewers, One rebroadcasts the BBC coverage.


We should be okay,(well hoping so anyway) Australia gets the world feed and not the actual BBC feed, We only get BBC audio over the top of the world feed coverage. Thats why sometimes the commentary doesn't match what you are seeing on your TV sometimes but most of the time its good. The problem for us is what commentary we get when Sky are doing the races. It could be our own One HD guys calling the races when Sky is doing the coverage in the UK.
By F1IsInMyBlood
#268256
#f1 From their comments on Sky News website looks like John Watson and Tony Jardine positioning themselves for a role with Sky F1 next year


It gets worse :banghead:
By andrew
#268257
The only action available is to register your complaint with the BBC at this address.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

you can also try: '[email protected]'


No point. They won't reply. My Dad e-mailed a complaint to the BBC last year about the F1 coverage, in particular the lack of availability of the promised alternative commentary on the red button. Still waiting for a reply. The BBC don't care.
By tco
#268260
No point. They won't reply. My Dad e-mailed a complaint to the BBC last year about the F1 coverage, in particular the lack of availability of the promised alternative commentary on the red button. Still waiting for a reply. The BBC don't care.


You have to ask for a reply when you send in your complaint (tick a box) then they are obliged to answer you within a specified time. Youmay get a "holding" reply before the proper answer. Sometimes the answer is that they have entered the complaint on the producer's log. In the event of a specific complaint about policy they have to give you a proper reply.

More importantly the complaint goes into a register of complaints and they are all counted.

Make a complaint.
By andrew
#268261
No point. They won't reply. My Dad e-mailed a complaint to the BBC last year about the F1 coverage, in particular the lack of availability of the promised alternative commentary on the red button. Still waiting for a reply. The BBC don't care.


You have to ask for a reply when you send in your complaint (tick a box) then they are obliged to answer you within a specified time. Youmay get a "holding" reply before the proper answer. Sometimes the answer is that they have entered the complaint on the producer's log. In the event of a specific complaint about policy they have to give you a proper reply.

More importantly the complaint goes into a register of complaints and they are all counted.

Make a complaint.


It was probably a general enquiry rather than a complaint. I'm intrigued now. I'll check when he phones later.
By F1IsInMyBlood
#268262
http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exch ... 29SN002194

TIDMBSY

RNS Number : 3438L

British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC

29 July 2011

BBC AND SKY PARTNER FOR LIVE FORMULA 1(TM) RIGHTS

BBC TV and Sky Sports have been awarded the live rights to Formula 1(TM) between 2012 and 2018.

The move will bring increased choice, innovation and breadth of coverage to UK and Irish motor racing fans.

The two leading UK sports broadcasters will offer fans unparalleled live High Definition coverage of every race of the season.

The broadcasting partnership will include:

-- All races, qualifying and practice sessions live on Sky Sports across TV, Online and Mobile and Tablet devices

-- Half the races and qualifying sessions remain live on BBC TV, Online and Mobile including key races such at the British Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix and the final race of the season.

-- Extensive BBC highlights on TV, Online and Mobile, of all races and qualifying sessions that BBC is not covering live

-- Build up coverage of each Grand Prix on BBC News, Sky Sports News and Sky News

-- Extensive multi-platform coverage including red button, bbc.co.uk/sport and skysports.com

The audiences brought by Sky and BBC will ensure Formula 1(TM) reaches the widest possible audience. BBC Radio Five and Sports Extra will continue to cover every race live.

Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, said: "We are absolutely delighted that F1(TM) will remain on the BBC. The sport has never been more popular with TV audiences at a 10 year high and the BBC has always stated its commitment to the big national sporting moments. With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence fee payers. "

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: "This is fantastic news for F1(TM) fans and Sky Sports will be the only place to follow every race live and in HD. We will give F1(TM) the full Sky Sports treatment with a commitment to each race never seen before on UK television. As well as unrivalled build up to each race on Sky Sports News, we will broadcast in-depth live coverage of every session. Sky customers with Sky Sports will also be able to enjoy F1(TM) across multiple platforms and devices, including Sky Go."

Formula 1(TM) will join the line-up of live sport on Sky Sports, which marked its 20th birthday in April. Subscribers can enjoy Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League football, England Test matches, three of golf's four Majors including the Masters from Augusta, international, European and domestic rugby union, Super League rugby and a host of other sports events.

Note to editors - if there are an odd number of races in the season, the final selection will be screened exclusively live by Sky Sports.

For further information please contact:

BBC Sport - Louisa Fyans 07885 663054

BSkyB - Stephen Gaynor 020 7032 3446

Sky Sports - James Motley 020 7032 1446

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

MSCSESSMUFFSESW

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 29, 2011 02:04 ET (06:04 GMT)
User avatar
By Frontrunner
#268263
#f1 From their comments on Sky News website looks like John Watson and Tony Jardine positioning themselves for a role with Sky F1 next year


It gets worse :banghead:


I'm not sure but did those 2 guys do the commentary for A1GP a couple of years ago??
User avatar
By NocturnalTendencies
#268265
£48 aka $79 per race? That is arcane... nobody should be forced to pay that amount to watch an F1 race.

Counting my lucky stars on this one being from the States and sorry to you UK F1 fans, raise some hell.

Outrageous. :bs:

Cheers
User avatar
By Denthúl
#268266
£48 aka $79 per race? That is arcane... nobody should be forced to pay that amount to watch an F1 race.


To be fair, I did say that only applied if F1 is the only thing you would watch on your Sky subscription with the sports package; if you watched other things then the cost is spread out more.
User avatar
By NocturnalTendencies
#268267
£48 aka $79 per race? That is arcane... nobody should be forced to pay that amount to watch an F1 race.


To be fair, I did say that only applied if F1 is the only thing you would watch on your Sky subscription with the sports package; if you watched other things then the cost is spread out more.


Understood, I'll have a look at what's on board a Sky subscription. That said, for F1-only fans... it doesn't paint a very pretty picture.
User avatar
By bryhhh
#268268
So it looks like it would cost around £480/year for Sky coverage, but you'd only need it for half the races, so it effectively costs you about £48/race (assuming, like me, the only thing you actually watch on TV is F1).

f*** off.


If you want to watch in HD too, as we currently can, it's £50 per month, which is £600 per year, that equates to £60 per race (assuming there is a 20 race calendar next year).

This sucks.

F1 1947 - 2011 R.I.P.
By Ferrari man 009
#268269
I feel sorry for a lot of you, especially those who have no choice.

I am in a lucky position as I have Virgin Media's XL Package, which includes Sky Sports (Not HD - wont be paying for that anytime soon), as my family also watch Movies and other stuff. We also use the sports channels a lot for Football, Rugby and Cricket.

If you use Sky Sports for multiple sports, its probably worth it, if you only want it for the F1, I agree with you, there will be plenty of online streams, BBC highlights and failing that, im sure that the UK Pubs will show the F1 as long as they have 2 TV'S so that they can show the football too.
  • 1
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 60

See our F1 related articles too!