F1 to be only on Sky 2019 -2024
Discussion
Just reading tweets about this:
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12430/10215419/sk...
OK, it doesn't exactly say that any other free to air broadcaster will be able to show some races but it looks like that.
In light of the GPDA press release today I'd say that FOM have very firmly shot themselves in the foot.
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12430/10215419/sk...
OK, it doesn't exactly say that any other free to air broadcaster will be able to show some races but it looks like that.
In light of the GPDA press release today I'd say that FOM have very firmly shot themselves in the foot.
Looks like only the British GP will be live on Free to Air ?
"Free to air: The FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX, together with highlights of all other races and qualifying sessions, will be shown on a 'free-to-air' basis."
I appreciate not everyone is in a position or willing to pay for Sky F1 coverage but I do and I`ll be honest, I find the coverage superb.
However that`s only good for the fan who watches most or all the races. What they lose out on are the casual fans who are in the majority. They hear something on the radio or see it in the paper the week before and think "Hmmm, I`ll watch this I heard it`s a deciding race" then can`t unless they subscribe so they don`t bother. That`s a lost audience and one that F1 needs to continue.
"Free to air: The FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX, together with highlights of all other races and qualifying sessions, will be shown on a 'free-to-air' basis."
I appreciate not everyone is in a position or willing to pay for Sky F1 coverage but I do and I`ll be honest, I find the coverage superb.
However that`s only good for the fan who watches most or all the races. What they lose out on are the casual fans who are in the majority. They hear something on the radio or see it in the paper the week before and think "Hmmm, I`ll watch this I heard it`s a deciding race" then can`t unless they subscribe so they don`t bother. That`s a lost audience and one that F1 needs to continue.
skeggysteve said:
But you'll still need a Sky sub to watch it.
According to the Autosport story on the matter, it will either be on one of Sky's free channels such as Pick (which is on freeview and freesat), or shown by the BBC, ITV of C4.Even if that is the case I'm out. The only racing worth watching (IMO) at the moment is BTCC, WEC or World Rally Cross.
salguod said:
According to the Autosport story on the matter, it will either be on one of Sky's free channels such as Pick (which is on freeview and freesat), or shown by the BBC, ITV of C4.
Even if that is the case I'm out. The only racing worth watching (IMO) at the moment is BTCC, WEC or World Rally Cross.
"The new Sky deal, which runs until 2024, will see Sky broadcast the British Grand Prix on a free-to-air Sky channel available on services such as YouView, and at least two other races on its yet to be launched Mix channel, which will be available to all Sky subscribers even if they do not take any of its sports channels"Even if that is the case I'm out. The only racing worth watching (IMO) at the moment is BTCC, WEC or World Rally Cross.
From the Guardian
Will be the end of over 40 years F1 watching for me. It hasn't been good enough in recent years to warrant paying for watching, I don't watch any sport other than motorsport and watch very little other TV so Sky is not of interest or value for me. A sad day as far as I'm concerned.
There are wider ramifications, however. If audiences in the UK drop (which is what has happened elsewhere when free to air has ended) then there will be less general interest so less people interested in paying to go to Silverstone to watch the British GP making their business case harder to justify. So even the one free to air race my not exist. Less appeal for sponsors who have large interest in the UK so could be bad news for UK based teams. And if it does lose audiences worldwide through this action being replicated the manufacturers will lose interest as so few people know what they are doing.
Definitely seems like killing the golden goose.
There are wider ramifications, however. If audiences in the UK drop (which is what has happened elsewhere when free to air has ended) then there will be less general interest so less people interested in paying to go to Silverstone to watch the British GP making their business case harder to justify. So even the one free to air race my not exist. Less appeal for sponsors who have large interest in the UK so could be bad news for UK based teams. And if it does lose audiences worldwide through this action being replicated the manufacturers will lose interest as so few people know what they are doing.
Definitely seems like killing the golden goose.
What we need is a breakaway series with, oooh let me think, 3.0L V10 engines? That would do for me 
I have a basic Sky TV package, but only because it actually makes my phone/broadband cheaper (providing you ring up every 12 months and threaten to go to their direct competitor). But I'll never pay extra for a "sports" package when my only sport is F1. I won't be paying £3 a race for Now TV either. F1 isn't worth it right now in my opinion (have been watching since the late 80s)
I have a basic Sky TV package, but only because it actually makes my phone/broadband cheaper (providing you ring up every 12 months and threaten to go to their direct competitor). But I'll never pay extra for a "sports" package when my only sport is F1. I won't be paying £3 a race for Now TV either. F1 isn't worth it right now in my opinion (have been watching since the late 80s)
vonuber said:
Well that's my f1 viewing of 25 years ended.
Really? Every time a thread so much as mentions Sky, people come out of the woodwork saying how that's the end of F1, how they won't be watching it any more, yada yada, flounce announce.
And yet Sky's coverage has been the best, most comprehensive, and highest quality coverage of F1 we have *ever* had in the UK. Ever. It's even better than the few years that preceded Sky at the BBC, mainly because Sky took the BBC's format, ditched the dross like Eddie Jordan, and then made it all round better.
Threads like these always bring out the drama queens (and I'm not addressing that comment at you, vonuber, but all such comments).
andyps said:
Will be the end of over 40 years F1 watching for me. It hasn't been good enough in recent years to warrant paying for watching, I don't watch any sport other than motorsport and watch very little other TV so Sky is not of interest or value for me.
You do realise that a Now TV box plus a Sky Sports day pass will give you the race without a Sky subscription, I presume? Or a weekend pass should you wish to have the whole weekend including qualifying etc. stevesuk said:
I won't be paying £3 a race for Now TV either.
When you consider a ticket to see a race live can be £100's, then £3 a race seems pretty reasonable to me. That's less than a pint of beer. Edited by ClockworkCupcake on Wednesday 23 March 19:28
I have followed F1 since Jim Clark was alive but this year I could not be bothered to watch the opening race.
I gradually lost interest over the last year, probably because of the rule changes and b
hing, the swap to C4 sealed the deal, my idea of F1 is not eking out fuel with a rev limited motor whilst not daring to overtake.
I want to see proper start to finish racing, not a regularity trial or economy run, the current emasculated show is not worth giving up my Sunday afternoons for.
I gradually lost interest over the last year, probably because of the rule changes and b
hing, the swap to C4 sealed the deal, my idea of F1 is not eking out fuel with a rev limited motor whilst not daring to overtake.I want to see proper start to finish racing, not a regularity trial or economy run, the current emasculated show is not worth giving up my Sunday afternoons for.
kev b said:
I have followed F1 since Jim Clark was alive but this year I could not be bothered to watch the opening race.
I gradually lost interest over the last year, probably because of the rule changes and bhing, the swap to C4 sealed the deal, my idea of F1 is not eking out fuel with a rev limited motor whilst not daring to overtake.
I want to see proper start to finish racing, not a regularity trial or economy run, the current emasculated show is not worth giving up my Sunday afternoons for.
How did you get by when Jim Clark was alive then? I gradually lost interest over the last year, probably because of the rule changes and b
hing, the swap to C4 sealed the deal, my idea of F1 is not eking out fuel with a rev limited motor whilst not daring to overtake.I want to see proper start to finish racing, not a regularity trial or economy run, the current emasculated show is not worth giving up my Sunday afternoons for.
ClockworkCupcake said:
vonuber said:
Well that's my f1 viewing of 25 years ended.
Really? Every time a thread so much as mentions Sky, people come out of the woodwork saying how that's the end of F1, how they won't be watching it any more, yada yada, flounce announce.
'Flouncing' has nothing to do with it.
skeggysteve said:
Just reading tweets about this:
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12430/10215419/sk...
OK, it doesn't exactly say that any other free to air broadcaster will be able to show some races but it looks like that.
In light of the GPDA press release today I'd say that FOM have very firmly shot themselves in the foot.
Surely some deal will be cobbled together at the last minute re a terrestrial highlights package. The itv4 moto gp deal was put together at the 11th hour much to the chargrin of bt sport subscribers. Unfortunately it is always a dumbed down product. Sponsors love free to air exposure, for obvious reasons. http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12430/10215419/sk...
OK, it doesn't exactly say that any other free to air broadcaster will be able to show some races but it looks like that.
In light of the GPDA press release today I'd say that FOM have very firmly shot themselves in the foot.
Interesting that this was announced on the day the drivers delivered their letter.
Whatever, this will kill the sport.
Its the act of a group of men who are being guided by one man who now has lost all understanding of what the sport is and what it means to its fans in order to keep his daughter in Lambos. A man who can no longer see past anything other than dollar signs. And the joke of it is that by doing this he will actually reduce the number of people who want to watch the sport and therefore the number of people who want to go to watch the damn thing live. Even people going on VIP freebies won't want to go as what's the point if the racing is boring and so therefore there is no envy factor. It will be like saying you've got VIP passes to the Darts. There is no point in making something so exclusive that people can no longer afford to watch it on TV or actually go to it live. Even the Premier League have cottoned onto that one.
I feel very sad about this tonight. But the worst thing is that I don't feel sad or angry enough. Its clearly been coming since "Bernie TV" was side-lined a few years ago and now basically he's got what he wanted back then. If you want to watch a race on TV, you're going to have buy a ticket like the people at the gates.
That's ok if the show is amazing. If the show is the boring, over-complicated, image led, load of old bks we have at the moment then you'll be out of business in five years.
I'm now officially old, so I'm now at the point where I don't care anymore. I'll just go to Goodwood and watch the old ones, the better ones, the brave ones, with a smile on my face.
Formula One? I'm out.
Whatever, this will kill the sport.
Its the act of a group of men who are being guided by one man who now has lost all understanding of what the sport is and what it means to its fans in order to keep his daughter in Lambos. A man who can no longer see past anything other than dollar signs. And the joke of it is that by doing this he will actually reduce the number of people who want to watch the sport and therefore the number of people who want to go to watch the damn thing live. Even people going on VIP freebies won't want to go as what's the point if the racing is boring and so therefore there is no envy factor. It will be like saying you've got VIP passes to the Darts. There is no point in making something so exclusive that people can no longer afford to watch it on TV or actually go to it live. Even the Premier League have cottoned onto that one.
I feel very sad about this tonight. But the worst thing is that I don't feel sad or angry enough. Its clearly been coming since "Bernie TV" was side-lined a few years ago and now basically he's got what he wanted back then. If you want to watch a race on TV, you're going to have buy a ticket like the people at the gates.
That's ok if the show is amazing. If the show is the boring, over-complicated, image led, load of old b
ks we have at the moment then you'll be out of business in five years.I'm now officially old, so I'm now at the point where I don't care anymore. I'll just go to Goodwood and watch the old ones, the better ones, the brave ones, with a smile on my face.
Formula One? I'm out.
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