115 replies to this topic

[Ross Stonefeld]

I think the Danica effect have been underestimated in it's heyday, I agree the lust have gone off now that she is not really performing in NASCAR, I do not think Formula 1 would suddenly be the number one choice for the US TV viewers, but there were 400K paying spectators this weekend, there must have been an ok number of people watching, a good number of which had no idea Rossi existed before the race, who have now heard him mentioned as a F1 driver, and they saw him win the 500.
 
The sport could do a lot worse than putting him in a F1 seat next season, there would be some traction not currently there.
 

 

The Danica Value, whether Indycar or NASCAR, is mostly tied to Danica. It doesn't really increase funding for anyone else. 

 

And those 400k were already watching the 500 without Rossi. Likewise the 5mil+ they'll have had on TV. Even if you could convert all of them to F1 it'd be a minor uptick. And the main beneficiary would be Rossi and the team he drives for. He might, though highly unlikely, be able to bring some money to a front running team. Or Honda might shoehorn him into McLaren or a customer Honda team or something.

 

But F1 won't crack America that way. It's a round peg in a square hole, or whatever. 

[KWSN - DSM]

The Danica Value, whether Indycar or NASCAR, is mostly tied to Danica. It doesn't really increase funding for anyone else. 

 

And those 400k were already watching the 500 without Rossi. Likewise the 5mil+ they'll have had on TV. Even if you could convert all of them to F1 it'd be a minor uptick. And the main beneficiary would be Rossi and the team he drives for. He might, though highly unlikely, be able to bring some money to a front running team. Or Honda might shoehorn him into McLaren or a customer Honda team or something.

 

But F1 won't crack America that way. It's a round peg in a square hole, or whatever. 

 

I am not suggesting that the US market will open like the doors to heaven with Rossi in a seat at Haas, I am suggesting that in order to gain a foothold on the beach bigger than now, the American Rossi in an American team, a team also fielding NASCAR, powered by a Ferrari engine is the better option on the table right now.

 

[senna da silva]

Live stream for a flat rate. I'd sign up for $50 per year. If there are 400M viewers that equates to $20B in revenue.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I think a Rossi-Haas tie-up as many gains as losses. There is a potential commercial gain but also a significant reputational risk. "You're not a serious team if you're hiring passport drivers" "And you only got into F1 because of your passport, your CV isn't as good as da Matta/JV/Zanardi/Bourdais" 

[EthanM]

I think the Danica effect have been underestimated in it's heyday, I agree the lust have gone off now that she is not really performing in NASCAR, I do not think Formula 1 would suddenly be the number one choice for the US TV viewers, but there were 400K paying spectators this weekend, there must have been an ok number of people watching, a good number of which had no idea Rossi existed before the race, who have now heard him mentioned as a F1 driver, and they saw him win the 500.

 

The sport could do a lot worse than putting him in a F1 seat next season, there would be some traction not currently there.

 

 

 

F1 won't crack the US market until it becomes cheap, accessible and easy to follow. You could buy a general admission ticket for the Indy500 for 40 bucks, and come out feeling you got your money's worth. To go to the USGP you need to pony up around 200 bucks (whether you buy a 3 day general admission or a Sunday only cheapo grandstand, there is no Sunday only GA). Are you getting 5 times the entertainment?

[KWSN - DSM]

What doom and gloom from F1 fans, I am suggesting a way to make a dent nothing more. I think Rossi have credentials warranting a F1 seat, he would not be the first driver pointed as a pay-driver, and the American Joe Public love to swing the American Flag in support of the USA - If they can have a scrappy US team biting wt the heels of the established, with a Ferrari tangent there will be some and seems I need to stress SOME promotional benefit.

 

If the attitude is your defeatist can not be done, we are the crux of the woes and ills, blinkered navel inspecting we know better so lets not try.

 

[TimRTC]

Live stream for a flat rate. I'd sign up for $50 per year. If there are 400M viewers that equates to $20B in revenue.

 

And losing millions in TV revenue.

 

People like Sky will pay big money for F1 knowing that they are the only legit source of it in the UK for many of the races. If fans could pay a small fee to watch all the races, then Sky wouldn't pay half as much.

 

It costs something like €200 for a full season of MotoGP, live and on-demand and every race going back to the 1980s available to watch. I imagine F1 would have to charge at least that and probably only be able to introduce it when they renew their TV rights contracts.
 

[Wingcommander]

And losing millions in TV revenue.

 

People like Sky will pay big money for F1 knowing that they are the only legit source of it in the UK for many of the races. If fans could pay a small fee to watch all the races, then Sky wouldn't pay half as much.

 

It costs something like €200 for a full season of MotoGP, live and on-demand and every race going back to the 1980s available to watch. I imagine F1 would have to charge at least that and probably only be able to introduce it when they renew their TV rights contracts.
 

 

Billions against millions. I'd say billions win every time. But that's just me. 

[EthanM]

Billions against millions. I'd say billions win every time. But that's just me. 

 

400m is the global figure of unique individuals that have watched 15 minutes of F1 in a season. Not the number of people that would buy a FOM stream. So ... billions is just a word. It could be fewer millions than the tv deals, realistically it probably is fewer millions.

[Gorma]

Just make it free-to-view again. That is what made F1 big. Paywall is the reason for smaller audiences.

[PayasYouRace]

I am Formula 1, I am trying to stem the tide of viewers and spectators leaving my sport, the holy grail of Formula 1 is getting the US market.

 

What should I do?

 

The winner of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, is young, American and has his sights set on Formula 1, he have lived years in Europe, he has won races in every series he ever entered, he finished 2nd in the last stepping stone before F1, he had an impressive short run in F1.

 

Haas sign him up!! Play on the angle of being the stepping stone to Ferrari.

 

THAT!!

 

Is how Formula 1 should try for the US market.

 

 

I don't think it should be the promoter's job to do driver deals for the teams.

[KWSN - DSM]

I don't think it should be the promoter's job to do driver deals for the teams.

 

Is the point I try to make really that difficult to grasp?

 

[PayasYouRace]

Is the point I try to make really that difficult to grasp?

 

 

You're quite clear that you think F1's problems in the USA would be helped by encouraging (or forcing) a team to give Alex Rossi a drive.

 

I simply don't agree.

[KWSN - DSM]

You're quite clear that you think F1's problems in the USA would be helped by encouraging (or forcing) a team to give Alex Rossi a drive.

 

I simply don't agree.

 

Then you do not really grasp it, meaning I have failed in explaining myself in an understandable way.

 

[anbeck]

I would love to watch F1 on the internet (legally and in HD), like it's possible for Indy through the ESPN player.

 

I think it's not that they haven't been considering it, but that national TV stations have exclusive contracts. But I think it's only a matter of time until TV audiences have dropped sufficiently so that TV stations cannot pay the horrendous fees anymore and FOM looks at other ways to make money.

[TimRTC]

Problem is, paid internet streaming is not going to gain many new fans on its own. People are not going to sign up to an annual commitment for a series that they are not very interested in and single race viewers are not going to make much money for FOM considering the high costs of setting up and running a good streaming service.

 

More important to me, would be having a proper Youtube channel, to advertise the series and get people interested in watching the races live, on TV or via streaming.

 

Look at F1 currently - https://www.youtube....Formula1/videos - random driver interviews, no race highlights or clips at all.

 

Compare with NASCAR for example - https://www.youtube....alNASCAR/videos - 15 minute race highlight packages, loads of clips from the race and uploads of complete races from earlier in the season.

 

Indycar have lots of clips and highlights, plus live streaming for free the practice sessions - https://www.youtube....indycars/videos

 

DTM even live stream their races if you live in a country without a current TV broadcast, helping it build traction in other parts of the world.