8281 replies to this topic

[Jamiednm]

No more live F1 in the UK & Ireland after the 2018 season. All races to be exclusive to Sky from 2019-2024.       

Edited by Jamiednm, 23 March 2016 - 17:42.

[Marklar]

Luke Smith ‏@LukeSmithF1 12s12 seconds ago

Wow. Sky announces it has agreed a deal with FOM to become the exclusive home of F1 in the UK from 2019-2024.

“The British Grand Prix, together with highlights of all other races and qualifying sessions, will be shown on a ‘free-to-air’ basis.”

 

Sky Sports F1 ‏@SkySportsF1 38s39 seconds ago

Sky Sports agrees new deal to show every F1 grand prix live until 2024 http://skysports.tv/LTc9b6  #SkyF1

Edited by Marklar, 23 March 2016 - 17:46.

[Kvothe]

Absolutely F**king ridiculous, but to be expected........ and so the slow march towards irrelevancy continues

[Marklar]

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1

At a time when F1 is in a very delicate position it appears to have shot itself in the foot once more. UK viewing figures will nosedive

 

Nothing more to add. FTA is so important for the sport....

Edited by Marklar, 23 March 2016 - 17:58.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Scum.

 

This really will become the end of modern day Formula 1.

[Jamiednm]

I refuse to pay for Sky Sports because the coverage is so bad. Their pre and post-race coverage is so stale and uninteresting. Even if I just tune in for the race, I can't stand Croft. He's an absolutely awful commentator. Horrible, glossy, tabloid presentation. Awful news for F1 and wider motorsport in the UK.

[maverick69]

Meh...........

 

To be expected though.

 

I really hate having to give my money to those bunch of turds so I can watch the sport I love.

 

Makes the TV licence seem like the pillar of social justice............. 

[LongTooth]

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1

At a time when F1 is in a very delicate position it appears to have shot itself in the foot once more. UK viewing figures will nosedive

 

Nothing more to add. FTA is so important for the sport....

 

Bernie gives no f**ks. As the sport loses more and more viewers he simply charges more and more to get the same return. This is the beginning of the end for F1. As it becomes increasingly difficult for casual and younger viewers to watch the sport a generational disconnect will happen and it will never recover.

Edited by LongTooth, 23 March 2016 - 18:03.

[hamilton10000]

Such depressing news and will be the final end of F1 being any sort of relevant, mainstream sport. Will be purely niche sport for the rich. Also, I currently get the F1 channel via the old HD pack but some how I think there's about a 1% chance that I will still be able to once Sky get complete coverage.

[Fastcake]

And so Formula One barrels straight down the road into sporting irrelevance, passing the ruins of cricket and golf as it goes.

[Jamiednm]

I'll probably just watch highlights and see how long that lasts before I inevitably lose interest completely. I don't even like Sky's coverage if I see it for free. No way I'll be paying for it.

[pdac]

F1 dead by 2022

[Jamiednm]

I watched on Virgin Media catch-up and was able to fast forward through the ads.  So I'm alright, Jack!

 

Love that phraseology, and the sentiment behind it. Top usage. 

[sennafan24]

Bollocks.

 

The only crumb of comfort is that F1 will still have some presence on FTA. When I first saw this thread, I feared F1 was going to be exclusive to SKY altogether. It's still really **** though, not only is FTA important for the sport's exposure, but also Sky's F1 coverage has been a mixed bag at best. I didn't want it to become even more prominent. 

[Jamiednm]

Bernie gives no f**ks. As the sport loses more and more viewers he simply charges more and more to get the same return. This is the beginning of the end for F1. As it becomes increasingly difficult for casual and younger viewers to watch the sport a generational disconnect will happen and it will never recover.

 

That's the key thing. As well as the appalling rule making that have delivered dull racing and ugly cars that lack noise. Now that big, noisy engines are a thing of the past, you're never going to hook casual young viewers in this day and age. Even less so with all the live content behind a paywall. This has probably just accelerated the death of F1 (in the UK) by a few years.

Edited by Jamiednm, 23 March 2016 - 18:21.

[chhatra]

Oh man.....

F1 is toast, Bernie knows it and is playing every card he can to milk the cow before she is done.

I think I'm gonna cancel Sky this evening and watch F1... Alternatively.

[ExFlagMan]

No doubt adverts will creep in during the races to pay for the exclusivity......

[ConsiderAndGo]

This is the end of F1 as we know it.

 

Sayonara!

[KWSN - DSM]

How big an impact in actual viewers will this mean in the UK?

 

[johnmhinds]

What exactly do they mean by showing the highlights on a "free-to-air' basis?

 

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

[ConsiderAndGo]

How big an impact in actual viewers will this mean in the UK?

 

 

It will be enormous.

[mclarensmps]

The moment sky entered the picture in the first place, it spelled the end for me. Their coverage absolutely stinks, on top of everything. This isn't football. This isn't feasible.

Edited by mclarensmps, 23 March 2016 - 18:23.

[Marklar]

What exactly do they mean by showing the highlights on a "free-to-air' basis?

 

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

Either on the Sky network (you will need a Sky box I reckon) or they are selling it to Channel 4 for instance.

[Vitesse2]

What exactly do they mean by showing the highlights on a "free-to-air' basis?

 

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

Yes, I wondered that, too.

[sennafan24]

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

I presume on another channel.

 

Probably Channel 4 if they choose to renew their current deal. 

[Jamiednm]

What exactly do they mean by showing the highlights on a "free-to-air' basis?

 

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

 

I imagine they'll either contract it out to Channel 4 / some other terrestrial channel or put it on Sky One and their website.

[goingthedistance]

Interesting. I guess they were feeling a bit threatened by C4's coverage and were looking to knock the wind out of their sails. I'm sure they had to be placated when the highlights deal was passed over to C4. So they entered negotiations with Bernie for post 2018. I hope they got a good deal because their viewer numbers are poor and in decline. 

 

Very, very bad for F1. 

Edited by goingthedistance, 23 March 2016 - 18:26.

[ConsiderAndGo]

This, coupled with the probable loss of Monza and awful brand management, means this great sport as we know it is coming to a close.

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 23 March 2016 - 18:25.

[SophieB]

What exactly do they mean by showing the highlights on a "free-to-air' basis?

Will that just be free highlights on the SKY website or broadcasted on another TV channel?

I was wondering exactly this. Does another channel like C4 still definitely get the highlights at least?

Also, I can't get over how it's like the people running this sport keep acting like they actively want to destroy it.

Edited to add: wow I type slow

Edited by SophieB, 23 March 2016 - 18:27.

[pRy]

Did anyone predict the end of Moto GP when that was removed from UK FTA? I’d say F1 has more to worry about currently in terms of it’s state of health and future prospects than who can watch it where in the UK.

 

The thing is on the one hand you have Sky.. a huge organisation with a huge team that’s willing to invest.. willing to throw a lot of weight at it’s coverage and willing to sign long term deals with the promotor. They are in it 100%. It’s long term commercial security.

 

On the other hand.. you have flakey FTA channels like the BBC who at the drop of a hat decide F1 isn’t important enough for their budgets and they pull the plug on their coverage with little warning. For all we know Channel 4 were unwilling to give any assurances about the future and perhaps ITV had already said “Sorry, we’re not interested”. So what is Bernie to do? He’s going to take the Sky money. It was inevitable.

 

This deal wouldn’t have happened if the BBC had kept their interest in F1. FTA sports coverage is in a shocking state in this country. It’s been on a gradual decline for years now. It should be no surprise that F1 is yet another sport to disappear. It won’t be the last. Before getting angry at Sky and Bernie take a look at the lack of alternatives and ask questions there. The BBC were once upon a time the kings of sports coverage.. now they are embarrassingly having to pick a hand full of key sports to bid for because they’re running out of money. Mostly because of bad management decisions. 

 

It’s not all bad news. Sky are offering highlights for free which currently is all you really need to follow the races. Those who care about the live package will subscribe. It’s that simple really. The sport will go on. 

[sennafan24]

Looks like I was wrong. SKY will be the exclusive home. 

 

http://www.motorspor...reement-681864/

 

 

Live Formula 1 races will be taken off free-to-air television in the United Kingdom from 2019, after Sky agreed a new exclusive broadcast agreement with the sport's chiefs.

As part of the deal that runs until 2024, Sky will be the only channel to broadcast live F1 races on its subscription channel – although it will show the British GP on a 'free-to-air' basis.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said: "I am delighted that we will continue to work together.

"Sky's commitment to the Sport and standard of coverage is second to none."

As part of its arrangement, Sky has also agreed to show highlights of races and qualifying free of charge.

Further, it says that two other 'prime time' live races each season will be offered on the soon-to-be launched Sky Sports Mix

Sky currently has a shared broadcast deal with Channel 4, which allows the terrestrial channel to show 10 races live per season and highlights of each event.

The new deal from 2019 means that for the first time in its history, F1 will not be shown at all on a free channel.

 

[Spillage]

**** OFF, Bernie. What happens in 2024 when nobody's watching? Sky'll ditch F1 and it'll end up being sold at a vastly reduced price to some commercial channel or another. So, bad for the fans in the short term and bad for the sport in the long term. Not that Bernie has to think that far ahead...

[Marklar]

Regarding the FTA question

 

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1 41m41 minutes ago

Sky says the British GP will be shown live for free and highlights will be free. But if you don't have Sky, that's it, it would appear

Free to Sky users ie you don't have to pay for the F1 channel specifically

[Risil]

Ouch.

[SophieB]

That's really sad. There's going to be loads of people like my dad who've been fans all their lives who just won't get to see F1 any more. He's not going to get a sky box just for this one thing. This blows.

[blackhand2010]

My enthusiasm for the "sport" was already on the wane. This just pretty much kills it.

[Jordan44]

Gobsmacked.

 

Having fans is overrated I guess..

[blackhand2010]

I wonder how long it'll take one of Bernie's minions (Horner, Sylt, an Autosport leader) to try and spin this as a good move...? 

[Clatter]

Not really surprised by this announcement. More surprised that it has taken until 2019, by then I'm not at all sure I will care.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Beyond the point of actually paying for Sky (Which I NEVER will as they are one of the biggest rip off merchants around), their coverage is absolutely terrible!! Pre race, the commentary (Even Brundle seems to be losing interest), post race, their quality of analysis - it's all just ****. I won't even get into Croft - The worst commentator around.

 

As a new fan, or existing one without Sky, you'd be out of your mind to pay for this garbage. Sky's viewing figures were down 30% this weekend - It will only get worse.

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 23 March 2016 - 18:38.

[ConsiderAndGo]

 

Regarding the FTA question

 

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1 41m41 minutes ago

Sky says the British GP will be shown live for free and highlights will be free. But if you don't have Sky, that's it, it would appear

Free to Sky users ie you don't have to pay for the F1 channel specifically

 

 

Will be on Sky 1, I'd imagine. 

[hdsport82]

 

Regarding the FTA question

 

Adam Cooper ‏@adamcooperF1 41m41 minutes ago

Sky says the British GP will be shown live for free and highlights will be free. But if you don't have Sky, that's it, it would appear

Free to Sky users ie you don't have to pay for the F1 channel specifically

 

 

It looks like Silverstone will be genuinely free to air like those Champions League/Europa League matches BT show on their (little publicised) BT Sport Showcase channel so Sky could use PICK and/or make a channel free to air for the weekend.  There will be two extra races on Sky Sports Mix (launching in the Summer) where you will need to be a Sky (but not Sky Sports) customer.

[F1Champion]

Happy as this should pretty much end my involvement in F1    . The racing was getting worse and worse, the spectacle at an actual race is crap and the ticket fees are ridiculous. The F1 world lives in a bubble and would prefer if team bosses sit in the grandstands once in a while and watch on TV and appreciate the "product".

[Jordan44]

Beyond the point of actually paying for Sky (Which I NEVER will as they are one of the biggest rip off merchants around), their coverage is absolutely terrible!! Pre race, the commentary (Even Brundle seems to be losing interest), post race, their quality of analysis - it's all just ****.

 

As a new fan, or existing one without Sky, you'd be out of your mind to pay for this garbage. Sky's viewing figures were down 30% this weekend - It will only get worse.

 

They might reshuffle their team as a result though and change their coverage style... Plenty of new faces available to bring in.

[Araqiel]

Hey, who remembers tuning into Red Button for free practice, only for some over-running tennis match to be shown instead? I'll agree Sky's pre-race stuff could be better (having to fit in ad breaks naturally leads to some of this, features have to fit each part and it's hard not to have presenters talking either side of the break) but on the whole paying for Sky with a dedicated channel is well worth it to the frustration that came from missing sessions at random like that.

GP2 and GP3 coverage, plus classic races, just serves to sweeten the deal.

Edited by Araqiel, 23 March 2016 - 18:38.

[KWSN - DSM]

It will be enormous.

 

That I do not doubt at all, just to have a feel for what F1 is looking at in the UK, something like

 

When only BBC carried F1 - Average was 10 million viewers.

When BBC and Sky shared in which ever confabulated fashion that was set up - Average 7 million viewers.

Once Sky go it alone - Projected Average will be 1 million viewers.

 

What is now happening in the UK is exactly why F1 is struggling, removing it from easy access to somewhere at a price and hidden to many (most?) casual viewers. The drivers came out today with a letter, this board have agreed and disagreed on a number of ways to 'fix' F1, the Powers in place have for the past 10 years been acting oblivious to the market they exist in, to the detriment of themselves and the sport.

 

We have just this week seen how the supposed premier internet media for F1 and Autoracing act oblivious to the requirements and expectations from their core customers, I will expect to the detriment of them and their business, I know I am not alone in seeking news other places, I am not alone in seeking value added services for free other places.

 

Sad times for the sport in general.

 

[pRy]

As a new fan, or existing one without Sky, you'd be out of your mind to pay for this garbage. Sky's viewing figures were down 30% this weekend - It will only get worse.

 

Over 12 million customers will have access to F1 highlights. If anything Sky's current F1 audience will grow substantially now they can show F1 outside of their subscription channel for free to normal Sky TV viewers in the form of highlights.

[David Lightman]

Just turn the lights off, F1 is done. It was always going to end this way.

[F1Champion]

Channel 4 toped its time slot with the F1 even though a million less watched compared to last year.

 A million less?

[Francesc]

The same as we have in Spain then, F1 only on pay-per-view. They're really stupid, aren't they? Sponsors want as much viewers as posible to sell their products. With this, less and less sponsors will want to be involved in F1.