BBC possibly to drop F1 coverage...

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As great as the F1 coverage is, Formula 1 on TV is commercially viable so doesn't really have a place on a publicly funded broadcaster like the BBC.
 
If the BBC internet stream is available worldwide then why would ORF in Austria pay Bernie millions to show it when people will watch the better coverage online? Bernie has to protect the interests of all host broadcasters worldwide.
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what are you babbling on about?
the australian TV coverage has the english commentator feed
 
interesting viewpoint a friend of mine has just brought up.
if F1 has to stay on a free to air channel then is it really OK for the BBC to broadcast it due to needing the TV license for BBC usage.

now don't get me wrong, i think the BBC coverage has been excellent and i would hate for F1 to go to another channel. unless it could be guaranteed to be advert free, i suppose that sky could potentially do a good coverage service with their available channel lineup but would they put in on a PPV basis, this is without thinking about the whole pay for sky in the first place aspect.
 
if it went to sky i wouldnt go get sky, as much as i love f1, i wouldnt pay more than a token amount for it seeing as the licence fee is very high and i hardly ever watch bbc apart from the f1

if the figure in the paper is true, that is horrendous, looks like its heading for sky, im not sure how rigid the 'must be free to air' rule is

the audience on sky might well be a 1/5 of what it is now, who knows
 
Shimmy said:
They could cut costs in certain areas though, the over dramatic intro they do at every round isn't necessary. Could also cut down the pre race amble.
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Why would they cut it down? Would make it more expensive per hour then? Also bet they can't resell... Probably in the contract :(
 
I wish Bernie would move the races to night time for European screening. I'd say Europe is the biggest audience off the top of my head and it was great fun last Sunday watching the Canadian grand prix at 8pm at night. The calendar could be organised so that the European countries race during summer with the longer days with the more exotic locations used at the beginning and end of the calendar. That way the races would always be shown in "prime time" in Europe.

The viewing figures speak for themselves. The article mentions that normally each GP gets 2-4 million viewers (except the British one) but last Sunday 8m tuned in.
 
ic1male said:
I wish Bernie would move the races to night time for European screening. I'd say Europe is the biggest audience off the top of my head and it was great fun last Sunday watching the Canadian grand prix at 8pm at night. The calendar could be organised so that the European countries race during summer with the longer days with the more exotic locations used at the beginning and end of the calendar. That way the races would always be shown in "prime time" in Europe.

The viewing figures speak for themselves. The article mentions that normally each GP gets 2-4 million viewers (except the British one) but last Sunday 8m tuned in.
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I started watching it at 5 and I think it finished around 10 XD
 
It has to stay on BBC (or ITV) due to the agreement, ITV was awful but each "change" of channel does improve on the last......but with the racing as it is now adverts would totally ruin every race (as if they didnt before)

I love F1 , and have followed intensely since 1992 (and on and off before then), but I couldnt afford to pay for Sky Sports just for F1, it just wouldnt happen ever (unless I get a MUCH better paid job before it happens )
 
Skeeter said:
A slightly squewed view there AH2. People have said they would pay JUST for F1, whereas with Sky you get the full package all the time. You would also need some sort of hardware for PPV BBC F1 on TV, something like Top Up TV. Then theres the coverage. You have no idea what Sky would offer, so you cant state it will be worse coverage. And Sky goes a full half of football without adverts (45 minutes) so could in theory go with just a single add break during an average race.
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I WOULD pay just for F1. I would also pay JUST for premiership football or ideally just for Man Utd games. I don't want to pay for all the other **** and then have to put up with adverts when I will watch neither.

This is the simple reason why while I have Sky I don't have the Sports package and why if F1 were ever on sky sports I just wouldn't watch it legally. Not that F1 will go to sky as the teams want free to air TV so the point it moot.

Also in reference to those saying that they could cut down on this or that section of the coverage, the crews and presenters are being paid to be there anyway. Not then creating content would be a waste. That's WHY they do so much as they are already paying everyone to be there.

bru said:
interesting viewpoint a friend of mine has just brought up.
if F1 has to stay on a free to air channel then is it really OK for the BBC to broadcast it due to needing the TV license for BBC usage.
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Even if the race was shown on ITV you would still have to pay a license. And if it was on sky. So the point is irrelevant. Its a TV License which you have to pay if you can receive (not if you watch) live broadcasts or record live broadcasts. It is not a BBC license that you have to pay to watch BBC. If the BBC went commercial tomorrow there would still be a TV license, it just wouldn't be as high as it is currently.
 
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From Brundles twitter - This Sunday Times article is badly inaccurate, audiences for Monaco+ Canada 6.2m and 8.3m e.g. F1 is at risk in BBC cuts though

and from Humphreys - The papers/my followers are welcome to report this... "the past 3 F1 races have each had viewing figures at a 10 year high"
 
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