Rumour: BBC looking to end it's F1 coverage deal early

Flibster · 15 Mar 2011 at 00:58

it sounds like I was the only one to have the F1 digital subscription - it was pretty damn good for the time.

If done properly, it'd be utterly awesome now.

FrankJH · 15 Mar 2011 at 07:53

Weebull said:
For a second there, I thought you said "one camera for the race", and I wondered how on Earth they'd even be able to do that.

mctiny said:
Nothing here or here about it being "protected" which is absurd.

F1 should be protected in the UK, due to the amount of teams and personnel based there.

Very strange indeed as I could have sworn f1 was protected and therefore had to be on freeview

Pete19s · 15 Mar 2011 at 10:32

Maybe the BBC are playing Bernie at his own game? He does like being rather over dramatic when it comes to getting what he actually wants. Hopefully its just in the aim to get a cheaper deal as like many others in here I have no intention or ability to get Sky should that be where it ends up.

Skeeter · 15 Mar 2011 at 11:51

F1 isn't protected. Technically none of the so called 'protected' sports are any more anyway as the Ashes broke the trend when it went to Sky.

It will just go where the money is. If the BBC cannot afford to keep it then its better for the sport as a whole to go to a broadcaster who has the funds to keep up good coverage. The last thing you want is the BBC to keep it but then reduce the coverage to non live reruns or highlights only.

F1 has reached levels of coverage almost never seen before. I mean full live coverage on the BBC of every F1 session and massively extended programs before and after races and qualifying. The coverage is frankly epic. But if the BBC cant keep it going, I would rather someone else did.

The only issue I would have is adverts. Commercial TV stations manage to go 45 minutes of Football without adverts, surely they can offer the same courtesy to F1 and only have 1 or 2 breaks during the race.

el_dazza · 15 Mar 2011 at 12:27

Slam62 said:
just get a sat dish pointing at Germany and get RTL

Seriously though, I can't help feeling that the days of Bernie fleeceing the world are coming to an end.

We used to switch over to RTL in the 90's when ITV went on ad breaks

Anyone remember F1 Digital+ that was on Sky? That went down well.. :/

Skeeter · 15 Mar 2011 at 12:32

el_dazza said:
Anyone remember F1 Digital+ that was on Sky? That went down well.. :/

Yep. It was a great idea, badly executed. It was too expensive and they quickly ran out of content. Its very difficult to fill a whole Sky channel 365 days a year when F1 runs for 18 weekends and thats it.

Most of the features, like different camera views and additional paddock based interviews and things is now on offer from the BBC anyway.

EddScott · 15 Mar 2011 at 12:38

They had some dude from BBC on breakfast news talking about the freeze in funding for the BBC.

He was pushed a bit on regional programming - TV and news. He mentioned F1 in his replies and it basically sounded like F1 would get the chop before shutting down some local BBC radio service no one listens too.

Its probably where this story came from. The implications were that F1 was on the shortlist.

Hopefully it will get its own channel again - I would have paid for that. What I won't pay for is Sky Sports if F1 ends up there. Sadly I think it will.

Greboth · 15 Mar 2011 at 12:50

It would be rubbish to loose the F1 coverage on the BBC, for both reasons of it being such good coverage and that it would end up on sky or ppv - Which I wouldn't get sky sports or pay each race just to watch it. I think if it did move to either sky or ppv then I can see places like racing underground becoming a lot more active with their F1 feeds, I know I would be one of them.

englishpremier · 15 Mar 2011 at 13:03

Slam62 said:
just get a sat dish pointing at Germany and get RTL

Seriously though, I can't help feeling that the days of Bernie fleeceing the world are coming to an end.

This is what i used to do when it was ITV. I prefered the ORF tv feed though since they didn't have breaks, only problem was they only had 1 commentator.

el_dazza · 15 Mar 2011 at 13:43

EddScott said:
Hopefully it will get its own channel again - I would have paid for that. What I won't pay for is Sky Sports if F1 ends up there. Sadly I think it will.

Depends how much it is, I guess. It won't go to Sky Sports imo, and if it doesn't it won't last long. They don't really do motorsport as such, A1GP wasn't bad on there but that's all you ever really saw.

Skeeter · 15 Mar 2011 at 13:57

This is a good point... IS there really anywhere else for it to go? I mean it has a habbit of being on at the same time as the 'sacred' football, and its also not very consistent in its timings. I doubt Sky would want it, which leaves either Eurosport (meaning dodgy commentators and likely highlights shows), Motors TV (again, likely not live), or PPV

el_dazza · 15 Mar 2011 at 14:17

They might like the earlier and later races to fill time when the football's not on, moreso the earlier ones. Still, I'd rather it stay put.

GravyMonster · 15 Mar 2011 at 14:28

Skeeter said:
This is a good point... IS there really anywhere else for it to go? I mean it has a habbit of being on at the same time as the 'sacred' football, and its also not very consistent in its timings. I doubt Sky would want it...

Sky would probably have it tucked away on SS2/3/4.

They didn't do a bad job with their coverage of A1GP, it was just a bit dull and lifeless with Georgie Thompson (who knows as much about motorsport as my toaster) presenting. Ben Edwards and John Watson were good commentators though.

gord · 15 Mar 2011 at 14:32

Skeeter said:
Eurosport (meaning dodgy commentators and likely highlights shows)

Have to stop you there as you're clearly not a MotoGP fan. The live coverage of MotoGP is great and the commentators are probably the best motor sport commentators across them all.

It would certainly not be the end of the world if it went there. That said, I'd rather it stay with the Beeb for the contracted length, they've put together a really good show.

GravyMonster · 15 Mar 2011 at 14:41

Exactly. Plus the added bonuses the Beeb brings of the forum on the red button and the highlights and full quali/race being shown on iPlayer.

More than covers the cost of the license fee IMO.

Andr3w · 15 Mar 2011 at 14:51

Would ITV not want to buy the rights again? They could probably make back a lot of the money through adverts! (groan

)

Duke · 15 Mar 2011 at 15:48

Andr3w said:
Would ITV not want to buy the rights again? They could probably make back a lot of the money through adverts! (groan )

Would they bring back Steve 'wobble mic' Rider?

AGD · 15 Mar 2011 at 17:37

BBC F1 coverage is excellent so let's hope there's nothing to this story!

~Mike~ · 15 Mar 2011 at 18:56

AGD said:
BBC F1 coverage is excellent so let's hope there's nothing to this story!

Totally agree, the BBC coverage is the best! Really like the forum afterwards too.

ITV would be the lesser of two evils (Sky) but they have a great reputation and ability of going to advert breaks just at the wrong time.........

(not just F1 Football and others)

BBC = no adverts = great coverage = well worth the licence fee

ins0mn1ac · 15 Mar 2011 at 19:43

F1 coverage on the BBC has indeed been amazing, its miles in front of what ITV offered back in the day. It is as people have already said something that makes paying the damn TV license seem worth it.