BBC drops half of F1 coverage

Gorbsteruk said:
The BBC have done it to save money, So does that mean our licence fee will go down, not a chance :-(
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No, but you would soon complain if your licence fee oncreased to meet the costs wouldn't you? As would everyone that doesn't watch F1 at all.....

flossie said:
Ah, sorry, I thought this conversation might be about logic not irrational emotions...silly me.
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Don't be silly Richard... ;)



Seriously, I don't 'get' the whinging and moaning! If you are such die-hard fans, pay the cost, the same as any other sports fan and if not, shut up and move on, no one will actually care that much. I dislike Murdoch and his empire as much as anyone else, but face facts, we live in a commercial world, and as much as F1 fans would like the think they are the people that are important, they are not, dollars are. There are markets out there, outside the UK, outside Europe, that are far more lucrative and if going into partnership with Sky means my TV licence isn't totally wasted on a sport I have loved for the last 20 years, then thats fine with me.
 
Lots of us can't afford to pay for coverage. Lots of us have been fans for many years. Should everyone roll over and accept it without standing up for what they believe?
 
Well the F1 teams may soon find their dollars decreasing. How many English sponsors are going to pay megabucks for advertising that won't be seen by such a big audience? I'm still a Ferrari fan, in theory they should be ok :D:D
 
I wonder why sponsors pay megabucks for advertising to be seen a big audience.

I wonder what they hope to get back from all those people including those who currently watch on the BBC and who will apparently totally leave the sport if the delivery model changes?
 
More people watch eastenders than watch F1 in the UK if I was a sponsor guess where I'd put my megabucks.
 
I have Sky but not the sports channels so I'd have to pay the £12 or so to watch the F1, nah I'll not bother, not interested in the other stuff they show, instead I'll make better use of my season ticket to my local race circuit and stick to motors/ eurosport for a motorsport fix.
 
I'm beyond outrage, first of all how the BBC could cut their current contract short when it's already been financially accounted for until 2013 and secondly how the hell do they figure paying two thirds of the overall contract for 10 live races and highlights is good value for the license fee payers?

The BBC should be ashamed of themselves. The smoke screen about tough finacial decisions is causing my skin to boil. They can drop £200,000 on coverage of the mining disaster in Chile, and spending a small fortune to send more than 150 staff to cover the 'One Year To Go' event for the 2012 Olympics.

I have made a formal complaint to the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/complain​ts/forms/

and

I have emailed the F1 Team Association: info@teamsassociation.org


My respect for Jake has also dissipated, his comment on twitter about it only being a sport and worse things happening in the world was so out of touch with the feelings of the fans. Then to top it all off he cut off the fan on the F1 forum who brought up the BSkyB deal and walked away pulling a face...
 
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gingerweasel said:
My respect for Jake has also dissipated, his comment on twitter about it only being a sport and worse things happening in the world was so out of touch with the feelings of the fans. Then to top it all off he cut off the fan on the F1 forum who brought up the BSkyB deal and walked away pulling a face...
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Worse things do happen in the world. I don't think it is massively out of touch with the fans. There just seem a very vocal bunch of fans who are upset they have have to either pay or wait a few hours to watch something they enjoy on the telly. It staggers me that this is one of the most important things in some peoples lives....it is just a race, it means nothing at the end of the day. Seriously struggling to not use the phrase "get a grip" (oops just used it).

Jake and the whole team are probably also under conditions about not talking about the sky thing much, he let the fan speak and asked him to repeat it a few times so it was definitively heard.
 
I think it's just indicative of how much of a bubble F1 is in, just like the whole Bahrain issue.
 
Of course there are worse things happening in the world but that doesn't mean you just ignore the issue. If that's what we did then why bother screening sports at all, there are much more important situations going on in the world that could do with getting some airtime.

So I don't really buy that.

If the whole thing would have been moved to BSkyB that would have been annoying but more understandable than the current situation. It's much worse that the BBC are covering two thirds of the cost from the taxpayers pocket so BSkyB can get the best coverage.

Oh and for the record I do have more important things going on in my life but I'm also a passionate F1 fan expressing an option - the purpose of the thread I thought?


** Added

Sorry Jimmy, I don't mean to come off arsey but I'm a big F1 fan and I think as a fan and as a TV license payer (who only relly watches the BBC for F1) I've just been screwed. The sport is one of the main things me and my son share as a passion and I look forward to the Grand Prix weekends as much for that as the sport itself.
 
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Jimmy_Lemon said:
Worse things do happen in the world. I don't think it is massively out of touch with the fans. There just seem a very vocal bunch of fans who are upset they have have to either pay or wait a few hours to watch something they enjoy on the telly. It staggers me that this is one of the most important things in some peoples lives....it is just a race, it means nothing at the end of the day. Seriously struggling to not use the phrase "get a grip" (oops just used it).

Jake and the whole team are probably also under conditions about not talking about the sky thing much, he let the fan speak and asked him to repeat it a few times so it was definitively heard.
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I also have FAR worse things going on in my life (far, far worse!) but I too reserve the right to be annoyed by this new BBC bail out deal thank you very much.
 
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Why?
 
Yv said:
Seriously, I don't 'get' the whinging and moaning! If you are such die-hard fans, pay the cost, the same as any other sports fan and if not, shut up and move on, no one will actually care that much. I dislike Murdoch and his empire as much as anyone else, but face facts, we live in a commercial world, and as much as F1 fans would like the think they are the people that are important, they are not, dollars are. There are markets out there, outside the UK, outside Europe, that are far more lucrative and if going into partnership with Sky means my TV licence isn't totally wasted on a sport I have loved for the last 20 years, then thats fine with me.
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i CANNOT afford sky, let alone sky sports package on top, so being a big fan should i then stop watching or put myself into debt so i can watch it???
If its a case of just "pay the cost or shut up and move on" you are quite clearly someone with money to burn who does not see that some people cannot afford such luxuries as sky.
 
reading the back of yesterdays daily mail (yes i know not the best place to look for accurate info) its mentioned that this is happening so that BBC can keep the coverage of wimbledon and the open. So therefore the beeb are saying their golfing and tennis fans are more important than their motoring fans?
 
cam1986 said:
It would have been better if the BBC had joined with C4 etc
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Don't they share the football World Cup with ITV (forgive me if this is wrong, I know nothing about football)? Don't see why they couldn't with F1 in that case.
 
Its simple really, it really hacked me off that this has happened BUT the BBC signed up to a deal and now they can't afford it. There could have been issues where they simply defaulted and nobody had the rights. Luckily I will be getting Sky Sports for nothing as one of the kids is paying for it from next month for the football :) BUT I would just have watched the live ones and avoided the result before watching the highlight ones OR watched them on RTL with the commentary of radio 5
 
panther_87k said:
i CANNOT afford sky, let alone sky sports package on top, so being a big fan should i then stop watching or put myself into debt so i can watch it???
If its a case of just "pay the cost or shut up and move on" you are quite clearly someone with money to burn who does not see that some people cannot afford such luxuries as sky.
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What? No! Just watch it later when it is on FOR FREE.

panther_87k said:
reading the back of yesterdays daily mail (yes i know not the best place to look for accurate info) its mentioned that this is happening so that BBC can keep the coverage of wimbledon and the open. So therefore the beeb are saying their golfing and tennis fans are more important than their motoring fans?
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No! They are saying that the F1 fans aren't more important than Tennis or Golf fans.
 
gingerweasel said:
It's much worse that the BBC are covering two thirds of the cost from the taxpayers pocket so BSkyB can get the best coverage.
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Do you have a source for that (genuine question, not saying you are lying)....just seems odd that the details would be released in such detail. I am also assuming there is more to it than that, but would love to see the details.
 
As far as I know, no official and final statement has been released re the extent, timing and nature of the BBC's coverage for its non-live races.

Bernie's initial murmerings on the subject, whilst vague, weren't very promising. Since the backlash, he's murmered some more - a little more promising but still vague of course, perhaps he's putting out "feelers", but it's simply not going to be as straightforward as "watching the live race a bit later". In fact, I seem to remember Bernie saying during the weekend's GP that he favoured highlights, saying that's what the public want.

This is Sky and Bernie we're talking about, remember?
 
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cam1986 said:
It would have been better if the BBC had joined with C4 etc
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As I understand it C4 are being propped up with money from the licence fee as it is, the BBC & C4 joining forces would not mean more money to spend on F1

This is a global sport and will losing a few British fans really make a difference in the grand scheme of things to F1.

F1 are not stupid, why do you think they want races in India, China and Russia, because they have huge populations with growing wealth, just primed for all the sponsors to push their product onto, as far as they are concerned the UK is a stagnant market with little room for product growth, they will just not be that bothered about who broadcasts here.
 
Nevertheless, it certainly hasn't left Ecclestone out of pocket with F1 getting around £15m from the BBC under the new deal, which runs until 2018, with BSkyB paying an estimated £25m. Its premium is thought to be due to the fact that switching to pay-per-view could reduce F1's viewing figures and in turn dent the teams' sponsorship revenues which depend on wide exposure.
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from the link earlier in the thread - http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/55698.html
 
Jimmy_Lemon said:
What? No! Just watch it later when it is on FOR FREE.
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Exactly!

No! They are saying that the F1 fans aren't more important than Tennis or Golf fans.
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Agreed, they have done this so they afford to keep a whole range of licence payers getting some free coverage, even if some is delayed.


Seriously, I am not saying everyone can afford Sky and I am grateful that we can, BUT, its not like you won't get coverage at all. I have spent today at a cricket match, which means we have avoided the race results until this evening when we sat down to watch. It isn't that difficult if you want to watch it 'as if' live.
 
Bernie interview from this weekend re new coverage, commenting specifically on his preference for the BBC coverage to be condensed highlights.

From 1:55 in the clip below but it's worth watching the full interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR3R3IFGGDI

Either way, the details are far from final but there's no way on this Earth that it'll be the full coverage shown a bit later, not a bloody chance.
 
Bernie's now upset the teams with 7 races in 10 weeks next year. Wonder who he can upset next week.
 
panther_87k said:
reading the back of yesterdays daily mail (yes i know not the best place to look for accurate info) its mentioned that this is happening so that BBC can keep the coverage of wimbledon and the open. So therefore the beeb are saying their golfing and tennis fans are more important than their motoring fans?
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but at the same time if you dont like what they decide to put on, you still have to pay for it!:bang::thumbsdown:
 
panther_87k said:
reading the back of yesterdays daily mail (yes i know not the best place to look for accurate info) its mentioned that this is happening so that BBC can keep the coverage of wimbledon and the open. So therefore the beeb are saying their golfing and tennis fans are more important than their motoring fans?
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whitewash said:
but at the same time if you dont like what they decide to put on, you still have to pay for it!:bang::thumbsdown:
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No they are say they wish to stick to the governments requirments on certain events being so important they must be shown free to air.

The BBC did propose the following in 2009

A1 List: UK Conversation Events (Live)

The IOC Winter and Summer Olympics Games
The FIFA World Cup
The UEFA European Football Championships

A2 List: Resonance in the Nations (Live in Relevant Nation)

The FA Cup Final
The Scottish Cup Final (Scotland)
The Football International Qualifiers Home and Away (Respective Home Nations) The Commonwealth Games
Welsh Rugby Union Six Nations and Autumn Internationals (Wales)

A3 List: Pinnacle Sport Events (Live)

The Wimbledon Championships Men and Women’s Final
The Rugby World Cup Final
The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final
ICC Cricket World Cup Final
The Twenty20 World Cup Final
The Grand National The Derby

B List: Events of a UK Importance (Highlights)

The Wimbledon Championships
The Rugby World Cup
ICC Cricket World Cup
The Twenty 20 World Cup
Six Nations Rugby Tournament
The Open Golf Championship
The Ryder Cup
England Cricket Home Test Matches
The British and Irish Lions Tour
Women's Football World Cup/European Championship
ICC Cricket World Cup Finals involving Home Nation's Teams


That has changes a little as these have now been removed

The Winter Olympics
The Derby
The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final
The Six Nations Championship involving the home countries (outside of matches in Wales
The commonwealth games
The Ryder Cup.

One of viewing numbers, for example: The Derby and the Challenge Cup Final attract less than 2 million viewers and have therefore been dropped from the list although regional events which attract less viewers remain, for example: the Scottish Cup Final, which attracts less than half a million viewers

From a personal point of view I would much rather they keep Winter Olympics than F1
 
panther_87k said:
i CANNOT afford sky, let alone sky sports package on top, so being a big fan should i then stop watching or put myself into debt so i can watch it???
If its a case of just "pay the cost or shut up and move on" you are quite clearly someone with money to burn who does not see that some people cannot afford such luxuries as sky.
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Sorry but I don't get this. We all have limited budgets, yes, but if you feel something is important then you find the money. You are looking at around £40 a month for Sky inc sports. The cost of 1 night out a month. The cost of a couple of takeaways for 2, the cost of one meal out for 2 (talking generally speaking), the cost of 6 packs of cigarettes. Getting a broadsheet paper like the Telegraph is around the same cost.

For me sport is important. I pretty much get it for the footie but also watch the cricket, darts and when F1 comes, the F1. If I was a real F1 fan I would just bite the bullet and subscribe, not cut off my nose to spite my face. I couldn't give a monkeys if I am contributing to Murdoch, I pay because I want the content.
 
Some people really can't afford that sort of increase. My pension just went up £50 a month, that was hard to swallow, another £20 on sports is out of the question at the moment, my wife is off sick and has been since march, I have 2 teenage kids and need to be very careful. If you have money to have takeaways and nights out then it's easy, if you don't, it isn't. I hate avoiding the results as it's very hard to do that if you are in the house when it's on, if you are out all day it's easy to avoid, if you turn on the Internet it's not, likewise tv and radio. I don't like it, and sympathies with a lot of people who can't afford it and want to watch ALL the race, I remember highlights shows, it's not the same.
 
gingerweasel said:
I can only hope that the teams turn against this and look to break away into a new series.
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Didn't the teams negotiate a greater share of the broadcasting income last year? Unlikely that they would be unhappy with this situation and the comments by Martin Whitmarsh and Adam Parry seemed to reinforce this.
 
The problem comes when you are a motorsport fan and not a fan of anything else.

To be fair, most motorsport fans are just like that...

I don't give a rats backside for football, rugby or cricket, so no I won't pay for Sky Sports.

Luckily for me Eurosport has plenty of racing - BSB, BTCC, WTCC, WSB and MotoGP (although I do prefer the BBC's coverage!) plus a load more if I could be bothered with them.
 
cambsno said:
Sorry but I don't get this. We all have limited budgets, yes, but if you feel something is important then you find the money. You are looking at around £40 a month for Sky inc sports. The cost of 1 night out a month. The cost of a couple of takeaways for 2, the cost of one meal out for 2 (talking generally speaking), the cost of 6 packs of cigarettes. Getting a broadsheet paper like the Telegraph is around the same cost.

For me sport is important. I pretty much get it for the footie but also watch the cricket, darts and when F1 comes, the F1. If I was a real F1 fan I would just bite the bullet and subscribe, not cut off my nose to spite my face. I couldn't give a monkeys if I am contributing to Murdoch, I pay because I want the content.
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i dont have "nights out", dont smoke, drink only at special occasions i.e xmas, and dont buy newspapers as the same rubbish they print is available on the net at no extra cost to me, in order to save that money, im not about to list my household busget on a forum but believe when i say i CANNOT under any circumstances afford sky and sky sports

as for watching it later as a few have suggested, i want to have the option of seeing the whole race not highlights of the bits the BBC deem to be the best. I like to make my own mind up as to what bits of each race are interesting!
 
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Good luck trying to avoid finding out the result before you get to see the race... these days just about everywhere will tell you about F1.

Its hard enough avoiding hearing the results for motogp!
 
aparently the hungarian GP had viewing figures approaching 6million, given that it cost the BBC £30million pounds per year to have the rights to F1 and there are 20races per year, a quick bit of fag packet maths then suggests (if they get 6m views per rounds) a cost per round to those that watch it of 25p out of their license fee per round. when im paying £140 per year for a TV license id like atleast some say in what its spent on, i dont watch football, i dont watch cricket, rugby, golf anything like that, in all honestly the only things i watch on BBC are the F1 and topgear. im sure that if the BBC asked id quick happily sub in my £5 per year to watch the F1,

what i dont want to do is pay £200 extra per year for a channel that ill only watch for 2hrs every 2 weeks, the remainder of the time it shows tribal sports that I have no interest in, and thats the problem, the person with sky sports has it for a reason, and currently its not for motor racing.



im guessing alot of people will just stream the footage illegally anyway and tbh I dont blame them.
 
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desantnik said:
Good luck trying to avoid finding out the result before you get to see the race... these days just about everywhere will tell you about F1.

Its hard enough avoiding hearing the results for motogp!
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the problem with motor sports is that its a huge user of new media, trying to wait for a rerun will only work if they can also ensure that driver trackers, teams twitter feeds etc are all delayed so they happen 'live' during a delayed race.
 
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