Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
this has been brought up a few times but is this an issue just facing F1?
seems to me most if not all major sports leagues are struggling with this issue.
no doubt in part because of changing subscription based/paywall TV models, the amount of entertainment choice, multiple TV/internet based devices in a single household, a multitasking generation and the length of the events.
changing viewing habits likely mean that in the long run viewing numbers will be on the decline in traditional (western) markets regardless of the of whether or not FTA/free internet streams become the norm again.  |
I think it is widespread, a report by the Premier Leauge (football) in the UK stated that the average age of fans attending the top flight games is 41 years old, so they are sitting on the same audience 'ticking timebomb' that F1 is. I have worked in motorsport and motoring live events most of the career, where the on-event attendance is 'dad and lad' then quite a big gap to the 40's to 60's - most of the larger events are now appealing to 'famallies' and having to invest more into things to entertain them other wise you won't get many/enough 20 to 40 year olds through the gate.
I agree that overall TV viewing will fall in Western markets for the reasons you outline and removing it from FTA takes away the chance to gain new viewers who happen to come across and start following it.