Digital TV coverage to be scrapped/F1 Digital...Bernie pulls the plug! (merged)

[Adam43]

According to Autosport and the Daily Mail Digital Tv is to be scrapped:

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=21281&s=5

Bernie Ecclestone is ditching digital television coverage of Formula 1, according to a story in the Daily Mail.

The newspaper reports that Ecclestone's decision to stop the pay-per-view coverage, which has been available on Sky digital in the UK this year, has been made because the service has not attracted enough viewers.

The state-of-the-art digital service has been available in Germany, Italy and France, as well as in the UK. Ecclestone had long championed the service as the future of Formula 1 coverage, but he now looks set to concentrate on the free-to-view terrestrial programmes.

The news will come as a boost to ITV, who will now have access to many of the features previously available only to digital viewers, such as extra on-board cameras.

However, the Daily Mail reports that Ecclestone is unlikely to be left too much out of pocket by the failed venture. Although the newspaper reckons the venture has cost £75 million since it started in 1997, it claims most of the costs were carried by French TV company Canal Plus and German broadcaster DF1

While I support the terrestrial coverage getting more of the good stuff, it can't show it all and do it justice. Now we won't have the option to choose.

[Red]

Huh? £75 million since 1997? Fear not Adam, the story is just fabulation. They missed a couple of zeros...

[LucaBadoer]

**** no. nooooooo ****. ****

[LucaBadoer]

please be wrong

[LucaBadoer]

just looked and channel 434 is... gone

[paul-collins]

Good news for North American viewers, though. The coverage we get is the basic ITV feed, which is cr*p compared to the enhanced coverage we should get now. And digital was never on the cards for us.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by LucaBadoer
just looked and channel 434 is... gone

I was flicking through the channels and noticed that ch 434 wasn't showing f1 clips but thought that it was because of the off season. This news has just ruined my day, and proberbly the season, i just hope that Ben Edwards is commentating alongside Martin Brundle as opposed to James Allan.

[Sato san]

Please NOOOOO !

cant believe its gonna be scrapped ....i hope this story is just a made up one .

[steve nielsen]

They are gonna use part of the system to improve the "normal" broadcast, so there will be more onboard shots and better camera angles on the "normal" channels

[expert]

this shows once more that our dear bernard cares more about his $$$ than about the fans.

[steve_r]

Yeah, Free for all, POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

[Glen]

Originally posted by expert
this shows once more that our dear bernard cares more about his $$$ than about the fans.

Huh? Now us, the great unwashed, get the snazzy pictures that were previously prohibitively expensive and this is a bad thing? Bernie has lost zillions on this - as I understand it it's just about the most advanced digital tv project so far, and the risk didn't pay off. I'm delighted - I'm against having to pay so much to get decent pictures. I was also very much opposed to the crappy situation whereby all the good interviews, sneak pictures and other speciallist coverage were the preserve of Bernie-vision and the terrestrial feeds got zilch.

[Rob29]

Bernie has just put out a statement that this story is rubbish. Don't believe ANYTHING you read in the Daily Snail!

[expert]

Glen, I'm happy too as I didn't have digital tv either, but don't think that Bernie did this for the poor guys like us...

[MGF]

Oh well.... back to watching two red cars circulating in formation then....

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Glen
I'm delighted - I'm against having to pay so much to get decent pictures. I was also very much opposed to the crappy situation whereby all the good interviews, sneak pictures and other speciallist coverage were the preserve of Bernie-vision and the terrestrial feeds got zilch.

glen, its called life, whats that saying? you only get what you pay for.

[darcym]

This is stupid,

the MAIN reasons I was happy to pay for this was
1.) the access to the infro from Peter Windsor
2.) The lack of adverts was worth the payment alone
3.) An un-biast TV crew
4.) Extra Camers angles and the ablity to swap what you where watching

I can't believe I am going to have to go back to ITV and is 5 adverts per race and james Allen talking rubbish.

the only good thing is Brundell.

I'll mail sky.

[Glen]

Mr V, the idea was great, the price was too high. It's only cars driving round in circles. Paying for every race was as much money as a nice little holiday, or a trip to a real GP (well, almost).

[Mr V]

£12 a fortnight, then £6 a fortnight for the last 8 races was not alot of money in my view, not if it's for something you enjoy. People would think nothing of putting their hands in their pockets to spend between 6 and 12 quid on a round of drinks, again, something they enjoy.

When you look at darcym's lists of benefits for comparatively little money, then it's money well spent.

[Damon]

I don't think I can cope with James Allen for a whole year. ITV is very much dumbed down to keep the casual viewer interested when compared to the Sky coverage. More than the great pictures on race day, the digital feed was worth it's money for the banter between Matt and Damon, Peter Windsor's inspired interviews and Wattie and Edwards providing easily the best commentary team around. Not to mention of course ALL the races live (as apposed to as live re-runs later in the evening), and ALL practices and qualifying sessions. Anyone that did get digital this year would agree that this news is not good.

[Sato san]

Glen....cheer up old bean !......

Digital F1 was the best thing to come along in years....nearly everyone who's seen it agree's with that !....a few didnt like it , but not many...

anyway ...looks like the story has been denied now....so hopefully a season ticket will be made available next year with sky because im for sure gonna buy one....its so good , that you dont have to watch Micheal lapping all by himself every sunday , we actually get to see some racing !

yipeeeeeee

[Sato san]

Damon.....Peter Windsor is just superb dont you think

10 /10 for him !

[ASCII Man]

12 pounds to watch a race on tv??

[Sato san]

yep.......something wrong with that ?.....

worth ever penny !..as it s not just a race , its every single F1 track session from all GP weekends ..........

anyway , it was £6 a weekend for the 2nd half of the season.

[Adam43]

What we have lost is the chance to watch the best. To have the choice. Power to the people indeed.

We will always just see the super channel footage. This will have more in car and better positions than the standard host broadcasters feed. But if it's following the leaders, then that's it no choice.

We lose the opportunity to:

1) Watch a battle down the field when we want (or watch the leaders if we want!)
2) Watch in car when we want.
3) See the race positions when we want.
4) See highlights when we want.
5) See pit interviews when we want
6) Chose between to commentaries, when we want.
7) Not have ad breaks - if we want (and this also means we won't be able to get to see the press conferences, sue to ITV).
8) We will not get to see the build up of the race, if we want
9) We won't get to see Friday practice (or any other practice)
10) We won't get to see Porsche Super cup

And of course we will lose Ben Edwards, Damon Hill, Peter Winsor and Matt Lorentzo.

This is not power to the people, this is the people having there freedom to chose removed from them.

And that is it. I have now seen the F1 coverage at it's best from here on it can only be worse.

The lowest might have got slightly better, but now the pinnacle has been destroyed.