uk f1 tv coverage - sky, bbc and ch4

[Sodemo]

I think a lot of the older fans only watch out of habit. They remember how it used to be, perhaps "better times" (though that is of course subjective. I just think any potential newer fans are turned off by the various negative aspects of modern F1, so therefore maybe there aren't many new fans?

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by chunder

I do not really think the fanbase has changed that much.

The only change in recent years has been the idea that as fans we would be prepared to pay to watch f1, as is the case with a lot of sports.

It's not just the transition to PPV. Younger viewers are not embracing F1 the way they did 15+ years ago and this coupled with the fact that many older fans naturally drift away from the sport means the audience is skewed smaller and older.

Originally Posted by chunder

As others have said SKY are clearly not happy as they are putting it on Sky1, a sure sign they are struggling, lol!

The tv companies have been done over really as there is no way us Brits are going to flood and pay for F1 as football fans do for their sport, because it simply isn't a sport that attracts that level of devotion, and in pure numbers terms is dwarfed in its popularity by football.

I agree with this point. If F1 moves completely to PPV, the audience in the UK [along with many other countries] will completely tank. As Sky are discovering, not enough people are willing to buy Sky for F1 alone... and only a fraction of Sky's existing demographic are interested in watching Grands Prix.

[LC2guy]

Originally Posted by davyboy

not enough people are willing to buy Sky for F1 alone... and only a fraction of Sky's existing demographic are interested in watching Grands Prix.

Nail well and truly hit on head .....

[aki13]

Originally Posted by henners88

I really hope that happens to F1 because I think it is the only thing that will make the powers that be really take this problem of coverage seriously. At the moment its just huge amounts of people not watching, but the broadcasters are still paying big money to Bernie so its only superficial at the moment. When the knock on effect starts to take hold and sponsors and broadcasters do start to question the pricing, I think F1 will be forced down the route of assessing what really went wrong. The thing is we can see where the problems lie because we are viewing it from an average Joe public angle. The likes of the team bosses, sponsors and senior FOM members are seeing it from the opposite end of the scale and at present are not in the least bit interested as long as they are getting their money. Crash and burn sooner rather than later and we can sort it out.

If die hard F1 fans are not willing to pay for Sky now, what chance have they got tempting new fans who are made to invest on the off chance they will like it? I'm in the wrong job.

Hear what your saying Henners but the problem maybe that Indy Car while being an internationally watched series, the majority of its viewing is in the US I would assume.

Obviously F1 has money and sponsors coming from all round the world and so although the UK is a massive home of F1 and has a big impact on the sport, it might not have the required impact on F1 as much as it did on Indy Car

[henners88]

Originally Posted by aki13

Hear what your saying Henners but the problem maybe that Indy Car while being an internationally watched series, the majority of its viewing is in the US I would assume.

Obviously F1 has money and sponsors coming from all round the world and so although the UK is a massive home of F1 and has a big impact on the sport, it might not have the required impact on F1 as much as it did on Indy Car

That is very true but the UK has always been a consistent market for interest throughout the years so it's been a good barometer. Countries like France, Portugal and Italy have also had healthy interest and have also recently had a pay per view switch and like the UK are experiencing a downturn in viewership. Economies like China and the USA are the biggest in the world and are yet to be bitten by the F1 bug because they have bigger home grown sports. F1 needs the blue ribbon countries to remain interested and the sponsors like it too. If Bernie is stupid enough to give exclusive rights to sky in 2018, expect F1 to be a second class sport sooner rather than later.

As has been said above, Sky misjudged this situation and assumed F1 was enough to get a few million people to sign up for their subscriptions. It's had the complete opposite effect. It drew a few people in at the beginning and then they lost 11% of their audience in the second year. A couple of my mates signed up back in early 2012 because thee was no way they were missing the races, but they are no longer customers. It just isn't value for money for F1 alone and lumping it with a sports package not everyone wants just highlights that even more. They need to make the channel available either with a low monthly tariff or put it on FreeSat and freeview. Sky need to accept the fact this might not be a channel attracting any worth. Fans are voting with their remotes and it's obvious demand is there, it's just been over valued by the sport. It's a sport played by the rich and famous, but not necessarily watched by a wealthy core audience.

I'm in the position where I could afford Sky, I just can't justify the expense for one channel and won't be held to ransom. I wonder how many fans like me watch either illegally or on a borrowed Sky Go and go undetected? There could be way more fans interested than they realise.

[chunder]

Henners you put it well, the UK market for this is stable

bernie dosnt give a chuff about that, he only wants to go somewhere where it is expanding

And wny on earth would you give a damn about Britain when China is so much bigger, they get more westernised whre the money is anually, manufacturers aree selloing thousands of cars there.

India and Korea were a waste of time, how long before a second Chinese GP? Oh we have one, its in Singapore.

Our market is dead really, it is too stable, and that isnt what F1 wants.

But you should be thankful, they are havign a world Cup in Qatar, have you ever heard anything more preposterous!

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

You lost me there on the double glazing salesman. I sometimes get lost with English vernacular.

http://youtu.be/3i6jfmWqiNA

[djinvicta]

No No No. For one who worked at Everest, this was the King Adam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsCOIEzJrC8

[Adam43]

He's a better Rugby presenter too. Although not as good as Simon.

[djinvicta]

Hes dead now though, shame.
Fit the best, Everest.
Im bewildered that Everest have never sponsored F1 actually. No, I don't work there now!

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Greem

Looking at the demographic "problem" - part of this lies in the assiduous takedown of all F1 content on YouTube and other, similar sites (even on Facebook).

If FOM continue to strangle online coverage - even of snippets - then there is nothing for the younger online audience to engage with - and that's where they engage.

This is the crux of all F1s problems!

Scouring out all the free marketing and connectivity with your future market by alienating your future audience is just sheer idiocy!

Greed sheer greed and short sightedness.

The sport attracts big value sponsors because of its easy accessibility and good entertainment value, it is losing both!

[Adam43]

Oh no! No youtube.

As someone who has posted a link on 10-10ths of a YouTube clip today I could care less. However I'm not the demographic that is wanted apparently.

Edit: Actually I think F1 should have a YouTube presence, but it should be its own, extensive, high quality footage. Not phone videos of telly footage of Senna crashing.

[djinvicta]

Ted Moult. He was Everest....

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Oh no! No youtube.

As someone who has posted a link on 10-10ths of a YouTube clip today I could care less. However I'm not the demographic that is wanted apparently.

Edit: Actually I think F1 should have a YouTube presence, but it should be its own, extensive, high quality footage. Not phone videos of telly footage of Senna crashing.

I agree with you Adam43 the phone videos of hideous events are awful, however when people post snippits of official footage of races and incidents they should be left so that people can view and discuss them. Vettel and Webber crashing in to one another after Webber was ordered to move over was a good example. The sport just plain needs the exposure and interest it generates. I guess to a certain extent the good comes with the bad.

[Adam43]

I guess you're right.

I agree it is too extreme, but is rather be on the side of quality than lowest common denominator.

[Tucky]

Side note, bbc have just released their season preview on iplayer for uk viewers

[henners88]

Originally Posted by chunder

Henners you put it well, the UK market for this is stable

bernie dosnt give a chuff about that, he only wants to go somewhere where it is expanding

And wny on earth would you give a damn about Britain when China is so much bigger, they get more westernised whre the money is anually, manufacturers aree selloing thousands of cars there.

India and Korea were a waste of time, how long before a second Chinese GP? Oh we have one, its in Singapore.

Our market is dead really, it is too stable, and that isnt what F1 wants.

But you should be thankful, they are havign a world Cup in Qatar, have you ever heard anything more preposterous!

Indeed. I still can't believe there are people who believe if they get rid of DRS, KERS, and the silly tyres, people like me will suddenly have the the ability to watch all the races and boost the audience figures. I accept donations by anybody who wishes to pay my Sky bill every month, but then again isn't it expensive?

Fans are turning off because it suddenly costs £522 a year to watch F1 and at present Sky only offer half a season exclusively anyway. Its a massive rip off and for many people that is the price of a family holiday. They just can't compete and deserve all the criticism they get. Expect more PR speeches this season about how great the deal is and how the falling ratings are simply an indication of how excellent having two channels showing the coverage is. There must be some dolt out there pumping his fist in the air telling himself its all dandy I am sure

[davyboy]

Another industry - also run by coffin dodgers - refused to embrace new technology and provide it's audience with what they wanted. Instead it threw all its efforts behind cutting off, shutting down and litigating. It suffered piracy on an industrial scale and as a consequence the record industry is a shadow of what it used to be.

If F1 is to have a future, then it needs to be relevant to the generations of the future - i.e. today's young people. It needs to be less aloof. It needs to be where they are and involve and excite them.

[wolfhound]

At £522 a year for ten races £52 per race. You could almost get general admission to the LeMans 24hours for that. That one race thats as long as a whole GP season.

[Nicholosophy]

I would be happy to pay a fee to stream it on my computer/laptop. Let me buy a season package and I'd be set.

V8Supercar did that last year and I heard it was quite good. I've also heard it went the way of the dodo since the new PayTV deal was signed for next season. So I can imagine that FOM won't be doing this either...

[Greem]

Originally Posted by NickoGP

I would be happy to pay a fee to stream it on my computer/laptop. Let me buy a season package and I'd be set.

V8Supercar did that last year and I heard it was quite good. I've also heard it went the way of the dodo since the new PayTV deal was signed for next season. So I can imagine that FOM won't be doing this either...

V8 Supercar Season Pass - only available to those outside Australia and Unzud. Quite the bargain at AU$40.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by henners88

when Martin Whitmarsh said their was no future for F1 unless it was on FTA. Then the money appeared and it was all fine.

I remember that. There was a big backtrack.

[chillibowl]

So when push comes to shove, who is waking up early or, in my case staying up late, to watch their overpriced HD quality live tv of the first quail session?

If this was something I could put a price on...well I'm glad no one is asking me for money right now

[henners88]

I was up early enough thanks to a baby full of beans but didn't watch Quali. I've read up instead and don't feel I need to watch it now.

[aki13]

Originally Posted by henners88

I was up early enough thanks to a baby full of beans but didn't watch Quali. I've read up instead and don't feel I need to watch it now.

Might be worth setting the highlights to record on BBC 2 Henners, it was a good session.

Lewis was very calm and composed. He will win IMO tomorrow if his car tolds up. If its wet he will fight for the win, if its dry I see Him and Nico pulling quite a gap on the field.