UK TV coverage

[Norman Biscuits]

As predicted, there's a lot of over-eager meat-fisted caveman reactionary chest-beating going on in this thread.

Football fans (I'm not one) have had to pay to watch their sport for, what, 20 years?
It's inevitable that this would have to happen one day for F1.
Free-to-air is not a right, it's a privilege.

I think this is more a soapbox for people to be anti-Sky in the same way that people think it's somehow "the thing" to be anti-McDonalds.

The bottom line is, you can still watch the whole thing free-to-air, so stop crying.

I, for one, will be tuning in live on Sky Sports. :coolface:

I love how F1 is now indirectly involved with the phone-hacking scandal. Frankly, this is disgusting.

Sheer idiocy, Kyle. F1 is involved because it's going to be shown on a channel owned by a guy who owned a newspaper that hacked some phones? Tenuous.

 

[Philip Antonia]

Screw Sky:bad:.

 

[Philip Antonia]

I have Sky, but I've never been willing to pay so much more just to have Sky Sports in my package.

Though I agree Football fans have to, but they get multiple matches and tournaments in a week, not just 19/20 races per year. They kinda get a better deal!!!

 

[Deane Cockerill]

As predicted, there's a lot of over-eager meat-fisted caveman reactionary chest-beating going on in this thread.

Nice, I'm not allowed to put up a sky dish, so I wont be able to watch it. Glad you can tho, obviously it will be good for the fans when only half of them will be able to see it. must be nice to be 1 of those who will still be able to watch it, while having a go at those who wont be able to watch it.

Agree with your comment about Kyle tho.

 

[James Johnson]

Mmm so basically you have to pay £30 a race on Sky to watch a half a season of F1 now.

 

[David O'Reilly]

Its a shame. I watched F1 on all forms of free to air for around 20 years. It and MotoGP are the only sport I watch on TV
Personally i won't pay money to watch other people play sport. Thats the personal side.
Philosophically its a shame that as the sport has grown Sky want to own it and sell to us what we had for free before (well license fee aside). When I look at the Murdoch empire I see a business that feeds on our bad habits; IE gossiping about celebrities, complaining about the government, sitting on our backsides watching other people achieve something on a sports field. They just need to buy a brewery a tobacco company and crisp manufacturer and they have us all sorted. They are an empire we have built with our habits.
Economically Its a fine balancing act. When the multinational coys fund F1 through sponsorship they do it because of audience reach. Their investment is devalued in proportion of the reduction in audience. If Bernie can maintain their revenues while dropping audience numbers as they surely will he is a magician.
When th e Sky-only races are on Ill be playing sport I think.

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

We have Sky anyway, and apparently we have Sky Sports 2, so as long as F1 goes on that channel I should be OK, but I'm inclined to think it will be on SS 1 due to it being a huge international event.
Sky have said there will be no ad breaks during the race, but they haven't said anything about practice, quali, or before/after the race.
Still, there's some hope about the free-to-air clause in the Concorde Agreement as the teams will lose sponsorship money due to reduced brand exposure. Even so, I fear that 50% of races on BBC and the rest as highlights still qualifies as free-to-air.
FOTA probably won't have the balls to fight for this anyway.

 

[Daniel Pettit]

Can the FIA charge Bernie with bringing the sport into disrepute?

The only upside of this is the strong fan reaction is tangible, despite their attempts to 'spin this', all the racing media are starting to key into the huge negative fan reaction.

I was heartened by Martin Whitmarsh already starting to question it and cite the concord agreement. I'd love to see this get revoked and the brokers of this deal held to account.

One thing to say is make sure your views are heard (whichever side they are on). If you don't like it then let the BB themselves know https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/

 

[Christian Burge]

sky are showing all the sessions i don't know whats wrong if you truly love f1 you would pay for it and if you just like it then watch the hilights

 

[Craig Stevenson]

I am with VirginMedia and have no intention of switching or subscribing to Sky or Sky Sports, I also have no intention of watching half a season or whatever the Beeb will be showing nor will I watch Highlights, this decision is the final nail in the F1 coffin for me, I have said it before and will say it again Ecclestone is a complete and utter Moron with a severe case of Dementia, that combined with the FIA, silly rules, artificial overtaking and all the rest of the crap means I won't be watching F1.

I have been watching more and more BTCC\WTCC\DTM which are all available to watch on TV, not only that but I can actually afford to go and watch these races too.

Unless this stupid decision by F1 is reversed I am sorry to say I will have watched my last F1 Race

 

[Christian Burge]

so your not gonna watch the full races on bbc

 

[Wayne Reed]

sky are showing all the sessions i don't know whats wrong if you truly love f1 you would pay for it and if you just like it then watch the hilights

That is the most silly thing I have ever read. If you had even seen some of the posts before posting your wast of bandwidth post. Some people cant have sky some of us don't have the money to pay £20 on top of the bills I all ready pay virgin £80 a month why should I have to pay more.

For the love of motorsport will all the ones in here that are saying we are moaning about read what we have said AND DO NOT TRY TO MAKE OUT I AM NOT TRUE F1 FAN

 

[Craig Stevenson]

so your not gonna watch the full races on bbc

If that was aimed at me then no, I don't see the point of watching the rest of this season and so offering Ecclestone and his cronies my support. Next season the Beeb is apparently allowed to show Monaco which is THE most pointless and crap parade of the season, so even if I was to watch next season that is one race down to start with.

 

[Norman Biscuits]

This is all pretty amusing stuff.

Let me break it down into the five easy options for enjoying F1 in the UK from 2012.
This plans allows everyone to watch F1, it's an all inclusive plan, I guarantee satisfaction:

OPTION 1: Can't afford it, that sucks - BBC Live & Highlights
OPTION 2: Not allowed it, that sucks - BBC Live & Highlights
OPTION 3: Foaming at the mouth hating Sky for the sake of it - Enjoy the BTCC
OPTION 4: Casual fans making a dirty protest - Enjoy the BTCC
OPTION 5: Everyone else - Sky Sports

I bring you this plan at absolutely no charge.

Now, imagine we still had a 'Like' button.
Imagine yourself pressing it now.

 

[Wayne Reed]

Like button lmao The only button I wish we had was a slap around the face button. You really do not read what people have said just more bandwidth wasting posts

 

[TheHemps]

This is all pretty amusing stuff.

Let me break it down into the five easy options for enjoying F1 in the UK from 2012.
This plans allows everyone to watch F1, it's an all inclusive plan, I guarantee satisfaction:

OPTION 1: Can't afford it, that sucks - BBC Live & Highlights
OPTION 2: Not allowed it, that sucks - BBC Live & Highlights
OPTION 3: Foaming at the mouth hating Sky for the sake of it - Enjoy the BTCC
OPTION 4: Casual fans making a dirty protest - Enjoy the BTCC
OPTION 5: Everyone else - Sky Sports

I bring you this plan at absolutely no charge.

Now, imagine we still had a 'Like' button.
Imagine yourself pressing it now.

Option 6. Stream it from a p2p website
Option 7. Go to a mates house
Option 8. Get a dodgy sky box
Option 9. See my other thread

 

[Norman Biscuits]

Like button lmao The only button I wish we had was a slap around the face button. You really do not read what people have said just more bandwidth wasting posts

You should be paying me for the amount of time it takes to decode your illiterate ramblings, Wayne.

Moving on...

 

[Richard Knight]

Was just about to cancel my Sky subsciption as I think Murdoch is a power hungry ba**ard trying to control everything but being a F1 addict I might have to lower my moral standings lol. I will complain to aunty beeb tho, please do likewise!

 

[Ross Balfour]

I do have Sky Sports, but I was still dis-heartened by the news. The BBC set-up at the minute is great, Jake, DC and Eddie in the build-up who have good relationship with all the drivers/ team managers.. going to be replaced by Keith Heuwen and 2 failed racing drivers as Rob pointed out, in a studio talking crap. The only benefit from this is that it's in HD.

As for the commentary, Tony Jardine... oh please help us all

 

[Norman Biscuits]

I agree Ross, the loss of the BBC team is the worst, least talked about facet, of this whole issue.
Of course, they may share personnel or strike some other kind of deal, but it's unlikely.