Sky to show Formula 1

Sky will now broadcast all Formula 1 races while the BBC will have the rights to half the races including the British Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix and the final race of the season and will show highlights of the others.

oh well i new this day was gonna happen, sky just had to put there stupid nose into it !!!

not a surprise with the funding cuts the bbc is having to do. still got some races though and have sky already

Half the races? I guess it will be the 1pm ones and they won't choose the early or late starts like the Asian Grand Prix which are about 6 or 7am. The BBC are pathetic really and if they want to save money they should close down as that would save our licence fee. Not bothered myself as I have Sky.

I have Sky too so i won't miss out but the thought of them repeating ITVs antics of having ad breaks during the actual race would seriously piss people off.

One big plus however is seeing everything in HD

(29-07-2011 10:08 )Chimpy Wrote:  the thought of them repeating ITVs antics of having ad breaks during the actual race would seriously piss people off.

Sky have said at the moment they are not planning to have ad breaks during the actual race.

Sometimes I wonder what my licence fee pays for. I have sky so I won't miss out on any of the races, however I can't believe there won't be ad breaks as the revenue gained from the advertisers would pay sky's cost to air the race and then some. Sky wouldn't bother with it unless there was a profit to be made.

I doubt people without Sky are going to join just to watch half of the F1 season.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29072011/5...-deal.html

Formula One fans have reacted with outrage to the news that half the Formula 1 calendar will be taken off free-to-air television in the United Kingdom from 2012 as part of a new share deal between Sky Sports and the BBC.

Teams seek clarification on TV deal
Bet on Formula 1 While all grands prix, qualifying and practice sessions will be broadcast on pay channel Sky Sports, only half the races will be shown live on the free-to-air BBC in the new arrangement, which runs from 2012 to 2018.

The BBC will continue to show highlights of the races it is not covering live, and its Radio 5 Live arm will have live commentary on all rounds.

Eurosport Yahoo! user saunders0000 summed the feeling of many terrestrial TV viewers by saying: "I cannot believe they would do this to F1 fans - this is¬ unbelievable.

"After following it for over 20 years you've taken away my favourite sport. Well thanks very much for that. I will never pay to watch it on Sky Sports - I shouldn't have to. RIP F1 you will be sadly missed by millions."

"This is a terrible idea. The BBC has peaked at 10 million viewers this season, Sky has only 10 million subscriptions in total and I don't know how many of them subscribe to Sky Sports," added Wini_Hatton.

"The current BBC coverage is the best coverage I have seen in years. I'm sure all the sponsors won't be happy when the UK viewing figures fall to around a million when the races are on Sky."

Even BBC commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle said on Twitter that he was "not impressed" with the deal.

"BBC/Sky/F1 2012+. Found out last night, no idea how it will work yet I'm out of contract, will calmly work through options. Not impressed," he wrote.

Meanwhile, Formula 1 teams admitted they will seek clarification from Bernie Ecclestone on the new BBC/Sky television deal amid the concerns.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told AUTOSPORT: "What we need to understand is whether the large audience we currently enjoy in Formula 1 will be maintained. I think we also need to understand exactly how this is being done."

Williams chairman Adam Parr said the key was understanding the finer details of the arrangement - because what teams lose in widespread television viewing figures could be gained in an increased revenue from Sky.

"In principle I have no issue with optimising the balance between the revenues that we need, and getting a good reach in the audience," he told AUTOSPORT. "The devil is in the detail.

"I think it is a balance and, without knowing the details, you cannot comment on whether it is good or bad. What I do know is that Bernie is a very passionate believer in getting the broadest audience possible and I think he has almost certainly done this in order to do that."

official statement from sky sports

"The race will be from lights to flag advert free"

I wonder if Eddie Jordan & Co have been onto Sky yet hammering out a deal?