BBC sacrifice F1 to Sky in bid to save coverage of Wimbledon and The Open - Daily Mail

By Simon Cass

Last updated at 12:45 AM on 30th July 2011

Formula One for the first time will no longer be available live to British audiences on free-to-air television.

Financial pressures at the BBC to preserve the current level of coverage of Wimbledon and The Open forced the broadcaster to relinquish to Sky their exclusive rights to show all grands prix live.

New deal: From next year fans will need Sky to watch every twist and turn of the F1 season

F1 fans will now need to subscribe to Sky Sports, at a minimum monthly cost of just over 30, in order to watch the likes of Lewis Hamilton and
Jenson Button at every circuit as the BBC will only show half of the races live.

The new 455million deal will start from next season and run until 2018 after the BBC were forced to back out of a five-year contract with Formula One's commercial rights holder, which cost 40m annually, two seasons early.

Instead the BBC will pay 20m per season while Sky will shell out 45m annually to screen the races without advert breaks.

Brit of a blow for viewers: The success of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton has boosted television audiences in recent years

As the news filtered out on Friday morning, BBC staff attending the Hungarian Grand Prix were left stunned that their employers had lost yet another high-profile sport to Sky.

The move also comes despite previous assurances from Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone that every race would still be broadcast live on terrestrial television.

However, speaking on Friday night Ecclestone insisted: 'If the BBC had stayed alone they would not have had the money to continue as they do now. It would have been like the old days — no build-up and when the cars finish, the programme finishes. The lights go out, that's it.

The main man: Bernie Ecclestone has hailed the new TV deal

'They spend a lot of money on F1 and do a super job but they have to cut a lot of money. I do understand that, so do they, but things would not have continued as they were. The situation was simple. It was not just about
money, it was about doing what is best for F1.

'The BBC did a great job but together with Sky we will get even better coverage. Look at what Sky do with other sports, they have very good ideas. It will grow the audience, I am sure of it.'

Crown Jewels: The BBC are anxious to keep their live coverage of both Wimbledon and The Open

Sky's experience in broadcasting was instrumental in Ecclestone choosing them over Channel Four, despite them offering the same money for the rights.

Teams were also staunchly against a move away from free-to-air television for fear of upsetting sponsors, but appear to have been placated by the increase in money the joint deal will bring.

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Very upset about this. Bernie is just money grabbing.

- ciara, somerset, 30/7/2011 03:09

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The last paragraph of the article speaks volumes: Teams were also staunchly against a move away from free-to-air television for fear of upsetting sponsors, but appear to have been placated by the increase in money the joint deal will bring. Nobody cares about the fans, not even the teams. Money is everything now, nothing else matters. The teams only hold on to their principles until someone comes along with a bigger wad of cash. Is that sport? And even if F1 audiences were zero, those involved won't care because they all get to stick their noses in the money trough. I love F1 and will always watch it if I can, but I won't pay ridiculous amounts of money to do so. For the extra 10 races I'd end up paying 30+ per race if I subscribed to Sky Sports, much more if I wanted HD. Audiences will nose-dive, but as I say even the teams won't care because they'll all be paid off. It was always a business as well as a sport, but now it's ONLY a business, nothing more. Sad. Very sad.

- Nick Gisburne, Derby, 30/7/2011 02:39

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This is typical. How can the BBC, Sky and Bernie say that this is good deal or that it's good for viewers in Britain? Are they actually saying that it's better for viewers to let the BBC broadcast only half of all the races live instead of dropping the rights altogether and allowing Channel 4 exclusive rights to show EVERY RACE/QUALIFYING/PRACTICE LIVE? If that answer is yes, and if anyone supports this idiotic theory then they are delusional. This has everything to do with money. And the teams and those who go along with this are chasing money instead of chasing the best deal for F1, which is to expand F1 and it's viewing figures. Money goes hand in hand with that. It seems that viewing figures do not make the world go round, money does. Channel 4 was perfectly capable in giving us an F1 extravaganza. But sadly we'll be fobbed off with the 1980's and 1990's mediocre pre-ITV BBC F1 television coverage.

- GG, Scotland, 30/7/2011 01:51

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Ridiculous! Would anyone only watch half a football match? So why would I watch half a formula 1 season! Dont get me wrong I would happily pay for Sky if I wasnt paying a licence fee already, but Im not paying for both. To lose out to tennis and golf really hurts, maybe its just me but where is the excitement in golf? And tennis, wow, to lose F1 to tennis is a shock, why give away a sport that has a chance of seeing a Brit winning to one that clearly does not. I guess I will either have to find another sport or a way to watch F1 for free.whats the chances of my local pub showing the F1 over the football on a Sunday afternoon or opening at 4am for the Asian races????

- Adrian, Liverpool, 30/7/2011 01:51

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Bernie, you are a horrible little man. David, your voice is monotone,your jeans too white and your shirt too pink. Eddie, you are extremely annoying and your dress sense is, unbelievably, worse than David's. Martin, you are very knowledgable but have an irritatingly lacklustre voice. Lewis, you are the King, period. ps where's Murray when you need him. pps where's the BBC when you're paying 150 quid a year to them for something decent and all you get is mince.

- john wilson, kilmarnock, 30/7/2011 01:33

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