2013 has been a fascinating and intriguing year in the motor sport broadcasting world, with several stories which will only firmly take shape in 2014. With nearly 300,000 views, there has been significant interest in some angles as the year has progressed. BT Sport. World Rally Championship. IndyCars. Sky Sports. Just some of the buzz words that have got you talking this year. However, there can only be ten in the top ten and here is a look back at those more popular blogs from 2013.
10. The status of IndyCar’s UK broadcasting rights – January 8th
As we headed into 2013, the location of IndyCar’s whereabouts was unknown. I attempted to put forward a few possibilities, as Sky Sports stopped covering the series. In the end, they went ESPN, which turned into BT Sport, until 2015.
9. BT Sport secure exclusive MotoGP rights – May 9th
Probably the biggest motor sport broadcasting story of the year, without a doubt. This had been rumoured in the week beforehand, but it was still a shock to the system. How well will MotoGP do on BT? Time will tell.
8. Tom Clarkson added to BBC F1 TV team – March 6th
In the week before the new Formula 1 season, it was announced that Tom Clarkson was going to become a permanent member of the BBC F1 team. With not much known about him, readers turned to this blog post to find out more.
7. Sky confirm Sky Sports F1 pack changes from April 1st – March 6th
Given the way Sky’s prices have gone in the past few years, this was not a surprise. Let’s hope that Formula 1 fans get to save a few pennies where television subscriptions are concerned in 2014.
6. Doing the sums: the cost of viewing Sky Sports F1 this year – January 31st
I would normally advise readers to read blog articles, but there is not much point in reading the above, as it is now outdated. A follow up post was published in May. Still, a lot of people clearly wanted to know the cheapest method for consuming Formula 1 in 2013.
5. The ratings picture: The 2013 Verdict so far – August 20th
The picture half way through 2013 looked positive, what we didn’t know was just how much Sebastian Vettel was going to dominate!
4. Dissecting Georgie Thompson’s decision to leave Sky F1 – February 25th
One of the mysteries of the year! She eventually went to America, although the timing of it is still one that confuses me considering the decision appeared to have been made late by herself. What was once a mystery, remains a mystery.
3. Are current Sky ‘HD Pack only’ customers with Sky Sports F1 set for a shock? – June 1st
A recurring story throughout the year, once in June and once in September. The line, most of the time, was that nothing was changing. Unless you decided to change your package of course, then you would you lose access to the channel. One to continue in 2014, I feel.
2. Predicting BT Sport’s MotoGP team – October 24th
Despite liking motorcycle racing, I won’t claim to know a lot of pundits and experts in that area. Nevertheless, I thought I’d roll the dice and start predicting who would be part of BT Sport’s MotoGP team. As of writing, the team is still to be announced.
1. Georgie Thompson leaves Sky’s F1 team – February 15th
Written before number four, this can be best described as a disappearing act, given that no official statement was released. A large amount of interest in the news, given her long term stay with Sky!
The next few months look set to continue in the same vein as 2013, with BT Sport beginning their coverage of MotoGP.
Motorsport Broadcasting 