The top 10 blogs of 2015

The F1 Broadcasting Blog recorded just shy of 300,000 hits in 2015. In the last month or so, there has been one major talking point which plays a small part in the top ten below. Formula E, MotoGP, social media, viewing figures and Sky Sports Darts were a few of the topics covered on the blog in 2015.

10. Poll: Which F1 graphics set do you prefer? – March 17th
One of the main conversations in early 2015 was the new graphics set unveiled by Formula One Management (FOM) alongside their website and social media overhaul. Here, I asked readers which FOM graphics set they preferred, comparing the five different overlays.

9. Sky Sports Darts to replace the F1 channel during Christmas – November 7th
A popular post in the latter stages of 2015, as visitors wondered where the station had wandered off too. The good news is that the F1 channel will be back on Tuesday 5th January covering the 2016 season.

8. UK F1 TV viewing figures drop to eight year low – December 5th
Viewing figures are interesting given that they can either reflect interest or apathy in a product. As the headline shows, Formula 1’s overnight viewing figures hit their lowest level since 2007 despite Lewis Hamilton claiming a third championship. Whether the drop in numbers helped determine certain decisions that were made, who knows…

7. Report: ITV to take over BBC’s F1 TV coverage from 2016 – December 17th
…twelve days after the above and eight days before Christmas, it was reported by Broadcast that ITV were set to take over BBC’s Formula 1 television coverage from the 2016 season. My gut instinct was that Broadcast was right. As it turned out, they were wrong, and we would instead be welcoming Channel 4 to Formula 1.

6. Quick thoughts on the latest BBC F1 speculation – November 18th
The first hint of some change concerning BBC’s F1 coverage. The initial wave of articles did not indicate that 2016’s coverage was under threat. We found that out one day later. BBC officially confirmed their exit from covering Formula 1 on television on December 21st.

5. Sky Sports unveil 2015 pre-season trailer – February 28th
#TheChasingPack, Sky Sports F1’s 2015 pre-season trailer, was unveiled at the end of February, designed to show a pack of wolves chasing the pack leader. The trailer garnered a lot of reaction on this site and on social media, hence its high ranking for the year overall.

4. New F1 graphics set coming for 2015 – March 11th
News that FOM were overhauling the Formula 1 graphics came before the Australian Grand Prix, with a rolling blog post created as more detail came in. A poll on this site showed that the graphics set was well received on the whole, with 68 percent approval.

3. BBC confirm 2015 plans as Sky drops online Race Control – March 5th
The final BBC and Sky F1 details for 2015 were confirmed, as Sky dropped their online Race Control offering. The piece noted that “BBC’s web offering for their live races will now be more expansive than Sky’s.” One has to wonder how Channel 4 will compare in 2016…

2. Revamped Formula 1 website unveiled – March 9th
Only 44 hits behind the eventual winner, falling behind in the final hours of 2015 is the official Formula 1 website relaunch, which coincided with FOM increasing activity on YouTube and Instagram. The website received a satisfactory response from readers, with 48 percent liking the website compared to its predecessor.

1. Predicting Channel 4’s Formula 1 team (part 1) – December 22nd
The most read story of 2015 (by a whisker) following the announcement made the day before. It was time to start predicting Channel 4’s Grand Prix team. I doubt we will hear anything firm about what Channel 4 have to offer until at least the end of January.

The stage is set for 2016, as Channel 4’s Formula 1 coverage begins with the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday 20th March.