Scheduling: The 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix

After a sensational victory for Lewis Hamilton in Sebastian Vettel’s back yard, the two championship protagonists head for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final stop on the Formula 1 calendar before the Summer break.

It is a weekend packed with motor sport, on tarmac, gravel, two wheels and four to whet the appetite. This weekend is special for the British Touring Car Championship, as the championship holds an endurance style race lasting double the usual length at 60 miles. The special race takes place on Sunday at 17:15 UK time live as usual on ITV4.

> Feature: 60 years of British Touring Cars – the broadcasting story

Further afield, Julian Ryder returns to commentary duties with Eurosport for the 8 Hours of Suzuka, Ryder having stepped down from his MotoGP duties at the end of 2017. Alongside Ryder for the endurance race are Jack Burnicle and Terry Rymer, amongst others.

Channel 4 F1
Sessions
28/07 – 17:30 to 19:00 – Qualifying Highlights
29/07 – 18:45 to 21:00 – Race Highlights

Sky Sports F1
Sessions
27/07 – 09:45 to 11:50 – Practice 1 (also Sky Sports Main Event)
27/07 – 13:45 to 15:50 – Practice 2
28/07 – 10:30 to 12:15 – Practice 3
28/07 – 13:00 to 15:30 – Qualifying (also Sky Sports Main Event)
=> 13:00 – Pre-Show
=> 13:55 – Qualifying
29/07 – 12:30 to 17:10 – Race
=> 12:30 – Pit Lane Live (also Sky Sports Main Event)
=> 13:30 – On the Grid (also Sky Sports Main Event)
=> 14:05 – Race (also Sky Sports Main Event)
=> 16:30 – Paddock Live

Supplementary Programming
25/07 – 20:30 to 21:00 – The F1 Report: Preview
26/07 – 14:00 to 14:30 – Driver Press Conference
26/07 – 20:45 to 21:00 – Paddock Uncut
28/07 – 15:30 to 16:05 – The F1 Show (also Sky Sports Main Event)
01/08 – 20:30 to 21:00 – The F1 Report: Review

BBC Radio F1
27/07 – 09:55 to 11:35 – Practice 1 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
27/07 – 13:55 to 15:35 – Practice 2 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
27/07 – 20:00 to 21:00 – Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)
28/07 – 10:55 to 12:05 – Practice 3 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
28/07 – 14:00 to 15:00 – Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live)
29/07 – 14:00 to 16:00 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Formula Two – Hungary (Sky Sports F1)
27/07 – 11:50 to 12:45 – Practice (also Sky Sports Main Event)
27/07 – 15:50 to 16:30 – Qualifying
28/07 – 15:40 to 17:00 – Race 1
=> 15:40 to 16:05 (Sky Sports Red Button)
=> 16:05 to 17:00 (Sky Sports F1)
29/07 – 10:15 to 11:15 – Race 2

GP3 Series – Hungary (Sky Sports F1)
28/07 – 09:40 to 10:20 – Qualifying
28/07 – 17:25 to 18:20 – Race 1
29/07 – 09:00 to 09:50 – Race 2

Porsche Supercup – Hungary
29/07 – Race
=> 11:30 to 12:15 (Eurosport 2)
=> 11:25 to 12:15 (Sky Sports F1)

Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – 24 Hours of Spa (Motorsport.tv)
28/07 and 29/07 – Race
=> 15:20 to 21:30 [Saturday]
=> 22:00 [Saturday] to 15:50 [Sunday]

British Touring Car Championship – Snetterton (ITV4)
29/07 – 10:30 to 18:30 – Races

Formula Three European Championship – Spa (BT Sport 1)
27/07 – 09:45 to 11:00 – Race 1
27/07 – 13:45 to 14:45 – Race 2
28/07 – 08:00 to 09:15 – Race 3

Formula Renault Eurocup – Spa (BT Sport 1)
27/07 – 14:45 to 16:00 – Race 1
28/07 – 10:30 to 11:45 – Race 2

Suzuka 8 Hours (Eurosport 2)
29/07 – 03:15 to 11:45 – Race

IndyCar Series – Mid-Ohio (BT Sport/ESPN)
29/07 – 20:00 to 23:00 – Race

World Rally Championship – Finland
Every stage live via WRCPlus.com
26/07 – 18:00 to 19:00 – Live: Stage 1 (BT Sport 1)
27/07 – 18:00 to 19:00 – Live: Stage 11 (BT Sport 3)
27/07 – Day 1 Highlights
=> 22:00 to 22:30 (BT Sport 1)
=> 22:30 to 23:00 (Motorsport.tv)
29/07 – 14:00 to 15:00 – Live: Stage 17 (BT Sport X3)
28/07 – Day 2 Highlights
=> 21:30 to 22:00 (Motorsport.tv)
=> 22:15 to 22:45 (BT Sport 1)
29/07 – 07:30 to 08:30 – Live: Stage 21 [Special Stage] (BT Sport 2)
29/07 – 11:00 to 12:30 – Live: Power Stage (BT Sport 2)
29/07 – Day 3 Highlights
=> 21:15 to 21:45 (BT Sport 1)
=> 22:30 to 23:00 (Motorsport.tv)
31/07 – 19:00 to 20:00 – Highlights (Channel 5)

The schedule will be updated if anything changes.

Update on July 27th – From the “you have got to be kidding me” department, Sky have moved The F1 Show to 15:30, pushing the first half of Formula Two onto the Red Button. Yes, really. I believe this is the first time Sky have done this since they started showing Formula Two (then GP2) in 2012.

UK broadcasters reap rewards of dramatic German Grand Prix

A peak audience of 4.3 million viewers watched the German Grand Prix across Channel 4 and Sky Sports yesterday, overnight viewing figures in the UK show.

Race
The race aired live on Sky Sports F1, with Channel 4 airing highlights later, both broadcasters reaping the rewards from a dramatic race. Sky Sports dropped its Paddock Live show after thunderstorms disrupted their post-race broadcast, the pay-TV broadcaster opting to head off air at 16:40 UK time.

Sky’s broadcast from 13:00 to 16:40 averaged 685k (7.7%), their third highest average of the season so far, only behind Monaco and Canada. Their coverage peaked with 1.19m (12.5%) at 15:20 as Sebastian Vettel crashed out of the Grand Prix. It is Sky’s highest peak for a European round since last season’s Italian Grand Prix, which peaked with 1.39m (15.0%).

Although the figures for Sky are good, both metrics are down by 20 percent when compared with the 2016 German Grand Prix. In 2016, the Hockenheim round averaged 932k (11.8%) across Sky Sports F1 and 1, with 1.48m (17.4%) watching Sky’s coverage at its peak, although it should be noted that those figures were very strong for Sky even at that time.

The difference between Sky’s 2016 and 2018 audience figures could suggest that more viewers are watching via Sky Go and Now TV, both of which are unaccounted for as Sky do not release these publicly. Sky’s core audience was likely split yesterday between the F1 and the Open Golf championship, so Sky are unlikely to be concerned by the drop in F1’s audience figure.

Following on from its Spanish Grand Prix success, Channel 4’s highlights programme recorded its highest ever peak figure yesterday. A peak audience of 3.11m (17.8%) watched Channel 4’s highlights broadcast at 20:15, the highest since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix.

Channel 4’s average audience of 2.26m (13.8%) was slightly lower than Spain over a 135-minute time slot, but in-line with the 2016 average audience of 2.27m (14.1%). These figures come at a crucial time for Channel 4 as it looks to broadcast Formula 1 in highlights form from 2019. Certainly, audience figures indicate that would be the best course of action…

The combined average audience of 2.95 million viewers is the third highest of 2018, only behind Britain and Spain. Compared with the 2016 German round, the average audience is down by around 252,000 viewers, largely a result of Sky’s audience figures dropping.

A peak audience of 4.30 million viewers watched the race across Channel 4 and Sky, a split of 72:28 in Channel 4’s favour. The peak is in-line with 2016’s peak audience of 4.33 million, although the split on that day was 66:34 in Channel 4’s favour. In fact, the peak audience yesterday was the highest for a free-to-air highlights race since the 2016 Grand Prix!

Qualifying
Live coverage of qualifying averaged 335k (4.5%) across Sky’s F1 channel and their Main Event outlet. An audience of 260k (3.5%) watched via the F1 channel from 13:00 to 15:45, with 112k (1.5%) watching via Main Event from 13:55 onwards.

Later in the day, Channel 4’s highlights programme averaged 1.08m (9.6%) from 17:30 to 19:00, resulting in a combined average audience of 1.41 million viewers. Both broadcasters’ audience figures dropped by over 10 percent compared with 2016’s average of 1.69 million viewers.

The 2016 German Grand Prix ratings report can be found here.

Where next for live free-to-air coverage of Formula E in the UK?

Generation 1 of the electric Formula E series ended last weekend in New York, with Jean-Eric Vergne picking up the season four crown. In December, the next iteration blasts off the starting grid in Saudi Arabia.

For fans in the UK, whilst coverage will remain on Eurosport, the free-to-air home of the championship is again up in the air. I look at where the series may end up…

ITV
The UK’s largest commercial free-to-air broadcaster, ITV aired the championship during its first two seasons. Live coverage aired on ITV4, with Jennie Gow fronting the extensive coverage from ITV’s London Studios. ITV4 typically dedicated an hour of build-up to the race, followed by half an hour of reaction following the podium celebrations.

In Formula E’s first season, ITV aired the season ending London E-Prix live on their main channel, to a peak audience of 1.18 million viewers, which remains Formula E’s biggest audience to date. Unfortunately, audience figures slipped for season two, and both sides parted company. This was not all Formula E’s fault, and ITV should take some blame for the drop in audience figures.

Is a return to ITV4 likely? On the basis that audience figures have not improved significantly since ITV left the party, one would think not. However, North One Television have created a well-oiled product on Channel 5 with Vernon Kay at the helm, and persuading ITV4 to get back in on the act might be easier if North One remain involved. After all, North One and ITV have history on four-wheels…

Channel 5
Channel 5 took on the Formula E baton from ITV, in a two-season deal covering the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Channel 5 were unprepared, having had little experience in broadcasting live motor sport.

Eventually, studio coverage did appear, but technically was far behind what ITV had been producing beforehand. With problems from the outset, North One Television coming into the Formula E fold came at an opportune time, as they also grappled control of Channel 5’s live coverage ready for Channel 5’s second season covering the sport.

It was clear though that Channel 5’s executives were not in the game for their second year, with live coverage regularly demoted to 5Spike in favour of repeats on their main channel. In their defence, and regrettably for the series, repeats would regularly out-rate Formula E. I would be surprised if Channel 5 continue to cover Formula E moving forward.

BBC
After ditching Formula 1 at the end of 2015, are the BBC likely to get back involved in top-level motor sport? Bear in mind that the reason F1 left the BBC was purely financial, which does not apply to Formula E given that its contract value is currently very small.

Back in March, highlights of the Mexico City E-Prix surfaced on the BBC Sport website as part of efforts from Formula E to try to boost its mainstream media profile in the UK. The BBC described the agreement at the time as a one-off, which remains the case today. Formula E averaged around 300,000 viewers when it aired on Channel 5, so it is feasible that its audience would double if races aired live on BBC Two.

At this stage, I do not see BBC getting involved, at least in the television space. One possibility is that an online-only offering could appear, with television rights heading elsewhere. A presence on the BBC’s online platforms would help Formula E significantly, in turn helping their audience figures wherever Formula E turns up.

The decision here could hinge on whether the metrics for the short-form Mexico highlights were any good. If they were, who knows, maybe an online offering could become a regular thing from season five onwards.

Channel 4
Having filled 170 hours with Formula 1 action in 2017, Channel 4 have a gaping hole in their schedules from next year. Even if the broadcaster airs highlights from 2019, they still have ten empty daytime weekends that need original content and repeats of Come Dine with Me and The Simpsons only go so far.

2018 Santiago EPrix - Vernon Kay and Felix Rosenqvist — Channel 5’s Formula E presenter Vernon Kay interviews Mahindra driver Felix Rosenqvist.

Formula E is a perfect fit for the network and would help fill some of the Formula 1 hole. There are a lot of questions around what Formula E would look like for Channel 4, and arguably until we know the answer with F1, we are unlikely to find out the Formula E answer.

For Channel 4, retaining Formula 1 in some form is their number one priority. The terms of that deal dictate the way forward. Is Channel 4’s F1 programming a Whisper Films production or a Sky Sports one? How long will their highlights shows be? Will Channel 4 take Sky Sports F1’s commentary? Would Liberty Media have a problem with Formula 1 and Formula E on the same network?

Until we know those answers, only then can we start to wonder whether Whisper or North One will produce Formula E for Channel 4 if they are interested in the electric championship. David Coulthard is certainly interested, he has been around the Formula E paddock lately, and did commentate on the Berlin E-Prix back in May alongside Jack Nicholls.

Quest
If all else fails, as it appeared to with live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, the fall-back option could be Discovery-owned Quest. Eurosport currently airs Formula E live, so a deal where a specific number of races air live on Quest could be an option.

But for Formula E, this option will send the series into oblivion in the UK and should be avoided. In its fifth season, Formula E still needs free-to-air television more than a free-to-air station needs Formula E. Like in the first four seasons, any new television deal is unlikely to come with a significant financial cost to whichever network chooses to air the championship.

Only once viewing figures and prestige increases can Formula E start to ask for cash. Until then, they are unlikely to get much, if any. Free coverage on Formula E’s social media channels such as YouTube is unlikely as this could be in violation of Eurosport’s current agreement with the series.

Whoever does air Formula E next season, do not throw the series into a graveyard time slot, or onto a sister network because it under performs initially. Give it a hug, wrap your arms around it. Perseverance does pay off and viewers do not come overnight. It takes time, and future Formula E broadcasters in the UK must be prepared to give it that time and not expect big numbers on day one.

Where do you think Formula E is heading next? Have your say in the comments below.

A further piece analysing Formula E’s season four viewing figures will be posted in August.

Scheduling: The 2018 German Grand Prix

The penultimate hurdle before the Summer break takes Formula 1 back to Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix for a double-header twinned with Hungary.

Unusually for a European race weekend, Formula 1 stands alone without its little brothers, as neither Formula Two or GP3 are present this weekend. However, there is still tin-top action in the form of Porsche Supercup.

BBC’s coverage of the race weekend airs across their online platform and Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, priority given instead to the Open Golf championship on the main station. Outside of Formula 1, it is a quiet weekend of motor racing as the Summer shut down takes hold for many championships around the globe.

Channel 4 F1
Sessions
21/07 – 17:30 to 19:05 – Qualifying Highlights
22/07 – 18:45 to 21:00 – Race Highlights

Sky Sports F1
Sessions
20/07 – 09:45 to 11:50 – Practice 1
20/07 – 13:45 to 15:50 – Practice 2
21/07 – 10:30 to 12:15 – Practice 3
21/07 – 13:00 to 15:45 – Qualifying
=> 13:00 – Pre-Show
=> 13:55 – Qualifying (also Sky Sports Main Event)
22/07 – 12:30 to 17:10 – Race
=> 12:30 – Pit Lane Live
=> 13:30 – On the Grid
=> 14:05 – Race
=> 16:30 – Paddock Live

Supplementary Programming
18/07 – 20:30 to 21:00 – The F1 Report: Preview
19/07 – 14:00 to 14:30 – Driver Press Conference
19/07 – 20:45 to 21:00 – Paddock Uncut
21/07 – 15:45 to 16:20 – The F1 Show
25/07 – 20:30 to 21:00 – The F1 Report: Review

BBC Radio F1
19/07 – 21:30 to 22:00 – Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)
21/07 – 13:55 to 15:05 – Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
22/07 – 13:45 to 16:30 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)

British Superbikes – Brands Hatch
21/07 – 15:30 to 18:00 – Qualifying (Eurosport 2)
22/07 – 13:00 to 18:00 – Races (Eurosport 2)
25/07 – 20:00 to 21:00 – Highlights (ITV4)

European Le Mans Series – Red Bull Ring (Motorsport.tv)
22/07 – Race
=> 10:45 to 12:00
=> 14:00 to 15:00
=> 17:30 to 20:00

Formula Renault Eurocup – Red Bull Ring
21/07 – 13:45 to 14:45 – Race 1 (BT Sport/ESPN)
22/07 – 08:45 to 10:00 – Race 2 (BT Sport 1)

Porsche Supercup – Germany
22/07 – Race
=> 10:45 to 11:45 (Eurosport 2)
=> 11:00 to 11:45 (Sky Sports F1)

Speedway Grand Prix – Cardiff (BT Sport 1)
21/07 – 16:15 to 20:30 – Races

The schedule will be updated if anything changes.

Scheduling: The 2018 New York City E-Prix

It might not be England in the World Cup final on Sunday, but there is action to interest the Brits over the weekend, as over in America, Sam Bird could become Britain’s first Formula E champion!

Season four of the electric series ends with a double-header in New York as DS Virgin’s Bird battles Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Verge for the crown. In some ways it is the end of an era for the championship, this weekend the last featuring mandatory in-race car swaps.

On the broadcasting front, the action airs live on 5Spike and Eurosport. There are question marks around Channel 5’s Formula E future, with its two-year contract ending after this weekend, and no free-to-air home announced yet for season five onwards.

Formula E – New York (online via YouTube)
14/07 – 12:25 to 13:25 – Race 1, Practice 1
14/07 – 14:55 to 15:40 – Race 1, Practice 2
15/07 – 13:25 to 14:25 – Race 2, Practice

Formula E – New York (race 1)
14/07 – Qualifying
=> 16:15 to 17:40 (5Spike)
=> 18:30 to 19:00 [tape delay] (Eurosport)
14/07 – Race
=> 20:00 to 21:55 (5Spike)
=> 20:15 to 21:45 (Eurosport 2)
15/07 – 10:35 to 11:20 – Highlights (Channel 5)

Formula E – New York (race 2)
15/07 – Qualifying
=> 15:45 to 17:10 (5Spike)
=> 16:00 to 17:00 (Eurosport)
15/07 – Race
=> 19:30 to 21:20 (5Spike)
=> 20:00 to 21:15 (Eurosport 2)
16/07 – 12:15 to 13:10 – Highlights (Channel 5)

The schedule will be updated if broadcasters make any adjustments.