Tag: BBC F1

All posts relating to BBC F1.

BBC TV exits Formula 1 with immediate effect

The BBC have announced that they will be exiting Formula 1 from television with Channel 4 taking over from 2016. For those following the blog in the past few weeks, the news that BBC TV will no longer be broadcasting Formula 1 should not be seen as a surprise. The F1 Broadcasting Blog understands that BBC staff were officially informed at 10:00 on Monday morning (21st December), one hour before the announcement at 11:00.

On the radio side, BBC Radio 5 Live have extended their deal until 2021. BBC’s exit from Formula 1 means that, for the first time in many decades, they do not currently hold the television rights to either two wheel or four wheel international motor racing (of course, they do have rights to motorcycle racing in Northern Ireland).

In a blog post on the BBC website, BBC’s Director of Sport Barbara Slater said “And the BBC is announcing today that a significant chunk of BBC Sport’s remaining savings target will be delivered through the immediate termination of our TV rights agreement for Formula 1. Any decision to have to stop broadcasting a particular sport or sporting event is hugely disappointing and taken reluctantly. As part of the exit arrangements we are extending our radio rights deal to 2021 and will continue to cover the sport via our sports news service and the BBC Sport website. The package of TV rights we have foregone will transfer to another free-to-air broadcaster.”

Slater also thanked everyone working with BBC F1 in her blog post: “I’d like to extend my appreciation to our production team who for seven seasons consistently produced coverage to the very highest level which has been loved by the sport’s fans. It has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA. The quality of production from those behind and in front of the camera has been without equal. These are very challenging times for the BBC and sport is not immune to those financial pressures.”

Analysis
The BBC exiting Formula 1 is not a surprise, based on the headlines of the past few weeks. What I still feel is a surprise is the quickness of it. We never heard one inkling of any exit from broadcasting Formula 1 on television two months ago, so this has happened very fast. Clearly there were attempts from Formula One Management to prevent BBC exiting the contract, but as I mentioned just last Friday, if a broadcaster no longer has their heart in the game, why bother letting them continue.

I am extremely disappointed, again, by the way this has been handled by BBC Sport. In a perfect world, the BBC F1 team would have been informed officially about this before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Were the cuts so major that the BBC were unable to broadcast the 2016 season on television, as a swansong, in any way shape or form? I feel sad for the team that they were unable to put out a package during the Abu Dhabi weekend to highlight their contributions during the past seven years. Whether that was their fault, or FOM’s fault for trying to keep BBC, we do not know, but I feel for the team that they did not get their closure.

However, let us put this into context. I think Marcus Simmons, AUTOSPORT’s Deputy Director, sums it up. In the grand scheme of things, there are a lot of priorities at the BBC that are bigger than Formula 1, such as current affairs and news. In the BBC Sport pot of funding, it is easy to see how the BBC consider the Olympics, Match of the Day and Wimbledon bigger priorities than Formula 1. I doubt the high-ups BBC will have been best pleased with the off-track antics both in 2014 and 2015, Formula 1 needs to sell itself better.

The good news is that BBC Radio 5 Live is continuing their coverage, which is incredibly important, and more so than some perhaps give credit for. Radio is still a huge medium, and the coverage on radio will still reach millions of listeners that TV may not reach. There will probably be some changes to BBC’s Formula 1 radio coverage, depending on who or who not Channel 4 wish to poach, but the structure of it should be similar to now. Expect to see @BBCF1 on Twitter to stay, but the website will change significantly. Sadly, the online archive that has built up across the past seven years, will disappear, some of the material has already disappeared.

Reaction
Jake Humphrey (former presenter) – “Raising a glass to everyone involved in #F1 on the BBC. Was a pleasure to play my own small part #3Amigos #Farewell”

Murray Walker (former commentator – speaking to BBC News) – “I’m enormously sad that the BBC is losing Formula 1, because ever since 1978 when it first started doing it on television, it has done an absolutely superlative job. It has raised the production standards, it has got a fabulous team of people working on it and the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Whenever there’s a problem, the BBC is in danger of losing Formula 1, other channels are in there to snap it up.”

Eddie Jordan (analyst – speaking to the Mirror) – “Obviously it was a huge shock even though it had been talked about. It is utterly devastating. The week of Christmas is not the time to hear this, compounded by the fact that it’s not long since a lot of the team had left London and relocated in Salford at the whim of the BBC. People have moved families to new houses and children to new schools and were just about getting settled in Salford and then they get this bomb-shell. The people I have spoken to find it really gut-wrenching. They feel senior management have not really batted on their behalf. I really feel for them. Having said that the BBC has given me an amazing seven years and I’ve got the TV bug. While I’m in the twilight of my career I wouldn’t rule out anything for the future if it gives me a buzz. I’ve always spoken as I see things when I worked for the BBC so it’s only fair I do the same when I’m talking about the BBC.”

Allan McNish (analyst and radio commentator) – “The news is out, BBC F1 will stop it’s F1 coverage, sadly not a surprise in the circumstances. Good luck Channel 4.”

Jennie Gow (radio pit lane reporter) – “Just to say I’ve loved working with all of the BBC F1 team – learnt a lot and had some amazing times. Some very special/talented people!”

Lee McKenzie (pit lane reporter) – “Good luck to Channel 4 with their F1 coverage. Loved being part of BBC F1 team. Some great times, people and wonderful programmes.”

Michael Cunliffe (website video editor) – “Ciao F1, it’s been a blast these past 7 years #Gutted”

Tim Boyd (VT producer) – “Well that was fun whilst it lasted…”

To all of those that have played a part in BBC’s TV coverage of Formula 1 from 2009 to 2015, we say: thank you.

BBC F1 vs Sky Sports F1: Your 2015 Verdict Revealed

The 2015 Formula One season concluded in November with Mercedes finishing a dominant season. Off the track, what the future holds no one seems to know. As usual, the blog asked readers to give their opinion on BBC’s and Sky’s 2015 coverage, and the response was in stark contrast to last year.

Last year, many readers noted that Sky Sports F1’s coverage had improved. The opposite can be said this year, with multiple readers not keen on their 2015 service.

I enjoyed 2012 and 2013 seasons but since then it seems like Sky has lost its glory. A very limited production, no more season reviews, no more F1 Legends etc. very limited Classic races, they are not as active as they used to be in the first two seasons. – Ayrton01CZ

Overall, I thought that the BBC did a much better job in dealing with a dud season, whilst Sky came up with too many sensationalist non-stories, terrible features and montages, and also had naff commentary. – craighypheno

Jack Picko is also not keen on Sky’s coverage, notably the Fogglebox feature during the United States Grand Prix weekend, however did state that Ted Kravitz is still the “pound for pound the best reporter/presenter/commentator in the Formula 1 business”. The commentary duo of Martin Brundle and David Croft for Sky resulted in a lot of conflicting opinions, Rishi made an interesting comment in response to a lot of negativity directed towards the pair in comparison to the BBC commentary team:

Bit surprised to see Crofty and Brundle knocked so much in the comments. I actually think they’re the better commentary duo; in particular, I also think they’re better at reading a race and getting the drivers right. Ben Edwards has disappointed me somewhat at the Beeb as he tends to make fairly basic errors (naming drivers, getting results or strategies wrong); a shame as overall he has a good pedigree and is a commentator I respect (having listened to him back when A1 GP was around). We’re all human though and it is a tough job of course.

Given the news over the past few weeks, and potential developments that may or may not unfold soon, there was a lot of reflection focussing on BBC’s coverage:

BBC seem more comfortable in their own skin these days. They recognise it’s not 2010 any more in terms of personnel, budget or on track product and set their stall out accordingly. There’s a reasonable range of views, some sort of concession to the casual viewer and they don’t present in an uncritical manner. I also suspect that they do a good job of keeping Sky on their toes. – Richard

By far the best aspect of the BBC’s coverage were some of it’s VT’s, which as this blog has consistently pointed out, have been thoughtful and extremely well constructed. Cases in point: The Button Rallycross piece and the Max/Jos Verstappen feature. Clearly shot and edited by people who love the sport and make use of every penny to make sure it goes towards what’s on screen. – uf1redster

Lesmo makes a fascinating suggestion about a potential hybrid programme to save costs for both BBC and Sky, presenting value for money:

We could soon be back to the days of watching the race only, as I did in the ITV days. And on that note, if the resources of the BBC and Sky were pooled in some way; perhaps we’d get to keep the coverage and enjoy the quality of show we do today. Food for thought.

If ITV were to take BBC’s Grand Prix rights, questions would quickly turn to personnel. And, based on the feedback, Suzi Perry is one of the main choices for the presenter role:

Suzi Perry’s improved (see how little Coulthard has been surprised this year by the line of questioning) – Richard

Suzi Perry is growing on me now, she is the far better presenter of the two broadcasters. – Jack Picko

The Sky presenting team generated a lot of mixed responses, especially in response to their coverage of Lewis Hamilton, as alluded to earlier. Ayrton01CZ gives a summary of the current situation:

I still don’t understand what Lazenby is doing there, he is like an alien in the F1 paddock and clearly has nothing in common with the sport. The rest of the team sounds good on the paper, but (and here we go) to make everything around Lewis Hamilton is wrong. Yes, he’s British, he’s successful, but to praise him and to make a coverage all around him are two very different things. And to even have a problem to admit that someone else could be simply faster and it is not down to the technical problem… no, no, no. The basic rules of journalism are to be impartial and objective. Whatever is the reason (no theories here), it should not happen and they should go back to enjoying F1, the sport itself.

There were again one or two comments comparing the UK coverage to other parts of the world. As we come to the end of 2015 in uncertain muddy waters, this is a good comment to end on.

My point is simply that in the UK and EU, you have a cornucopia of excellent motorsport coverage – and a choice between not just one but TWO F1 broadcasters – and here in the USA we are living in the desert. You are very fortunate indeed to even entertain a discussion about “BBC F1 versus Sky Sports F1.” – geeyare

As always, the original post has a lot of detailed comments worth reading, the above is just a taster of what readers are talking about.

Report: ITV to take over BBC’s F1 TV coverage from 2016

Posted on December 17th, 2015 – Broadcast are reporting this evening that the BBC are to exit broadcasting Formula 1 on television with immediate effect, with ITV taking over their coverage from 2016.

This has yet to be confirmed. As soon as we have any news, I will update this blog. My gut instinct though is that the report is true, and that ITV will confirm this officially tomorrow (Friday 18th December). That is my opinion, I’m not privvy to anything that is not currently in the public domain. If the news is true, it marks the end of BBC’s return to covering Formula 1 on television, which started back in 2009. Alongside the various news stories that have been covered recently, the news earlier this week that BBC’s Euro 2016 picks run right through the Canadian Grand Prix window mean that the BBC were not planning to pick the race live. Of course, that is the usual pick process – but now we have a clearer reason why that was probably the case.

Regarding the source: Broadcast is a reputable industry magazine, and not a website that would pluck stories out the air for ‘hits’. The fact they have published it means that it is more likely to be true than false. Tomorrow is likely to be the last day that any deal would be announced (it being the last business day before Christmas, early next week being slow down days), leads me to believe that ITV’s return will be announced tomorrow. If that happens, questions inevitably turn to the personnel. ITV should swoop in for the majority of BBC’s team… but that is a question for later rather than now (although we are only four months away from Melbourne). Another question surrounds the return of adverts during F1 races, and lastly if ITV taking Formula 1 affects their Formula E rights.

Either way, there’s little point speculating until we have official confirmation from BBC or ITV. So, for the moment, we wait patiently, but it looks like The Chain is going to be broken….

Update on December 18th at 18:05 – To my surprise, we have heard no news today. A request for comment from this blog to the BBC resulted in no comment, which is to be expected in the middle of rights negotiations. The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is being held on Sunday, so both parties may have mutually decided to hold off an announcement until Monday. Realistically, if we hear nothing either Monday or Tuesday, then it will be a wait until the New Year. Other media and motor sport outlets have since covered the story, mostly repeating Broadcast’s original story, including Motorsport.com, the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. Neither AUTOSPORT or The Guardian have yet covered the story.

In an interview with the Press Association via Motorsport.com in response to the latest story, Bernie Ecclestone said “The bottom line is that they [BBC] are cutting back on all types of sport and if we really, really, really had to, we’d say ‘you have got a contract and you better get on with it.’ They can’t leave the contract early. The Beeb have always done a very, very good job. I have no problem at all with them. It is just they can’t afford to continue with what they have done in the past.” Ecclestone concludes by saying that he does not know what will happen in 2016, which sounds worrying.

Ecclestone’s lines are again expected, he said very similar last month. The situation we are in is bizarre. Party 1 wants to exit contract and Party 2 is interested. Sport 1 wants to stay with Party 1 and appears to be distancing himself from Party 2. The more Ecclestone tries and persuades BBC to stay, the less interested ITV will become. Does Ecclestone really want an uninterested BBC to stay on-board, and potentially limit resources as much as possible? I’m not entirely sure that is the best option. In my opinion: If BBC want to get out of the contract, and ITV want to take over, then let that happen. Don’t hold it up. Yes, ITV may give you fewer viewers, but they are still free to air. They will still bring in between two and three million viewers a weekend. Annoying ITV and prolonging any negotiations will not do F1 any good in the long run.

UK F1 TV viewing figures drop to eight year low

Normally British success in sport leads to an increase in television audiences for that particular event. In Formula 1, over the past eighteen months, the opposite appears to have occurred. Based on unofficial overnight viewing figures, the 2015 Formula One season recorded the lowest average audience since the 2007 season. Lewis Hamilton’s and Mercedes’s dominance has not had the intended effect.

> BBC records lowest average in modern times
> Sky average drops back to 2013 level
> Only two out of last eight races increased year-on-year

As I have done in previous years, it is worth re-iterating what exactly the numbers represent for those of you that are new to the blog. For Sky Sports F1, all viewing figures are for the three and a half hour race day slot. This covers the ‘Pit Lane Live’ and ‘Race’ segments in the EPG, the reason for this is to allow a fair comparison year-on-year. As thus, the equivalent slots are used for 2012, 2013 and 2014 to present a transparent picture and so the viewing figures presented are not misleading. Numbers also include any Sky simulcasts on Sky Sports 1, where applicable. For the BBC, the figures are all programme averages, irrespective of whether the programme was live or in highlights form, and irrespective of channel. Repeats are accounted for where Asian-based races were covered by the BBC live. As always, viewing figures do not include over the top methods of viewing such as BBC iPlayer and Sky Go.

The 2015 story
The trajectory that the 2015 season took is largely similar to that from two years ago. In my Summer post, I stated that 2015 was up on 2012 and 2014, but down on 2013. In 2013, the dominance of Sebastian Vettel sent audiences tumbling. In 2015, it is the dominance of Mercedes that appears to have a profound effect on viewing figures.

Sky Sports F1’s race day programme has averaged 638k from 12:00 to 15:30, or equivalent this season. That number is down 19.3 percent on 2014’s figure and down 0.4 percent on 2013’s figure of 640k. 2015’s average is also down 10.3 percent on 2012’s average of 711k. By a margin of around two thousand viewers, Sky’s average Formula 1 viewing figures are at their lowest level since they joined the sport in 2012. Given that the gap between 2013 and 2015 is only two thousand viewers, I’m reluctant to read too much into it as two thousand viewers is within the margin of error.

So what has happened here? In essence, any gain that Sky made last season has disappeared. A near 20 percent drop in viewers is bad, whichever way you look at it. There is perhaps some knowledge to be gained in stating that Sky’s numbers are back at 2013 levels when you consider both season’s followed similar patterns on the track. Whilst Sky was no doubt hampered by some races starting earlier, it is a fact that only four races increased year-on-year: Spain (+5.0%), Austria (+4.4%), Britain (+27.3%) and Italy (+7.5%). Twelve races recorded double digit drops compared with 2014, including the US Grand Prix which dropped 15.3 percent. That is not good and is a stark contrast to this time last year. The comparisons include the relevant Sky Sports 1 simulcasts for this year. I think Sky’s drop is a combination of the on-tract action being resolved early this year and also viewer apathy towards the product that Sky Sports have been putting out this year.

The BBC’s figures have dropped year-on-year by 3.6 percent, recording an average of 3.11m. It is their lowest average under this current deal, and therefore their lowest since the BBC returned to the sport in 2009. 2014 averaged 3.22m, whilst 2013 averaged 3.42m. At a time when the BBC’s current coverage is under threat, any drop does not make for good reading. However, eleven races actually increased their average audience compared with 2014. The biggest gainers were Bahrain (+60.9% – BBC showed highlights in 2014), Britain (+28.6%) and Austria (+27.0%). The reason that BBC’s average number is down is because of Mexico, a low-rating highlights race, plus the fact that three races lost over a quarter of their audience year-on-year (Singapore, Japan and Abu Dhabi). Undoubtedly, BBC’s biggest problem, and one of the major flaws in this current contract was that Lewis Hamilton’s championship victory was not screened live on free-to-air television.

An eight year low in the TV same day world
The combined average of 3.74m is down 6.7 percent on 2014’s 4.01m, down 7.3 percent on 2013’s 4.06m and down 4.5 percent on 2012’s 3.92m. For the first time since the current rights agreement between BBC and Sky started, both channels dropped year-on-year based on overnight viewing figures. Last year I commented on the closeness of the figures from 2012 to 2014. 2015 has dipped below that line as it were, meaning this season sits between 2007 and 2008 in the popularity stakes. Considering Formula 1 has a British world champion, the idea that viewing figures have dropped to an eight year low in the UK may be considered alarming to those within the sport.

The most watched race in 2015 was the Canadian Grand Prix which averaged 5.35m, whilst the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix falls at the opposite end of the spectrum with 2.61m. As I noted earlier, all the numbers exclude online viewing, including iPlayer, Sky Go and Now TV. Including those methods of viewing would send 2015 above 2008’s average of 3.94m, but I would be surprised if it made much of a difference year-on-year, unless there has been drastic changes of viewing habits to more online methods from Grand Prix fans. If people are changing their viewing habits in relation to Formula 1, the question is why. There is always a reason if habits have changed, a live viewer does not become an on-demand viewer for an event which should be viewed live without a good reason.

It would be amiss I feel to write off 2015 as saying “well, online would increase numbers”. To do so would ignore the bigger picture. Formula 1 has well documented issues on and off the track at the moment concerning the spectacle the sport is presenting. One team dominating is historically a turn off for the casual viewer. Ferrari’s dominance in the mid 2000s led to a worldwide switch off (Germany and Italy aside). If the dominance of Mercedes is leading to the same pattern, then you have to be concerned. The casual viewer does not want to watch one team dominating. You can’t punish dominance, of course you can’t. But it does not help when that same team appears to be anti-racing, repeatedly. That is a switch off. Maybe you could blame Lewis Hamilton himself as the reason for the decline, in that he is in BBC’s and Sky’s coverage too much, and there is an argument that features with him as the main attraction do not move television ratings at the moment.

Heading into 2016
A dominant Mercedes or not, Formula 1 needs three things in 2016 if viewing figures are to move in a positive direction. A resurgent McLaren. Formula 1 cannot have two world champions at the back of the field. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button should be near the front, competing for points and podiums, week in, week out. Secondly, Ferrari to challenge Mercedes. We did see flashes of it at the start of this season, but nothing ever materialised, aside from Singapore.

From a media perspective, Lewis Hamilton versus Sebastian Vettel writes itself. We never quite got it when Vettel was at Red Bull, plus other drivers were involved in the championship battle too. Hamilton versus Vettel, Mercedes vs Ferrari. It is something the casual audience would watch and become invested in. One of the reasons why 2011 was the most watched season in the modern era was not only because of Vettel, but because of Hamilton’s on-track duels with Felipe Massa. We need to see Hamilton versus Vettel, and I hope we see that in 2016. It would draw audiences, not only in the UK but in Germany too. In my opinion, Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg is not something the general public are interested in and the viewing figures reflect that.

Lastly, Formula 1 needs the BBC. Formula 1 needs the BBC more than the BBC needs Formula 1. The BBC could replace Formula 1 with repeats on a Sunday afternoon and claim one million viewers, whereas Formula 1 would need to find a new home on ITV or Channel 4, to a significantly reduced audience, more so on the latter. I’ll finish this piece with a quote from David Coulthard: “My personal view is that if F1 allows itself to lose free-to-air television coverage in the UK, it will not only affect the popularity of the sport, and by extension the teams’ ability to raise money to compete, but it will also reduce its exposure to the next generations of engineers and mechanics. F1 has inspired people to enter a workforce that numbers tens of thousands of people – the drivers are just the lucky ones at the end of the rainbow.”

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BBC and Sky F1 – 2015 review programming

The Formula 1 cupboard looks fairly bare over the festive period, with all of BBC’s and Sky’s season review programming airing way before the festive season even gets into top gear. With Sky Sports Darts replacing the F1 channel, it means that all of their programming is done and dusted before Christmas.

Sky’s season review is currently scheduled to air just before Christmas, with their offering beginning with the Midweek Report season review. BBC are airing their season review show on Saturday 12th December.

Elsewhere, the F1 season review DVD is released on Friday 18th December, running at around 280 minutes. The Blu-ray version released the following Monday with around 25 minutes of extra footage. In any event, I imagine a large proportion of the season review, excluding the race footage, will come from features that have been on the F1 App this season.

BBC F1
12/12/15 – 13:00 to 14:00 – Season Review (BBC One)

Sky F1
04/12/15 – 20:00 to 21:00 – The F1 Show (Sky Sports F1)
09/12/15 – 20:30 to 21:30 – Midweek Report Season Review (Sky Sports F1)
21/12/15 – 17:30 to 19:00 – F1 Season Review: It’s Hammer Time! (Sky Sports 1)

If anything is added, I will update the schedule above.

Update on December 4th at 21:00 – There is indeed a Sky review show over Christmas, on Monday 21st December. This isn’t in their schedules as of writing (which means it’ll miss the Christmas TV guide print deadlines) but I’ve added it above.

Update on December 7th – As one thing is added, another disappears. Highlights of the AUTOSPORT Awards, which were scheduled for this Friday at 20:00, have since disappeared from Sky Sports F1’s schedule (although they did turn up on Sky’s On Demand service).

Update on December 14th at 17:30 – Sky’s review show next Monday is in fact not a season review. It is in fact an interview with Lewis Hamilton, I quote: “a chat with the reigning Formula 1 champion, who claimed his third drivers’ title in 2015”

Update on December 14th at 20:50 – The Sky EPG goes with the original billing for Sky’s season review next Monday, so I’ve updated the schedule above.