The motor sport angle as ITV takes over horse racing

Sports rights are transferring like flies at the moment, and the latest move is no exception. The Racing Post are this evening reporting that ITV will be broadcasting horse racing from January 1st, 2017. The Racing Post are your AUTOSPORT of horse racing, so expect the news to be made official very soon. The report is significant, given the announcement two weeks ago that Channel 4 would be broadcasting Formula 1 from this season onwards, taking over the BBC’s contract which was set to last until 2018.

Notably, the Racing Post’s article says that ITV’s deal for horse racing is £30 million over 4 years, which works out at £7.5 million per year. Based on the BBC’s previous deal, we expect Channel 4’s current Formula 1 deal to be in the region of £15 million to £20 million per year. Quite clearly, the maths does not add up, it was either going to be one or the other for Channel 4, not both.

I have three questions:

a) did Bernie Ecclestone want to do a deal with Channel 4 more than ITV?
b) did ITV want horse racing more than Formula 1?
c) did ITV want Formula 1, but were unwilling to commit to 2016?

How exactly the chain of events went, we do not know. From a 2016 perspective, the good news for Formula 1 is that you imagine the Grand Prix will get preferential treatment in the event of any clash between it and horse racing on Channel 4. As noted in my calendar predictions post, there will definitely be clashes of some degree between Formula 1 and horse racing on Channel 4. The news this evening means that, in the event of a clash, I would expect horse racing to be relegated to More4, assuming it is not a major race.

From an ITV perspective, Racing Post notes that the majority of race days are “expected” to be shown on ITV4. There is no imminent threat to the British Touring Car Championship on ITV4, as a deal was recently signed through to 2022. I think horse racing and the BTCC will co-exist fine, it may affect one or two BTCC races, but I don’t foresee a major problem for the championship.

The bigger problem may be Formula E, although it is currently unknown if ITV have rights for that in season three. I’m not convinced that ITV will be paying anything for Formula E’s rights, based on the viewing figures for season two so far. On the subject of ratings, and I quote from Racing Post:

Since controversially acquiring the BBC’s crown jewels from the start of 2013, Channel 4’s tenure as racing’s sole terrestrial partner has been beset by disastrous ratings for most marquee fixtures. Royal Ascot has lost half its viewers, the Derby’s figure last year plummeted to a record low, and British Champions Day has had its audience collapse from an average of 1.1m in the BBC’s final year to just 367,000 last October.

One aspect this site has not focussed on too much since the Channel 4 announcement is viewing figures. BBC’s Formula 1 race day coverage in 2015 averaged 3.11 million viewers according to overnight viewing figures. Immediately, you can see why Formula 1 is a better prospect for Channel 4 than horse racing, even if the 2015 season performed poorly due to the dominance of Mercedes. However, the above paragraph makes for worrying reading, and suggests that a drop in numbers with the transfer from BBC to Channel 4 is inevitable. I would agree, simply because Channel 4 does not have the ‘pull’ of BBC in terms of TV, radio and online.

But how far will Formula 1’s terrestrial television numbers drop? A drop of 10 percent year-on-year leaves you with 2.80 million viewers. If numbers dropped by 25 percent, you are looking at an average of 2.33 million viewers for Channel 4’s race day coverage. If you went even further and said Formula 1’s numbers will decrease by 40 percent compared with 2015, the overnight average drops to 1.87 million viewers.

Formula 1 needs to be one of Channel 4’s centrepieces and the removal of horse racing from their portfolio helps in that respect.

Scheduling: The 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The 2015 Formula One season comes to an end with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as the events off the circuit dominate the agenda. At this stage, whether the Abu Dhabi race next weekend will signify the end of anything, remains up in the air.

What we do know is that the BBC and Sky will be broadcasting this race live, with both sides fielding their full line-up. There’s a special Formula 1 edition of BBC One game show Pointless Celebrities airing on Saturday evening. The four teams consist of current BBC F1 pundit David Coulthard and new World Endurance Champion Mark Webber. BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Allan McNish and Claire Williams make up team two. 1992 champion Nigel Mansell and Murray Walker are next up, with Christian Horner and BBC F1 presenter Suzi Perry rounding off the line-up.

The two review shows will air before Christmas meaning that, alongside the absence of Sky Sports F1 over the festive period, there will be very little new F1 programming over the off-season until testing in February kicks into gear. Elsewhere, Channel 4 are airing highlights of the Race of Champions, presented by Charlie Webster.

As always, the full schedule is below…

BBC F1
BBC TV – Sessions
27/11 – 08:55 to 10:45 – Practice 1 (BBC Two)
27/11 – 13:00 to 14:35 – Practice 2 (BBC Red Button)
28/11 – 09:55 to 11:05 – Practice 3 (BBC Two)
28/11 – 12:10 to 14:05 – Qualifying (BBC One)
29/11 – 12:00 to 15:15 – Race (BBC Two)
29/11 – 15:15 to 16:00 – Forum (BBC Red Button)

BBC Radio – Sessions
29/11 – 12:45 to 16:00 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)

Supplementary Programming
26/11 – 21:00 to 22:00 – Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)
27/11 – 18:45 to 19:00 – Inside F1 (BBC News Channel)
28/11 – 11:05 to 12:05 – F1 Rewind: Amazing Races (BBC Two)
28/11 – 18:00 to 18:50 – Pointless Celebrities (BBC One)
28/11 – 19:45 to 20:00 – Inside F1 (BBC News Channel)

Sky Sports F1
Sessions
27/11 – 08:45 to 10:50 – Practice 1
27/11 – 12:45 to 14:50 – Practice 2
28/11 – 09:45 to 11:15 – Practice 3
28/11 – 12:00 to 14:35 – Qualifying
29/11 – 11:30 to 16:15 – Race
=> 11:30 – Track Parade
=> 12:00 – Pit Lane Live
=> 12:30 – Race
=> 15:30 – Paddock Live

Supplementary Programming
26/11 – 11:00 to 11:30 – Driver Press Conference
26/11 – 20:45 to 21:00 – Paddock Uncut: Abu Dhabi
27/11 – 16:00 to 16:45 – Team Press Conference
27/11 – 17:00 to 18:00 – The F1 Show
02/12 – 20:30 to 21:00 – Midweek Report

GP2 Series – Abu Dhabi (Sky Sports F1)
27/11 – 07:15 to 08:05 – Practice
27/11 – 15:05 to 15:45 – Qualifying
28/11 – 14:35 to 16:05 – Race 1
29/11 – 10:15 to 11:30 – Race 2

GP3 Series – Abu Dhabi (Sky Sports F1)
27/11 – 11:10 to 11:45 – Qualifying
28/11 – 08:20 to 09:20 – Race 1
29/11 – 08:55 to 09:55 – Race 2

Race of Champions Highlights (Channel 4)
28/11 – 07:05 to 08:00 – Day 1
29/11 – 06:45 to 07:40 – Day 2

If anything changes, I will update the schedule above.

Update on November 29th – A very late BBC schedule change. Due to the conclusion of the Davis Cup final, it has swapped with the F1, so the F1 is now on BBC Two. Why on earth they did not just put the Davis Cup on BBC One in the first place, I do not know.

Scheduling: The 2015 Austrian Grand Prix

The Formula 1 paddock heads back to Europe from Montreal to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix! Unless, of course, your name is Nico Hulkenberg, in which case you head from a race-winning victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back to the Grand Prix paddock.

Sky Sports F1 will be screening the weekend’s action live, although both qualifying and the race will be simulcast live on Sky Sports 1. The move is presumably an attempt to reach a wider audience in the off-season for football, although whether it actually works or not is another matter altogether. BBC have their usual highlights programming, the race highlights are on BBC One this year with no Summer sporting clashes to contend with.

I know it isn’t related to F1, but I hope both broadcasters give Porsche’s Le Mans victory, of which Hulkenberg was a part of, adequate coverage next weekend. In my opinion, winning the biggest endurance race in the world is a more significant achievement than the latest Mercedes victory in F1, and should be recognised as such. I’m not just saying that because F1 is being criticised at the moment, historically I’m sure many F1 drivers would happily trade an F1 victory for winning Le Mans. Plus, there are several related stories hanging off that about other drivers who wish to do Le Mans in the future. As noted a few days ago, next weekend also marks the terrestrial television première of Rush, which will be shown on Channel 4.

Below are all the scheduling details you need…

BBC F1
BBC One
20/06 – 17:30 to 18:45 – Qualifying Highlights
21/06 – 17:05 to 18:35 – Race Highlights

BBC News Channel
19/06 – 18:45 to 19:00 – Inside F1
20/06 – 18:45 to 19:00 – Inside F1

BBC Radio
19/06 – 08:55 to 10:35 – Practice 1 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
19/06 – 12:55 to 14:35 – Practice 2 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
19/06 – 21:00 to 22:00 – Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
20/06 – 12:55 to 14:05 – Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live)
21/06 – 12:55 to 15:00 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Sky Sports F1
Sessions
19/06 – 08:45 to 11:00 – Practice 1
19/06 – 12:45 to 15:00 – Practice 2
20/06 – 09:45 to 11:15 – Practice 3
20/06 – 12:00 to 14:35 – Qualifying (also Sky Sports 1)
21/06 – 11:30 to 16:15 – Race (also Sky Sports 1)
=> 11:30 – Track Parade
=> 12:00 – Pit Lane Live
=> 12:30 – Race
=> 15:30 – Paddock Live

Supplementary Programming
18/06 – 14:00 to 14:30 – Driver Press Conference
18/06 – 20:45 to 21:00 – Paddock Uncut: Austria
19/06 – 16:00 to 16:45 – Team Press Conference
19/06 – 17:00 to 18:00 – The F1 Show
21/06 – 16:15 to 17:15 – Tales from the Vault: Family Dynasties
24/06 – 20:30 to 21:00 – Midweek Report

GP2 Series – Austria (Sky Sports F1)
19/06 – 11:00 to 11:50 – Practice
19/06 – 14:50 to 15:40 – Qualifying
20/06 – 14:35 to 16:05 – Race 1
21/06 – 09:30 to 10:45 – Race 2

GP3 Series – Austria (Sky Sports F1)
20/06 – 08:45 to 09:25 – Qualifying
20/06 – 16:15 to 17:15 – Race 1
21/06 – 08:20 to 09:20 – Race 2

FILM: Rush
20/06 – 21:00 to 23:25 (Channel 4)
22/06 – 21:00 to 23:25 (4seven)

As always, if anything changes, I will update the schedule.

The plight of the World Rally Championship

Ten years ago, the World Rally Championship in the United Kingdom was a fairly popular form of motor sport. Boasting terrestrial television coverage and audiences of millions of viewers and beyond, the championship enjoyed a high profile status. Fast forward ten years, and currently, the rights are non-existent. But why has this great form of motor sport experienced such a sharp decline in this country?

From the 1980’s through to 2001, the World Rally Championship alongside other forms of rallying made part of BBC Sport’s Grandstand programme. It was not all plain sailing for rallying on the BBC though. Two series’ of Mobil 1 Rally Challenge were produced and shown for BBC Two in 1989 and 1990, but this was not enough to persuade those high up to commit to rallying full time. The next opportunity for rallying to break out came with British stars Colin McRae and Richard Burns later that decade. This succeeded, somewhat, thanks to the Top Gear production team, with interesting being reignited in the product. Despite this, BBC’s motor sport portfolio was spiralling downwards, leading to Channel 4 winning the rights from 2002 onwards for an estimated £20 million over three years. At the time, then Channel 4 chief executive Michael Jackson said “The World Rally Championship has always been a thrilling and hugely popular event. However, new technology means we can now transform the coverage of this classic sport and make it accessible to a wider audience.” That statement, is such a stark contrast to what the World Rally Championship faces in the UK ten years on.

Unfortunately for Channel 4 though, their first season did not provide an exciting championship race as Marcus Grönholm stormed to championship victory in 2002. 2003 provided better luck with the championship going down to the wire. With neither Burns and McRae in the 2004 championship however, interest dropped. This did not stop a bidding war though for the broadcast rights between ITV and Channel 4, with ITV unexpectedly winning the rights at the start of 2004. The channel broadcasted the championship as stand-alone programmes, and as part of their Speed Sunday strand. Like Channel 4 before them, the ITV press release boasted about trying to “bring a wider audience to the sport”. That didn’t happen. It was a case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’. 2004 marked the beginning of Sébastien Loeb’s domination and, as was the case with Formula 1 at the same time, audiences dropped along with the interest that went alongside it. Unlike with Formula 1 however, where Michael Schumacher was challenged and eventually succeeded by Fernando Alonso, followed by the emergence of Lewis Hamilton, over in rallying there was no one to challenge Loeb, no one to ignite the interest of the British audience. The picture was stagnant, and a stagnant picture means that casual fans, such as myself, become less interested in the product.

It was with that lack of interest that ITV’s interest in the World Rally Championship dwindled. Despite still attracting healthy audiences, such as the 1.57 million viewers that watched the culmination of the 2006 championship, ITV made the decision to move the championship over to ITV4. In terms of viewership, the decision was catastrophic. Audiences slashed, with only 297,000 viewers watching the conclusion of the 2007 season, and average audiences hovering in the mid 100,000. At the start of 2008, Dave bought the rights to screen the championship in a deal lasting three years. Not being on a terrestrial television station continued to hurt the championship with audiences failing to reach the highs it had many years earlier. In 2011, coverage moved to ESPN. The official World Rally Championship promoted the move as giving fans ‘more coverage than ever before’. Whilst, technically, that is a factual statement, the reality was that the coverage was now available to fewer people than ever before. Viewing figures were below 100,000 and the World Rally Championship in the UK had hit its lowest point. By now, it had gone from being a mainstream sport with millions of followers to one where you would have to dig deep into the TV guide to find out just when and where it was on. Alongside the aforementioned, British Eurosport would provide coverage of the events, but that too has come to a grinding halt.

Today, the World Rally Championship in the UK is currently without a rights holder for this season. The championship has been hit by its failure to evolve with the times to those who demand to be closer to the action and see everything live nowadays instead of in highlights form, and also by being dominated by one man for such a long period. Steve Rider discusses this point fantastically in his new book, noting how broadcasters’ still have not got a grip on rallying: “The challenge for television, then and now, is also to add that ingredient and portray rallying in a far more competitive tone, and not just as a series of disjointed ‘up and past’ shots linked together by prolonged ‘in-car’ sequences. [..] Then there is the biggest question of all: could all this be done live? Can live coverage of rallying ever make practical, economic or editorial sense?”

For the sport, it will be a long road to recovery. Has Loeb caused more damage to the championship than anyone could have imagined? I think so. When one man dominates for so long, it is inevitable that interest drops worldwide. Formula 1 was lucky. Alonso, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel emerged at the right time and thankfully for that form of motor sport, Schumacher retired. Rallying has not been so lucky. Loeb has not retired, and no one has emerged to sufficiently challenge Loeb to create a ‘great battle’ to bring back the lost fans. As a result, rallying finds itself in a sad state. Let’s not take anything away from Loeb, he will probably be remembered as one of the greats with nine championships. But the damage caused will not be rectified soon. With Loeb announcing his retirement at the end of 2012, 2013 needs to be the start of the recovery process for the championship in this country. No British drivers’, no future McRae or Burns, means that the recovery process starting this season is highly unlikely.

It will be a long road to recovery for the World Rally Championship. And I, for one, hope to see it standing tall again soon.

The quote from Steve Rider’s book ‘My Chequered Career’ comes from page 94.