Scheduling: The 2019 Rally Monte Carlo / Santiago E-Prix

Every stage, of every rally, live. All Live is back for year two, with the Monte Carlo rally opening the 2019 World Rally Championship!

The rallying curtain raiser takes place from Thursday 24th January through to Sunday 27th January. Every stage is not only available via WRC’s over-the-top service, but for the first time ever is also available on BT Sport.

BT are airing the main All Live feed via their Red Button service throughout the 2019 season, offering rallying fans an alternative way to view the action. BT’s existing 2018 commitments remain, with a select number of stages (WRC’s live World Feed content) airing on their linear channel as well as the daily highlights packages.

Further west, Mexico City plays host to the Race of Champions this weekend. The action airs live on Sky Sports F1, with Will Buxton and Neil Cole on commentary, and David Croft and Jennie Gow reporting from the pit lane.

Elsewhere, Formula E heads to Santiago for the third round of the season, with BBC, Eurosport, BT Sport and YouTube covering the race live.

Race of Champions – Mexico City (Sky Sports F1)
19/01 – 19:00 to 22:00 – Nations Cup
20/01 – 19:00 to 22:00 – Race of Champions

Formula E – Santiago
Shakedown, Practice and Qualifying also air live on YouTube…
25/01 – 18:15 to 19:00 – Shakedown (BT Sport 3)
26/01 – 11:00 to 12:00 – Practice 1 (BT Sport 3)
26/01 – 13:00 to 14:00 – Practice 2 (BT Sport 3)
26/01 – 14:45 to 16:15 – Qualifying (BT Sport 3)
26/01 – 17:45 to 18:30 – Qualifying Delayed (Eurosport 2)
26/01 – 18:30 to 20:30 – Race: World Feed
=> live on BBC’s digital platforms
=> live on BT Sport 3
=> live on Eurosport 2
26/01 – 18:30 to 20:10 – Race: Voltage (YouTube)
27/01 – 18:00 to 19:00 – Highlights (Quest)

World Rally Championship – Monte Carlo (All Live – BT Sport Extra 1)
Every stage also live via WRCPlus.com
24/01 – 09:45 to 11:00 – Shakedown
24/01 – 17:30 to 18:15 – Opening Ceremony
24/01 – 18:30 to 20:45 – Stages 1 and 2
25/01 – 06:15 to 17:15 – Stages 3 to 8
26/01 – 06:45 to 14:30 – Stages 9 to 12
27/01 – 06:45 to 12:45 – Stages 13 to 16

World Rally Championship – Monte Carlo
24/01 – 18:30 to 19:30 – Stage 1 (BT Sport 1)
25/01 – 21:45 to 22:15 – Day 1 Highlights (BT Sport 3)
26/01 – 13:00 to 14:00 – Stage 12 (BT Sport 1)
27/01 – 00:45 to 01:15 – Day 2 Highlights (BT Sport 1)
27/01 – 11:00 to 12:30 – Stage 16 [Power Stage] (also BT Sport 3)
27/01 – 19:15 to 19:45 – Day 3 Highlights (BT Sport 1)

Eagle eyed readers will spot zero reference to World Rally Championship’s free-to-air highlights programme. That is because there is currently no word on who is airing the package, and there is no sign of it in Channel 5’s current schedules either. As and when – or if – the schedule updates, I will update this article.

Scheduling: The 2019 Marrakesh E-Prix

After Antonio Felix da Costa won the opening round in December, the Formula E season heads to Morocco for the Marrakesh E-Prix! It is the third E-Prix in Morocco, which remains in its January slot.

All the action for UK fans airs live on YouTube and BT Sport. Eurosport is airing delayed coverage of qualifying, followed immediately by live coverage of the race. Meanwhile, Final Score delays the BBC’s Red Button output, however the race still airs live via BBC’s online platforms. Highlights air on Quest on Saturday evening, repeated on Sunday morning.

Following its first outing last month, Formula E’s bespoke YouTube show Voltage returns in Marrakesh, with XO stars Stephen Tries and Will Lenney the guests this time around.

The Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Series, which supported the main attraction in Saudi Arabia, returns to the Formula E support bill next month in Mexico City.

Formula E – Marrakesh
All sessions air live via YouTube and the following UK channels…
11/01 – 14:15 to 15:00 – Shakedown (BT Sport 1)
12/01 – 07:10 to 08:15 – Practice 1 (BT Sport/ESPN)
12/01 – 09:00 to 10:00 – Practice 2 (BT Sport/ESPN)
12/01 – 10:45 to 12:15 – Qualifying (BT Sport/ESPN)
12/01 – 13:30 to 14:30 – Qualifying Delayed (Eurosport 2)
12/01 – 14:30 to 16:30 – Race: World Feed
=> live on BT Sport/ESPN
=> live on BBC’s website and Connected TV
=> live on Eurosport 2
12/01 – 14:30 to 16:10 – Race: Voltage (YouTube)
12/01 – 17:25 to 19:25 – Race: World Feed Delayed (BBC Red Button)
12/01 – 22:30 to 23:30 – Highlights (Quest)

As always, the schedule will be updated if anything changes.

Looking ahead to 2019

For most Formula 1 fans in the United Kingdom, 2019 will have a completely different feel to it, as the new television broadcasting contract kicks into gear.

Sky Sports have exclusive rights to all the action from 2019 to 2024, in a deal signed in March 2016 with Formula One Management, then under the control of Bernie Ecclestone. How will Formula 1’s UK viewing figures look under the first year of the new deal?

I am not expecting a tumble in the total audience figure, as Sky have sub-let the free-to-air element of their deal to Channel 4, for 2019 at least. The move means that fans still have a major free-to-air platform to view highlights of every race, plus live coverage of the British Grand Prix. But, Channel 4’s Formula 1 deal is only one year long.

Will Sky Sports let Channel 4’s coverage continue beyond 2019, or will they pull the plug? There are a ton of questions surrounding Channel 4’s 2019 coverage, the personnel involved, the commentary that they will take, and so on, plus whether there will be further jumps from Channel 4 to Sky. All will be revealed…

In its second season, expect Formula 1’s over-the-top service to grow significantly, something that we will be monitoring throughout the year as the service begins to mature. There were previous rumblings that UK fans could have access to F1 TV Pro, but this is unconfirmed. If confirmed, it provides another avenue for fans to view the action on.

Beyond Formula 1, MotoGP fans have stability, as the championship remains on BT Sport for the next three seasons. Formula E’s UK offering will be a focal point, the electric series choosing to go all guns blazing onto just about every platform possible. With the help of Auntie Beeb and YouTube, is 2019 the year that Formula E finally breaks into the mainstream in the UK and starts making significant movement?

For some, 2018 marked the end of an era, as 2019 marks the start of a new era. 2019 promises to be another fascinating year in the broadcasting landscape as each championship fights to remain in the limelight.

Who knows what the next twelve months may hold…

Scheduling: The 2018 Ad Diriyah E-Prix / Christmas reviews

A bass riff may not accompany Formula E, nor may it be airing on one of the BBC’s traditional television outlets, but nevertheless, the electric series takes a major step into the future as season five begins, with live coverage across the BBC’s digital platforms.

The start of the 2018-19 season takes the championship to a new, perhaps controversial, location as the series descends on Saudi Arabia for the Ad Diriyah E-Prix.

For UK fans, as well as the BBC and incumbents Eurosport, the actions airs live on BT Sport and YouTube for the first time. The BBC’s coverage is of the race itself, from the five-minute sting to after the chequered flag, excluding the pre-race festivities.

In a departure from last season, Eurosport are taking the World Feed commentary with Bob Varsha, Jack Nicholls and Dario Franchitti, a surprise considering Eurosport usually provide their own commentary feed for motor racing events.

However, BT Sport is the only UK television station that will air every Formula E session live, including the Shakedown on Friday afternoons, as well as practice on Saturday mornings. For non-BT Sport fans, the good news is that every session airs live via YouTube. Additionally, highlights air on Discovery-owned channel Quest following their Football League highlights show on Saturday, with a repeat on Sunday morning.

Vernon Kay and Nicki Shields complete the World Feed line-up. Kay stays in the Formula E paddock after impressing as Channel 5’s presenter last season. Last year, North One Television produced Channel 5 output, North One also forming part of Formula E’s worldwide output alongside Aurora.

Laurence McKenna hosts the tailored YouTube race programme, called ‘Voltage’, with Becky Evans alongside him. Neither are names regular readers will recognise, but both are young and active in the car scene on social media, and are exactly the right people to grow Formula E’s presence amongst the younger generation.

Red Bull profiled Evans here, whilst McKenna has presented a variety of social media output and podcasts in the past few years. KSI and Zerkaa, who form part of the Sidemen (a group of YouTube personalities), join McKenna and Evans in the YouTube London hub.

Elsewhere, December is packed with season reviews. BT Sport are going the extra mile with their MotoGP review show airing live from The Bike Shed in London. Suzi Perry presents as usual, with special guests including Bradley Smith, Sam Lowes, and triple MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Sky’s F1 review show premieres on Christmas Eve, whilst Channel 4 are not airing a formal Christmas show following their short review during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

Formula E – Ad Diriyah
All sessions air live via YouTube and the following UK channels…
14/12 – 11:45 to 12:30 – Shakedown (BT Sport 1)
15/12 – 04:00 to 04:45 – Practice 1 (BT Sport/ESPN)
15/12 – 06:00 to 06:45 – Practice 2 (BT Sport/ESPN)
15/12 – 07:30 to 09:00 – Qualifying (BT Sport/ESPN and Eurosport 2)
15/12 – 11:00 to 13:30 – Race: World Feed
=> live on BBC’s digital platforms from 12:00
=> live on BT Sport/ESPN
=> live on Eurosport 2
15/12 – 11:30 to 13:10 – Race: Voltage (YouTube)
15/12 – 22:30 to 23:30 – Highlights (Quest)

Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Series – Ad Diriyah (BT Sport/ESPN)
15/12 – 04:45 to 05:30 – Qualifying
15/12 – 09:30 to 10:30 – Race

MotoGP (BT Sport 2)
09/12 – 19:30 to 21:00 – Season Review

BBC Radio F1
TBC – Season Review

Sky Sports F1
24/12 – 19:00 to 21:00
=> 19:00 – Alonso / Johnson Car Swap
=> 19:30 – Jean Todt Exclusive: Future of F1
=> 20:00 – Season Review

In the run-up to Christmas, keep an eye on this post in the event of any changes to the review programming over the festive period.

Formula E joins forces with Quest and BT Sport for 2018-19 season

Following on from previous UK rights announcements, coverage of the upcoming 2018-19 Formula E season will also air on Quest, series organisers have confirmed.

The channel, which is available free-to-air, will air highlights of every round, with four races also airing live. The supplementary rights agreement increases Quest’s own sporting line-up, which includes regular highlights of the English Football League. Action will also air on Quest’s on-demand platforms.

From Formula E’s perspective, Quest sits alongside the BBC, YouTube and Eurosport in the ever-expanding UK arena, a major shift compared with previous seasons. Discovery Communications owns both Quest and Eurosport, whilst they are also a minority investor in the electric series.

The UK rights agreement between Discovery and Formula E is like the British Superbikes series, but on a smaller scale. Every BSB race airs live on Eurosport, with Quest also airing a selection of rounds live. Eurosport provides significant on-site coverage for British Superbikes, which is not currently the case with Formula E from a UK stand point.

At a glance: the UK rights so far…
> Season 1 – ITV4
> Season 2 – ITV4
> Season 3 – Channel 5 / 5Spike
> Season 4 – Channel 5 / 5Spike / Eurosport
> Season 5 – BBC / YouTube / Quest / Eurosport / BT Sport

Simon Downing, Head of Quest and Eurosport UK, said: “We are delighted to be adding to our sports line-up on Quest. The upcoming season is set to be an incredible one with plenty of action for fans to enjoy.”

Ali Russell, Director of Media & Business Development at Formula E, said: “We are delighted that Quest have become a major addition to our UK broadcast offering for Season 5, guaranteeing that the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will continue to be available on a free-to-air basis in a key market for us.”

“We are excited by Quest’s coverage plans and believe that this partnership will further amplify the popularity and growth of Formula E in the UK,” Russell added.

The wording of Russell’s statement may suggest that Quest are planning bespoke wrap-around coverage for the races that they are airing live, but this is unconfirmed as of writing. It is also unclear whether highlights will air on the same day as the race, or whether they will air later in the week. I have requested comment from Formula E on this front.

Update on December 4th – In addition to the above, schedules for the first race weekend in Saudi Arabia show that BT Sport are joining the Formula E party. Formula E have yet to issue this as a press release, but BT’s schedules include live action from Saudi Arabia. BT will cover every session live, including the Shakedown on Friday afternoons, as well as the supporting Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Series.