Formula 1 smashes Channel 4’s slot averages, but large drops across the board

Channel 4 may have delivered a solid package over the weekend, but Formula 1 felt the brunt of no presence on BBC TV or ITV, the two largest networks in the United Kingdom, meaning that overnight viewing figures tumbled.

Race
As always at the start of a new Grand Prix season, context is needed as to what the numbers represent. For Channel 4, it is the same as the previous BBC contract: their full highlights programme. Two new things though to note. Firstly, the numbers include advertisements, these are only stripped out in the final consolidated numbers. Secondly, the numbers include Channel 4’s +1 service. Over on Sky Sports F1, it is their three-and-a-half-hour slot which covers Pit Lane Live and the Race itself, so for example from 12:00 to 15:30. Note that due to the red flag period, Australia’s slot is longer as Paddock Live started later than usual.

It was a weekend of contrasting fortunes. After Saturday’s qualifying fiasco, Sunday delivered when it needed to on the circuit. Channel 4’s highlights programme averaged 2.11m (19.0%) from 13:30. The audience peaked in the five-minutes from 15:20 with 2.67m (21.9%) watching. The average is down 30.4 percent on BBC One’s average from last year of 3.03m (27.6%), with the peak measure down 21.0 percent – the difference between the two drops due to Channel 4’s longer programme. Despite the drop, the programme comfortably won its slot and thrashed Channel 4’s slot average.

Live coverage of the race on Sky Sports F1, which aired from 04:00 to 07:45, averaged 271k (18.7%), with Sky Sports 1 adding a further 89k (6.1%), bringing the total audience to 360k (24.8%). The combined peak of 558k (37.4%) came at 06:00 as the race restarted following Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez’s crash. The average is down 30.4 percent on Sky’s average last year of 517k (29.5%). Despite this year’s race being more exciting than last year’s, the peak was down 29.2 percent on the peak figure from last year of 789k (50.3%). All the figures presented include anyone who watched the live airing later in the day.

The combined audience of 2.47 million is the lowest audience for the Australian Grand Prix since records began (i.e. since at least 2005). The previous lowest was an average audience of 3.18 million in 2006. It is the lowest audience for a Formula 1 race since the 2013 United States Grand Prix.

Qualifying
When Channel 4 signed up to cover Formula 1, they probably did not anticipate that their first qualifying session would be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Their highlights programme from 12:30 to 14:10 on Saturday (19th March) averaged 1.38m (15.4%). The programme recorded a five-minute peak audience of 1.74m (17.9%) at 13:50.

In comparison, last year’s BBC One highlights programme averaged 2.29m (24.5%) over a shorter 75-minute slot. The drop year-on-year is between 30 and 40 percent depending on whether you’re comparing the peak or average figure. Channel 4’s qualifying highlights programme was in line with BBC Two’s Australian qualifying highlights in 2012 and 2014. It should be said that, despite the reduced audience, Channel 4’s programme won the timeslot and was significantly above their own slot average. To give an idea of how well the F1 did on Channel 4 compared to their usual Saturday numbers Channel 4 Racing, which followed the F1, averaged 511k (4.6%).

Live coverage of qualifying over on Sky Sports F1 from 05:00 to 07:45 averaged 184k (11.5%), with Sky Sports 1 adding a further 51k (3.2%). Their coverage recorded a combined peak audience of 423k (17.7%) at 06:50. Sky’s combined audience is down 30.4 percent on last year’s audience across Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports 1 and Sky 1 of 339k (16.4%).

The combined qualifying audience of 1.61m is down 38.6 percent on last year’s figure of 2.63m. Unofficially, it is the lowest number for the Australian Grand Prix qualifying session since 2006. As an aside, Sky’s nine repeats of qualifying averaged a combined audience of 314k, compared to four repeats last year which averaged 202k. Whether viewers made a conscious decision to watch one of the many qualifying repeats on Sky Sports F1 instead of recording the live airing, I don’t know. I don’t include the repeat numbers in the combined audience because you just have no idea how many of those viewers are new viewers.

Analysis – Good for Channel 4, bad for Formula 1
I wrote the following in December when reviewing 2015’s viewing figures:

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 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.

Channel 4 will be pleased that Formula 1 smashed their slot average, by around 360 percent on Sunday. It should not be overlooked that the numbers Formula 1 delivered over the weekend for them are fantastic numbers in off-peak slots.

For Formula 1 as a whole, however, the moment the switch to Channel 4 was announced, 2016 was always going to be an uphill struggle. The idea that Channel 4 were going to match the BBC’s figures was inconceivable given the reach that the latter has on TV, online and radio. On Saturday, Channel 4 was down 39.7 percent and 33.7 percent (average/peak) year-on-year, compared with 30.4 percent and 21.0 percent on Sunday. Already in the course of 24 hours, both of those metrics were better than before, although Saturday may be influenced by the farcical qualifying session.

It could be argued, from a reach perspective, that this deal will be worse than the previous BBC and Sky deal simply because Formula 1 is not on BBC or ITV. I think it is too early to say that, but the above quoted text (paragraph one) has never been more true. If Bahrain is a Mercedes walkover, I fear for the viewing figures for the remainder of the season. It is easy to say that more people may be watching via other methods, but that will not offset the drops that we could see as the season progresses.

Whilst the drop in numbers year-on-year is somewhat due to the change in the broadcasting rights, Sky Sports dropped by a similar percentage. On both Saturday and Sunday, Sky was down around 30 percent across average and peak. That suggests a much wider problem than simply a change of broadcasting rights that needs to be addressed. Despite having a British world champion, it is clear that viewers were being turned off in the latter half of 2015 and a substantial proportion of the hard-core audience have not returned. Sky’s drop also implies that, if the BBC had retained F1, there would have been a drop for the free-to-air highlights regardless – not by 30 percent but a drop of some proportion, except the change to Channel 4 has exaggerated the drop.

Bahrain will be fascinating with it being Channel 4’s first live race. A battle between Hamilton and Vettel, or a close contest, will help viewing figures. Let’s hope Bahrain delivers on the promise displayed at the Australian Grand Prix.

Speed with Guy Martin impresses
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, Channel 4 aired a one-hour special edition of Speed with Guy Martin last Thursday (17th March). The show, which featured him going head-to-head with David Coulthard, averaged a strong 2.80m (14.2%) from 21:00 to 22:00. It was second in the slot, only behind BBC One. Impressively, the show had the highest share of adults aged between 16 to 34, 14.9% across the hour. It ended up being the most watched F1 related programme, which shows how vital it is to crossover where possible.

It was Guy Martin’s biggest ever rating on Channel 4, and will probably consolidate to around 3.5 million viewers. At Channel 4’s press launch, Coulthard suggested that there may be more specials with himself and Martin down the road. Given the number for last week’s special, I think the chances of something happening in the future has increased fourfold.

The 2015 Australian Grand Prix ratings report can be found here.

Live streaming fails to impress for inaugural Mexico City ePrix

The inaugural Mexico City ePrix peaked with 331k across live and highlights this past weekend, overnight viewing figures show. However, numbers were dented by the lack of live coverage on ITV’s portfolio of channels and failed to pick up through live streaming.

Live coverage of the Formula E race, broadcast live on BT Sport Europe on Saturday (12th March), averaged 20k (0.12%) from 21:45 to 23:30, peaking with 38k (0.21%) at 22:00. It was the first time that BT Sport had covered the series live, as ITV4 were covering the snooker World Grand Prix tournament on Saturday evening. ITV4 aired delayed coverage from 23:15, which was watched by a further 38k (0.6%), peaking with 75k (0.8%) at 23:30.

The combined ‘live’ audience of 58k and combined peak audience of 113k is significantly down on the live ITV numbers for Punta del Este and Buenos Aires. Highlights of the race, broadcast on ITV’s main channel from 09:30 to 10:25 on Sunday morning, averaged 163k (2.5%), peaking with 218k (3.3%). It is clear now that the highlights programme has settled into this region, although the Mexico programme did not see any uplift with viewers tuning in who would normally watch the live broadcast. The total combined audience is therefore 220k with a combined peak audience of 331k across the three programmes.

Elsewhere, the 2016 IndyCar Series began on BT Sport//ESPN on Sunday evening. The race, airing live from 16:30 to 19:10, averaged 15k (0.09%), peaking with 29k. If anything, that is where IndyCar tends to be in the viewing figures, so no change on that front.

Live streaming
Despite Formula E not airing live on ITV4, a jump in numbers for their live streaming did not materialise. Around 2,000 devices were watching Formula E’s live stream of the Mexico City ePrix on YouTube, with around 260 devices active on the Daily Motion stream (note: I made reference to ‘people’ as opposed to ‘devices’ on Twitter, the latter is the more correct terminology – four people could be watching one device).

Earlier on Saturday, around 3,200 devices were watching the Indy Lights race on YouTube, with 2,200 devices watching Formula E’s qualifying session. The reason Formula E’s number is higher for qualifying than the race is because the race stream would have been geo-blocked in a lot more countries than a few hours earlier. Either way, these numbers are very low and show why, for the likes of Formula E, television is still king and should not be forgotten.

It is worth emphasising that, whilst YouTube is huge, live streaming on YouTube is not, the most popular stream as I write this has 4,700 devices watching it. In comparison, over on Twitch, the top 20 streams all have over 4,700 devices watching. The most popular stream has 32,800 viewers/devices watching it as of writing. This explains, to some degree, why Formula E is trying to tap into the Twitch market as that is where the viewers are, at the moment Twitch is one of Formula E’s competitors despite the two not being in direct competition.

No Christmas cheer for Formula E

The 2015-16 Formula E season continued last month, with round three taking place in Punta del Este on Saturday 19th December 2015. Unfortunately for the championship, the second season continued to attract low viewing figures in the UK, unofficial overnight numbers show.

Live coverage of the race, broadcast on ITV4 from 18:00 to 20:30, attracted an average audience of 103k (0.5%). The race recorded a 5-minute peak figure of 196k (0.9%) at 19:40 as Sebastien Buemi claimed his fifth Formula E victory. Both measures are down on 2014’s average audience for Punta del Este of 197k (1.0%) and peak audience of 331k (1.8%). The average audience is down 47.7 percent, with the peak audience down 40.8 percent, despite facing similar competition year-on-year.

Highlights of the race did not fare much better on ITV on Sunday 20th December 2015. The programme, which aired from 09:25 to 10:20, averaged just 162k (2.2%), recording a 5-minute peak figure of 189k (2.5%) at 10:10. As an example of how the highlights programme is failing to bring an audience in, the 5 minute segments before and after the programme (09:15 to 09:20 and 10:20 to 10:25) both averaged over 200k.

The combined audience of 264k is higher than last year’s combined audience of around 240k, due to the fact that the highlights programme now airs on ITV instead of ITV4. I am not sure that can be spun as being good: both of this year’s numbers will be significantly below their respective slot averages. The highlights audience has dropped from 244k for Beijing to 201k for Putrajaya and now 162k for Punta del Este.

Something is not working: the scheduling, the advertising or the raw product itself.

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.”

News round-up: ITV extends BTCC contract, Formula E highlights go global

Before I get into the round-up, no news on anything BBC F1 related concerning 2016. If we hear nothing before Christmas, we have to assume that things are staying the same for next season. Hopefully we will have direct confirmation one way or the other soon.

Formula E creates highlights programme for YouTube… but is it uploaded by a robot?
For those of you who are unable to watch the full session replays on the Formula E website because of geo-blocking, or new contractual agreements mean that you can no longer access the series, there is some good news. A 50-minute highlights programme will now be uploaded to YouTube one week after each ePrix, with no restrictions in place. Beijing and Putrajaya‘s extended highlights are already online.

Unfortunately Formula E has gone a few steps backwards in the accessibility ranks recently, but the move to upload an extended highlights programme to YouTube is certainly a sensible move. As usual, the question is whether anyone will (or has) noticed. You can do the best thing in the world, but if you do not communicate the message to the right people, you’re in a problematical situation. I am hopeful that things will improve for the Punta del Este ePrix in three weeks time, it should be better for the production team generally that the race takes place in a European friendly time zone.

Speaking of scheduling, whilst Battersea Park and Mexico are definitely taking place, question marks remain about Berlin, unfortunately the calendar for the second year running is fragile. That is the nature of having a series that takes place primarily on temporary circuits, inevitably things that are more important contextually will emerge.

Lastly on Formula E, I would be surprised if Roborace is covered live anywhere. The news was covered widely by a lot of technology outlets, and reached the people it needed to, such as the BBC, Mashable, Wired and The Verge. It is a great news story in my eyes for Formula E, and (coming from a Computing background) I’m fascinated to see how exactly the Roborace goes down. I look forward to the first Roborace testing session at Donington Park (because that surely will be a thing?) next Summer.

BTCC and ITV extend agreement
The main news on the rights front actually comes from ITV, with the announcement that they have extended their agreement to broadcast the British Touring Car Championship until 2022, taking their contract into a twentieth year. It is ITV’s longest agreement in history with the championship. Although viewing figures for the series have dropped recently, it is still fantastic news for the series and for fans, maintaining their presence on free-to-air television in the UK.

It also shows again that the championship, from a broadcasting perspective, clearly considers exposure over funding. I imagine they could get more money off a pay-TV partner, but choose not to in order to reach the widest possible audience. Okay, as mentioned numbers have dropped, but BTCC are unlikely to find another partner who are willing to dedicate the amount of airtime that ITV4 does to the championship.

Although this contract does not take effect until 2017, reading the article on the BTCC website, it looks like nothing has changed versus this deal. The timing is interesting, given that there have been rumours recently about ITV potentially being in the F1 race soon should BBC opt out. However, ITV have broadcast BTCC and F1 at the same time previously, from 2002 to 2008 they held the contract for both series.

In relation to Formula 1, Alan Gow said “the fact that we enjoy more live free-to-air television that even Formula 1 in the UK is testament to not only the BTCC but also the dedication and passion expressed by the ITV Sport team.”

Race of Champions makes history
Live coverage of the Race of Champions averaged 54k (0.4%) on Saturday 21st November on Sky Sports F1 from 15:00 according to overnight viewing figures, which will have been significantly up on the channel’s slot average during non-F1 race weekends. It was surprising to see Sky in their studio considering the Olympic Stadium is only an hour journey away from the studio.

You could say that the event made a bit of history, as Martin Haven was commentating alongside Jennie Gow for the World Feed coverage, which Sky largely used interspersed with studio discussion. Haven noted on Twitter that Gow would become UK’s first female motor sport commentator by commentating on the event, which is an amazing achievement. On the main stream motor sport outlets (I’m thinking BBC, Sky, ITV and BT to some extent) we have female presenters and pit lane reporters, but I do not ever recall a female commentator commentating on motor sport. It was a welcome change. and I enjoyed listening to a different voice during the proceedings.