Sky’s fortunes increase as BBC’s Australian Grand Prix ratings drop

The Australian Grand Prix weekend saw a change in fortunes for both BBC and Sky Sports. In a stark contrast to last year’s viewing figures, Sky Sports F1 recorded an increase for both Qualifying and the Race, but BBC dropped year-on-year.

Race
A quick note to start with. I’ll be using the Sky ‘race show’ slot to compare with previous years for the entire season, but will use the exact timeslot in the previous years data to do comparisons. Do not expect me to compare a full programme average (in 2012 or 2013) with a ‘race show’ average for 2014, because such a comparison would be invalid.

BBC’s highlights programme on BBC One on Sunday afternoon averaged 2.88m (25.4%), unofficial overnight viewing figures show. This figure is up on 2012 which averaged 2.73m, however, is down on the 3.05m that the programme averaged last season. Its not a major drop, but a drop nonetheless. I think the F1 has been lost in the shuffle this weekend on the BBC, due to the Six Nations taking up the majority of BBC One on Saturday. It meant that less people watched Qualifying with the broadcaster than normal, thus potentially affecting Sunday’s rating too.

Interestingly, and the first time I have said this in a long time, Sky’s coverage was up year-on-year. From 05:00 to 08:30, Sky Sports F1 averaged 594k (21.1%), peaking with 945k (21.5%) at 07:35. This compares with 517k (20.9%) in 2013 and 621k (26.8%) in 2012. The ‘split show’ appears to have worked if the intention was to bring in more viewers, although I think it will only have a bigger influence for the early morning rounds, where more people are bound to record the action.

This brings us to a combined average of 3.47m, down on 3.57m. The issue here is that, yes, a Sky gain of 73k is great for them, but if BBC loses nearly 200k, it eradicates whatever gain Sky is made. Due to the audience levels, if BBC lose or gain, it will flip flop massively either way, which is unlikely to happen with Sky. An issue with the BBC overnight ratings for the past few years is that the Scottish Cup final has meant that the F1 has been displaced to BBC Two. The BBC One overnights in this piece include Scotland viewers, so if the Scottish Cup final was lower profile than last year, that may have had an affect too. Also, whilst a combined average of 3.47m is ‘okay’ versus 2012 (which averaged 3.35m), it is a far cry from the BBC exclusive figures from 2009 to 2011, which I feel is important to remember.

Qualifying
Note that there are no comparisons with last year, given that the session was red flagged on the Saturday, which depleted the averages all around. As for 2014, Sky Sports F1’s coverage of Qualifying performed well in the early hours of Saturday night. The live programme, from 05:00 to 07:45 averaged 307k (15.5%), peaking with 549k towards the end of the session. The average looks healthy because it is, in fact higher than their 2012 viewing figure which was below 300k. So, they have good reason to be happy with that.

On the flip side, Sky1’s simulcast added only 32k (1.6%) during the timeslot, which shows how poorly the simulcast was promoted. It begs the question of what the purpose of the simulcast is if no promotion is going to be given. Had there have been ample promotion for the Sky1 simulcast, I’d bet that 32k being at least three or four times higher.

Later on, BBC F1’s highlights coverage on BBC Two from 14:55 to 16:25 averaged 1.35m (12.1%), peaking with 1.62m (14.1%). The combined average is therefore marginally down on 2012, but also the lowest since 2007. Whilst very disappointing, the reasoning for that in my opinion is due to mitigating circumstances, specifically the Six Nations which took a big slice out of the Formula 1 audience.

The 2013 Australian Grand Prix ratings report can be found here.

Survey: Your Formula 1 2014 television viewing habits

Last year, I did a poll on this blog looking at blog readers Formula 1 television viewing habits. The poll was successful, with around 200 responses. I released the results in April and did some analysis. A year on since then, and now heading into year three of the current BBC and Sky contract, I thought it would be a good idea to replicate the poll to see what has changed, and if anything has changed drastically.

For those that did this last year, the questions are largely similar, but there are a few minor differences.

Q1: Where do you currently reside?
Q2: Have your viewing habits or situation changed between 2013 and 2014?
Q3: What pay-TV platform do you subscribe to?
Q4: BSkyB subscribers: What is your status regarding Sky Sports F1?
Q5: Virgin Media subscribers: What is your status regarding Sky Sports F1?
Q6: What shows on Sky Sports F1 have you watched?
Q7: How did you consume Formula 1 in 2013? [Sky live races]
Q8: How do you plan to consume Formula 1 in 2014? [Sky live races]
Q9: How did you consume Formula 1 in 2013? [BBC and Sky live races]
Q10: How do you plan to consume Formula 1 in 2014? [BBC and Sky live races]
Q11: BBC F1 – 2013 vs 2014
Q12: Sky Sports F1 – 2013 vs 2014
Q13: Have the changes to the BBC team made you…
Q14: Have the changes to the Sky Sports F1 team made you…
Q15: Sky Sports F1 as a standalone channel: the price per month?
Q16: Further comments

Questions 1 through to 3 are overview questions, whilst questions 4 to 10 drill down into your individual consumption of Formula 1. After that are the BBC and Sky Sports F1 year-on-year comparisons for questions 11 to 14. A new addition concerns the possibility of having Sky Sports F1 as a standalone channel. I personally would be interested in such an option, but I’m interested in seeing how much blog readers would be willing to pay for it realistically.

Note that if you live outside of the United Kingdom, you will be taken straight to Question 16, where you are welcome to write some comments on the broadcasting situation in your country. There are also branches throughout, no one should see both questions 4 and 5. If anyone does spot any issues, do let me know. And as noted, comments made there may be used when analysing the results in a future blog post. If there are many comments from international readers, then I may do a future post around that subject.

The survey can be found here. The results will be published in mid-April 2014.

Scheduling: The 2014 Australian Grand Prix

It has been over one hundred days since Sebastian Vettel crossed the line to win the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix to close off what was a dominant end of the season for him. Every year, it feels like the Winter is longer than the previous one, despite it being statistically quite the opposite with the Grand Prix season finishing later as the years progress. The rule makers can change things all they want, but one thing remains the same: the excitement that most fans feel when March comes around every year. Formula 1 is back!

If you want to jump straight to the schedule, click the links below…

– Thursday 6th March
– Friday 7th March
– Saturday 8th March
– Monday 10th March
– Tuesday 11th March
– Thursday 13th March
– Friday 14th March
– Saturday 15th March
– Sunday 16th March
– Wednesday 19th March
– Classic F1

The Australian Grand Prix as always is the traditional curtain opener, as they say, there simply is not a better place for a race. So, what has changed on the broadcasting side of things in the off-season? If you watch Sky Sports F1 throughout the season, you will be glad to know that no one has left, and only one addition in Bruno Senna. Simon Lazenby is back as presenter for a third season, alongside Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and Anthony Davidson. Senna will be there for seven races, so used in rotation with the three already mentioned. Martin Brundle (entering year 18!) and David Croft remain as commentators, with Natalie Pinkham and Ted Kravitz roving the pit-lane. Steve Rider is also back presenting F1 Legends, and whilst Juan Pablo Montoya may not exactly be deserving of the title ‘F1 Legend’, I am definitely looking forward to that edition, airing in the post-Melbourne slot. I’ve moved all the classic F1 details down the page, for anyone looking for that.

Whilst Sky’s line-up is largely the same, it is made stronger by the fact that BBC have made their line-up, in my opinion, weaker. The trio of Suzi Perry, Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard return, Coulthard also joining Ben Edwards again in the commentary box. This is Jordan and Coulthard’s sixth season as pundits, both having been members of the BBC team since they regained the coverage in 2009. It is also Lee McKenzie’s sixth season with the broadcaster, Tom Clarkson joining her in the pit lane. Mark Webber will also be part of the team, but it is unclear whether he will be at any races with the team as it was not mentioned in the press release. However, Gary Anderson has been axed. For those out of the loop, I direct you to the original announcement, his view point on it all, and Ben Gallop’s statement on the matter.

Over on BBC Radio 5 Live, Allan McNish’s role extends so it covers all platforms (although I am not entirely sure how he will factor into BBC TV’s coverage) and more races. Meanwhile James Allen and Jennie Gow return for a third full season. Jack Nicholls will be lead commentator for four races, the first being China. BBC’s TV coverage of Qualifying is on BBC Two due to the Six Nations coverage involving England over on BBC One. For some confusing reason though, repeats bump it out of its 13:00 slot and into a slot that is two hours later. I assume the rationale behind it is so it doesn’t clash with Italy vs England. Instead, it will clash with Wales vs Scotland, and talking of Scotland, viewers up there will get the race one hour later than the other nations and on BBC Two. The final note to make is that Sky have split their shows into three, which first happened in India last year. Of course, whilst there may well be some spinning where ratings are concerned as a result, The F1 Broadcasting Blog promises to lay all things out black and white regarding viewing figures. Hopefully…. here’s the schedule!

Thursday 6th March
21:00 to 22:00 – F1: Season Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Friday 7th March
20:00 to 21:00 – The F1 Show (Sky Sports F1)

Saturday 8th March
21:00 to 22:00 – Horse Power (Sky2)
– repeated on Friday 14th March at 10:30 on Sky Sports F1
– behind the scenes documentary at Ferrari, produced by Whisper Films

Monday 10th March
21:45 to 22:00 – Pinkham’s F1: Part 1 (Sky Sports F1)
– the basics about Formula 1 for novices

Tuesday 11th March
19:00 to 20:00 – F1: Season Preview (BBC Red Button)
– also available on the BBC F1 website
21:45 to 22:00 – Pinkham’s F1: Part 2 (Sky Sports F1)
– the basics about Formula 1 for novices

Thursday 13th March
04:00 to 04:45 – F1: Driver Press Conference (Sky Sports F1)
20:45 to 21:00 – F1: Gear Up for Australia (Sky Sports F1)
21:30 to 22:00 – F1: Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Friday 14th March
01:00 to 03:20 – F1: Practice 1 (Sky Sports F1)
01:25 to 03:05 – F1: Practice 1 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
03:20 to 03:35 – Inside Track: All Change for 2014 (Sky Sports F1)
05:15 to 07:30 – F1: Practice 2 (Sky Sports F1)
05:25 to 07:05 – F1: Practice 2 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
07:30 to 08:15 – F1: Team Press Conference (Sky Sports F1)
09:30 to 10:30 – The F1 Show (Sky Sports F1)
– simulcast live on Sky Sports 1
18:45 to 19:00 – Inside F1 (BBC News Channel)

Saturday 15th March
02:45 to 04:15 – F1: Practice 3 (Sky Sports F1)
02:55 to 04:05 – F1: Practice 3 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
05:00 to 07:45 – F1: Qualifying (Sky Sports F1)
– simulcast live on Sky1
05:55 to 07:05 – F1: Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
06:00 to 08:45 – F1: Qualifying (Sky1 + 1)
14:55 to 16:25 – F1: Qualifying Highlights (BBC Two)
19:45 to 20:00 – Inside F1 (BBC News Channel)

Sunday 16th March
04:30 to 09:15 – F1: Race (Sky Sports F1)
=> 04:30 – Track Parade
=> 05:00 – Race
=> 08:30 – Paddock Live
05:30 to 08:00 – F1: Race (BBC Radio 5 Live)
09:15 to 10:15 – Legends: Juan Pablo Montoya (Sky Sports F1)
11:15 to 12:00 – Desert Island Discs (BBC Radio 4)
– featuring Murray Walker
14:00 to 16:00 – F1: Race Highlights (BBC One)
– note: For Scotland viewers, the race is on BBC Two at 15:00

Wednesday 19th March
20:30 to 21:00 – Midweek Report (Sky Sports F1)

Classic F1 on Sky Sports F1
For this season, I’ve made the move to separate the classics out of the main body, primarily because Sky are not repeating races straight after the first airing in that block. Whilst they are still airing about 100 classic races this season, the two repeats are being finely spread throughout the year, meaning that the Australian repeats will not turn back up until say August at a guess. The idea that Sky are broadcasting more classic races though is incorrect I believe, they are not, the difference this year is that the scheduling is consistent, even though it does mean that the race weekends themselves are a bit more bare.

07/03 – 21:00 to 00:15 – Race of the Century Winner (2011 Canadian Grand Prix)
08/03 – 21:00 to 23:15 – Race of the Century Second (2008 Brazilian Grand Prix)
09/03 – 21:00 to 23:00 – Race of the Century Third (2005 Japanese Grand Prix)
10/03 – 21:00 to 21:45 – 1985 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
11/03 – 21:00 to 21:45 – 1986 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
12/03 – 21:00 to 21:30 – 1987 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
13/03 – 21:00 to 22:30 – 1989 Australian Grand Prix
14/03 – 21:00 to 21:45 – 1996 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
15/03 – 21:00 to 22:00 – 1994 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
16/03 – 21:00 to 21:30 – 1990 Australian Grand Prix Highlights
17/03 – 21:00 to 23:45 – 1998 Japanese Grand Prix
18/03 – 21:00 to 23:15 – 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix
19/03 – 21:00 to 23:30 – 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
20/03 – 21:00 to 21:35 – 1988 Japanese Grand Prix Highlights
21/03 – 21:00 to 23:15 – 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
22/03 – 21:00 to 23:15 – 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix
23/03 – 21:00 to 21:30 – 1989 Italian Grand Prix Highlights
24/03 – 21:00 to 23:00 – 2000 Belgian Grand Prix
25/03 – 21:00 to 21:45 – 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix Highlights
26/03 – 21:00 to 23:00 – 2000 German Grand Prix

As always, if anything changes I shall update this blog if necessary.

Update on March 8th – Very interesting to see that Qualifying is being simulcast on Sky1 (thanks Withito in the comments), which makes it available to many more people. Hopefully Sky promote this.

Update on March 10th – A few minor Classic F1 alterations, along with an Inside Track addition in the main schedule. I’ve also added the BBC F1’s TV season preview.

Bruno Senna added to Sky’s F1 team

Bruno Senna will be part of Sky Sports F1’s team for the upcoming season, it has been confirmed. He will be present at seven races, whilst also appearing in special programming celebrating the life of Ayrton Senna.

Senna, who raced in Formula 1 between 2010 and 2012, will be at Malaysia, China, Hungary, Singapore, Russia, USA and Brazil. As well as being a guest on The F1 Show, Senna will offer analysis on the Sky Pad and be in the commentary box with David Croft, presumably for practice at those races. Speaking to the Sky Sports website, Senna said: “I’ve worked with Sky Sports F1 from the other side of the microphone, and always been impressed with their dedication and creativity so I’m delighted to be joining the team. I’m particularly excited to get my hands on the touchscreen technology and I hope to reveal a few tricks of the trade but also show just how skilled these drivers are. The 2014 rules and regulations, driver changes and new circuits we’re seeing this year promise for a fascinating season with everything to drive for – I can’t wait to start.”

Martin Turner, Sky Sports F1’s Executive Producer, added: “We got to know Bruno in the paddock when he was driving, and I’m thrilled he’s joining us – he’ll make a brilliant addition to our team. His passion for the intricacies of F1 and knowledge as a recent F1 driver who’s driven these tracks and raced these teams will make for fascinating viewing. With Anthony Davidson and Bruno manning the touchscreen and offering insight this season, we’ll bring our viewers a unique perspective on what it’s like to line up on the grid and race wheel to wheel with Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen and co.”

The morale of this lesson is not to read too much into anyone within broadcasting claims to have ‘very exciting news‘ or ‘literally bursting‘ to tell people. Don’t get me wrong, Senna’s a good signing, and I can see their logic considering he is a recent driver in a more ‘current’ formula of Formula 1, plus it allows them to rotate a bit more. But another driver to add to the line-up means that we now have five drivers, potentially six if you include Karun Chandhok. I would have preferred a former team personnel to add a bit of variety, instead of the ‘talking heads’ with drivers. It seems like both BBC and Sky are going down the route of adding former drivers to the line-up. Yes, the drivers of course are the main focus, but there is more than them that makes Formula 1 what it is. Like I say, its good news, nothing more, nothing less.

Martin Turner answers fans questions: testing, adverts and more

As noted during one of Ted Kravitz’s Notebook’s through the weekend, Kravitz asked Sky Sports F1’s Executive Producer Martin Turner a series of questions. The key bits I have posted below whilst the video can be found here.

When asked why testing is not being covered live on Sky F1, Turner said: “Well first of all, we have been live at every test, we have Craig [Slater] and Rachel [Brookes] doing their live throws all throughout the day and we feel that is the best way of telling the story. We’re also telling the story on mobile, on app, on live blog commentary and we think they’ve gone down really well. [..] It is a great way of bringing it to a new audience as well [through Sky Sports News]. [..] Sometimes during testing, there are no cars on the track and that is quite a difficult story to tell live, but we hope the story we’re telling, and the variety of ways that we are telling it are going down particularly well.”

His line later on, noting that “live is always better than recorded” amused me considering Sky Sports F1 has been showing recorded content for months, and have not had one live programme yet in 2014 despite having the opportunity to do so. Even if testing was not live, The F1 Show for some reason is starting several weeks later than last year. Turner confirms that Natalie Pinkham will present every F1 Show, with the co-presenter rotating between Kravitz, David Croft and Simon Lazenby. There will again be two F1 Show’s in Monaco and Britain as usual, and Pit Wall Live is back. Regarding adverts in races, Turner said: “There never have been ad-breaks in races [on Sky], and there never will be.”

There’s a few more interesting bits in there, and it is worth a watch but those are the few bits I have picked out.