F1 TV coverage threadFormula 1

[cgr-10]

They said live, uninterrupted coverage. Anyway they've got 5 other channels to screen adverts on, to get the BBC faithful on board they'll definitely need to go advert-free.

 

[Sureboss]

Uninterrupted race coverage. There will be ads outside of the race, I imagine they'll fit some in between the qualifying sessions too (mixed with some analysis).

Liked the review show, not seen any of the legends stuff yet.

 

[dhandeh]

So far I'm impressed on what Sky have done, the season reviews from previous era are really good to watch, and Sky haven't 'Sky'ed' too much of the footage in the live show so far, I think they are under strict orders not to put lots of replay, whooshing noises like they do with their football.

 

[RTSolvalou]

Hopefully the Au broadcast won't be raped by ads either, these channels will try anything, they think we don't know what's happening elsewhere.

 

[axletramp]

Managed to get around to watching the review show this weekend - Sky have put the main shows on Anytime so you don't miss them. 👍 The team worked well together and I soon found that I wasn't missing it being a BBC production. Also watched the half hour interview with Fittipaldi. It was OK, just nothing special. It would have been better if it had been an hour long with half being the interview and the second half a review of his favourite season with footage and interviews from the time.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

EDIT: never mind ...

 

[Pezzarinho17]

Sky have won me over, they are taking this seriously so far and I don't get the expected feeling of "We have your beloved F1 AND a vice like grip on your man vegetables as a result". Lots of detailed analysis, lots of F1 action and I'm really glad to have full support race features as well.

Hope it isn't a hook for 2012 with slowly diminishing returns!

 

[axletramp]

I have to agree. It's not like Sky have settled to share here, they've come with the intention to own F1 on TV! Impressive so far.

 

[Pezzarinho17]

I have to agree. It's not like Sky have settled to share here, they've come with the intention to own F1 on TV! Impressive so far.

On this point, I was only intending to watch the Sky exclusive races on Sky and remain with BBC for the other half of the season. Considering what you get for your money's worth though and the options available the arguments against Sky are definitely fading in my opinion.

 

[TopGearFTW]

I have no doubt Sky will pull out all the stops for the F1 coverage, possibly because they know it was a controversial move given that many important people (I think Bernie as well, which is kind of amusing) have said that F1 should always be on free TV.
I would've gotten Sky, but we as a family have BT Vision at the moment, and even though a Sky HD subscription with Sky Sports would work out at roughly the same price, my parents aren't gonna switch.

They said I could get it for myself though, and whilst I could afford it, £30 a month for one channel is simply not worth it, so I'll have to make do without.

 

[Liquid]

(I think Bernie as well, which is kind of amusing) have said that F1 should always be on free TV.

Bernie has always said one thing and done/meant another. We've had F1 PPV before, and the content was good but it just wasn't the right time for satellite PPV F1.

Anybody who has watched the 1997 Duke season review will know what I'm talking about. It was available in continental Europe at least.

 

[Ardius]

Considering what you get for your money's worth though and the options available the arguments against Sky are definitely fading in my opinion.

This is the main argument against Sky though. Is it worth the extra money per month just for one channel? Its not even airing most of the time.

It would be more worthwhile to those who don't already have Sky if they aired more than just F1+support races.
Stick on Indycars, NASCAR and try get the rights to WRC, WTCC...as many motorsports as possible. Then maybe it would be worth it.

But right now its still a no-brainer. I've already got a day's worth of coverage of BTCC on ITV4 for no extra fee and I can at least still watch some F1 on the BBC. I have no need to be spending the extra money simply to watch more F1 live.

 

[Touring Mars]

Forking out for the whole Sky package just to get the F1 channel is a tough sell - I've looked into it a fair bit and I still can't justify the extra expense to myself. That said, I'm currently looking into the idea of paying my sister the extra so that she could add Sky Sports to her existing package, and then watch the F1 channel on Sky Go.

I'll wait to see what the BBC highlights package is like first though, although I am also toying with the idea of getting the Sky Go Monthy ticket with Sky Sports (and F1 channel) for £35 a month (no contract needed)... although I would also like to hear from anyone who has signed up for this already to report back on what it's like.

 

[NINE_HUNDRED]

The red button forum will still exist after the highlights show. The highlights will be around an hour long.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17350644

Nice little intro video at the top as well.

 

[daan]

It would be more worthwhile to those who don't already have Sky if they aired more than just F1+support races.
Stick on Indycars, NASCAR and try get the rights to WRC, WTCC...as many motorsports as possible. Then maybe it would be worth it.

Sky is not just Sky though. There's no Virgin cable where I am, and Freeview reception is non-existant, so the only way I can get any sort of TV is through a dish and, as we needed phone and broadband too, Sky was the only option.

My Sky TV package was the lowest one you can get plus I paid £1 a month to get the news package (which, bizarely, included both Eurosports.) Last season, in addition to the terrestrial motorsports (F1 & BTCC), I watched World GT1, European GT3, Aussie V8s, WTCC, GP3, GP2, Porsche Carrera cup, F2, WRC, ILMC (including Le Mans), V8 superstars, British and Italian F3, and probably a few more that I've forgotten, all through either Motors TV or Eurosport UK, (or Bloomberg in the case of the GT1s.)

Motors TV are showing the NASCAR nationwide cup this year too.

This season, I've payed another £10 per month to get the HD package which includes the F1 HD channel. GP2 & 3 may transfer exclusively to that (I don't know if Eurosport will still be showing them as they did last year) but all the others are still available for "free."

For a guy like myself who loves watching motor racing, the best thing about the Sky package is Motors TV and Eurosport, not really any of the Sky channels.

 

[Touring Mars]

So you get the F1 channel if you just have a basic Sky package and upgrade it to Sky HD?

If so, I know what Mum's getting for Mother's Day this weekend

 

[TheCracker]

So you get the F1 channel if you just have a basic Sky package and upgrade it to Sky HD?

If so, I know what Mum's getting for Mother's Day this weekend

I think that would entail a new box wouldn't it? (although they probably give them away for free now)

 

[daan]

So you get the F1 channel if you just have a basic Sky package and upgrade it to Sky HD?

If so, I know what Mum's getting for Mother's Day this weekend

Yep. The HD upgrade is the cheapest way at an extra £10 per month. The other way is to take SkySports 1 and 2, but that costs an extra £20 per moth*.

I think that would entail a new box wouldn't it? (although they probably give them away for free now)

Yep, you do need to have an Sky+ HD box but luckily I got one for free when I joined up in 2010.


* EDIT: Cheaper moths are available...

 

[TheCracker]

Moths are expensive these days! In my day all you had to do was leave a light on at night and bingo - free moths!

 

[Touring Mars]

👍 Thanks for the clarification.

And it is Mother's Day after all... shame my Mum is terrified of moths, though!

 

[daan]

HD moths, no less.

 

[TheCracker]

I think i'd be scared of a 20lb moth.

 

[Only_in_f1]

Thoughts?

 

[mattythedog]

Thoughts?

Mixed. I thought the commentary team are very good, and with Ted in the pits it's just like being back at the Beeb. However I can't stand Damon Hill and the main presenter, they're just do boring and monotonous.

 

[tribolik]

Its nice to be able to jump into an onboard cam at any given moment... too bad I dont get coverage here...

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I liked Sky's coverage. Anything is better than what we get down here.

I'm not keen on David Croft, though. He seems very excitable, and I noticed quite a few instances over the weekend where he mis-called the action. I can understand mistakes in the heat of the moment, and he did correct himself when he realised he'd said the wrong thing, but I couldn't help but notice that it felt like a step down from David Coulthard. I also think Croft doesn't have the same rapport with Brundle as Coulthard did, though I expect that to develop over the season.

I also really liked Sky's circuit graphics. Hopefully they'll show elevation as well.

 

[Rossell2]

Erm.....I'm still on the sidelines without a Sky subscription peering in to see if its worth it.

One thing I've noticed, ADVERTS? In practice and qualifying? Can someone please confirm this to me because if that's a yes I'm sticking with the BBC. And I'm pretty sure that's false advertising as well.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Adverts are only in the practice sessions, as well as the pre- and post-race shows. Qualifying and the race are uninterrupted.

 

[Rossell2]

Thanks for that.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Enough of that. Here in Australia, we've had to deal with ads in qualifying and the race for twenty years. Melbourne is the only event where we get any coverage of free practice, and we get no pre- or post-race analysis except for three local commentators talking up Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. So to complain about ads in the practice sessions and pre- and post-race shows reeks of throwing your toys out of the pram.