F1 could have stayed on free to air tv

This is a Blog from the daily mail site revealing a bid from Channel 4 to take the rights to F1

I probably could have timed my summer break better.

A two-week trip across the pond, and not only do I miss what I've been reliably informed as a belter of race at Hungary, but also the startling news that Formula One won't exclusively be screened on the BBC from next season.

Although this came as a shock, it didn't come as a surprise - after all it was this blog, which back in May said that BSkyB were on course to wrap up a deal by the summer.

The seven-year contract will see Sky share the rights with the BBC, but while the former will screen all the races, the BBC will only broadcast half of them.

The BBC is, and always will be Formula One's spiritual home in the UK. But will the switch come as a complete disaster as many fans and commentators have predicted? Far from it.

In my eyes, it is inevitable that all sport will end up on pay TV, and in that case where better a home for F1 than Sky?

Sky Sports' managing director Barney Francis has vowed to give Formula One the 'full treatment', and make no bones about it, they will.

To put it simply, more time will be devoted to the sport on Sky, and how can that be a bad thing? They've also said that races will be free of advertising: a reason many were against the switch.

Sky Sports deliver a stellar service for football, cricket and golf. And I see no reason why the same won't be said of F1 this time next year.

The obvious con is fewer people will be in a position to watch the sport,
and that's a huge blow.

The sport has arguably never been more popular and Sky simply won't be able to replicate the mammoth viewing figures Formula One has attracted on the BBC this season.

Channel 4 delivered a last-ditch bid to keep Formula One on terrestrial television - and thanks to design consultancy Graphical House, we can see exactly how they attempted to keep Formula One off Sky.

The agency's website has made the network's pitch available which includes a ten-point plan of how the sport would have been covered on Channel 4.

These included 'more extensive coverage', 'more hours of live racing' and in an apparent dig at BBC and Sky, they promised 'no red-button hideaways'.

Channel 4, who revolutionised cricket in this country at the turn of the century, also promised to dedicate more time to the history of F1 and improve it's educational reach.

It's an impressive remit which is unlikely to do little to appease those who believe the sport should have remained soley on terrestrial television.

Losing the exclusive rights leaves BBC Sport with little more than the Six Nations, Wimbledon, The Open and the Olympics in which they can claim as their own.

How long will it be before only the Olympics stand alone in that list?

source: http://duncanblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/08/revealed-channel-4s-last-ditch-bid-to-keep-formula-one-on-terrestrial-tv.html contains pictures and no longer contains link to 10 point plan

Dont give a toss about the Olympics, they can go to sky sports for all i care. Im angry about this, i do have sky but i DO NOT want to have to pay an extra £30-40 per month for the privilage. Once again this is all about money. How can Ecclestone claim more people will be able to view it, HOW can he possibly say that!!!

F1 on Sky will be brilliant.

I think it's only a matter of time before all sport switches to pay TV, and not long after that all sport will end up PPV on pay TV.

Dont necessarily have a problem with it going to sky other then the 40 quid a month it will cost. plus im dreading what the commentary will be like. theu should keep bundle and co

why don't the bbc and sky share race feeds?

so when its not on bbc , jake, eddie,dc run the sky show and when its on bbc they run it on both channels?

The Galveston Giant wrote:I think it's only a matter of time before all sport switches to pay TV, and not long after that all sport will end up PPV on pay TV.

Thats the problem I have with Sky. Charging extra for certain channels, then sticking PPV charges on top for the biggest events.

Eventually watching any form of sport is going to require forking around £500 a year or more.

And we complain that £140 a year for a TV licence is expensive?

Greed is what it is all about. I cancelled my subscriptions for Sky and additional channels years ago and have no intentions of electing to paying more than I have to for TV, especially in these times. Our money is paying for the gravy train surrounding good events like F1 and other spectacles, which makes grown people behave like spoilt children and get away with it. I am not being part of it. I have watched F1 for years and enjoyed it most of the time but I'll watch whatever I get with the yearly licence fee end of. I wish a lot more would do the same.