BBC Axe F1 Coverage

BBC has axed its F1 coverage due to cost cutting measures - Free-to-air coverage has been picked up by Channel 4 (U.K)

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Channel 4... Slight surprise let's hope they don't follow ITV's method of F1 coverage. Promises of not in race adverts is a good start.

Short version... meh.

Long version... I hope we get the Paralymics Channel 4 and not the World Athletics Championships... chimps, but over all I couldn't care less. I'm chuffed it's channel 4 rather than ITV - ITV do two good shows... The Chase and Keep it in the Family (spot the link) and everything else is utter @#$%& and has been for years. OK the BTCC coverage on ITV4 is half decent for what is a micro-channel, but it's still horribly diluted, dumbed down bollocks (heard that with ITV before?) that I have to fast forward between races... and through races if it's single-seaters. Still, no adverts on Channel 4 (yet) so there is that. Good luck to them.

But I wouldn't be bothered if we lost F1 to Sky completely. It's too bland now, everything is too precise and clinical - and not just F1, but throughout most top levels of motorsport - even Moto GP and the Aussie V8s - and I'm losing interest as a result, so I wouldn't be truly fussed if I had to listen on the radio and then cope with highlights or just going over to the dark side and torrenting.

I used to get really nervous and excited at the start of an F1 race and I can't say I've had that feeling for a decade. I think I've been in denial and put it down to experience and getting older, but in reality I just think it's the lack of risk or anything remotely interesting happening. At Interlagos the commentators were getting excited that the leaders were coming up to lap cars and that was the most interesting they'd get all race, and that's something we've only gone through for a few of the darkest years in the mid-2000s, and this was Interlagos of all places. Spa was no better.

The real problem is that this time I can't see a way out. Now that F1 has learned to treat tyres to the optimum the only way out is to purposely create tyres which improve in performance as they wear, which is farcical in itself. Now that the FIA has dreamt up the "5 seconds a lap quicker" cars for 2017, which are exactly the same but bigger and more reliant on wing-generated downforce, is only going to make matters worse. And don't kid yourself that simply making a more durable tyre will help - if we had the rock solid Bridgestones with 2015 levels of analysis they'd still be telling drivers to take care in order to limit graining instead of thermal degradation or wear. It's the same throughout most forms of motorsport, and if even the most basic forms of motorsport in BTCC is too clinical (it is) then we've got serious issues for the longevity of the sport as a real spectacle.

LMS has lucked into a cracking formula at the moment but that's not going to last long - it never does in LMS - and Porsche are already threatening to beat the opposition to a pulp in 2016, and it might well continue until VAG pull either them or Audi, and the pulp will turn into a goo as they're seconds a lap quicker already.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be continuing to watch F1, but I'm just not as fussed as I used to be, and it's a lot of years since I left the fanatical stage. Good luck Bernie, and more luck to the banker that will follow you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2015 09:40PM by gav.

I think the writing was on the wall in 2011 when the BBC announced they were stopping showing every race live, and didn't fight for exclusive broadcasting rights. Their heart clearly wasn't in it anymore.

Personally I haven't watched any F1 on the BBC since late 2013, when I got my Sky subscription sorted. Sky's coverage has been in a different league.

I think this is good news. Channel 4 are new to showing F1 so they'll be keen to make an effort, if for no other reason than to make a good first impression. I prefer that to half-assed BBC coverage.

It's a shame they still won't be showing every race live, so they won't be convincing me to stop said Sky subscription no matter how good they are. But I'll be taking a lot of interest in how the coverage is. Channel 4 been excellent TV in general for the last few years, so I'm optimistic.

I'm already hoping they can poach Lee McKenzie and make her the anchor, like the BBC should've done when Jake Humphrey left.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2015 01:25PM by EC83.

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EC83
Personally I haven't watched any F1 on the BBC since late 2013, when I got my Sky subscription sorted. Sky's coverage has been in a different league.

Sorry, but I think Sky have been very poor for the past 12 months. Everything is just a bunch of old blokes with no personality standing in the paddock now with minimal features. Who would have thought 20 years back that Johnny Herbert could be as bland and boring as Damon Hill and none of the pundits offer any insight in the slightest. And don't get me started on Lazenby. Sky promised to take F1 to the next level but they're not even in the same ballpark to what the BBC were doing before they sold half the rights.

They've have had a couple of good features this season but so have the BBC, and while Sky have Brundle he's not a patch on the Brundle of old. Crofty is far more annoying than I thought he'd be - he was so much better on 5 Live but he misses so much its unreal (probably did on 5 Live too, but you didn't know otherwise), and he's getting a touch of the Legards about him with his continual repeating. I grant you Edwards can be annoying too, though I personally don't mind how excited he gets - it's not fake like James Allen's ITV days.

With an entire channel dedicated to F1 Sky should be showing more races, historical races, full races, features on the karting and other feeder series, visiting factories, showcasing those behind the scenes, dedicating hours to the technical side of F1 with educational features for aspiring engineers and aerodynamicists, breeding new presenters and TV talent for this sort of thing if the regular guys don't have time, not showing 10 consecutive hours of repeats of free practice sessions. And we've got darts on at the moment. Darts! Obviously there's not going to be any new F1 content to show at the moment but they have thousands of hours of archives they could be showing as well as the old races and sessions. There was so much promise behind the F1 channel but it hasn't moved forward at all.

Other than the 10 extra live races the only plus for me that Sky has is Ted Kravitz, and he can be equally annoying as he is fun. That's it.

Gav, do you read Autosport magazine? I said much the same as you in the TV column section a few weeks back now.

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Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions

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Ferrari2007
Gav, do you read Autosport magazine? I said much the same as you in the TV column section a few weeks back now.

Nope, I can't even say the last time I picked up a magazine, let alone had a subscription. I'm glad I'm not the only one to think it though.

The aspect about Sky's coverage which I dislike the most is the #AskCrofty post-race shitheap. Seemingly, he responds only to negative, conspiracy-theory-type questions from casual fans who can't accept that bad luck can affect their favourite driver as well as everyone else. That does nothing for the image of F1; it gives credence to the tin-foil hat brigade because their stupid, irrelevant questions get coverage. Fans complain about boring races, they complain about why Nico Rosberg dared to win and other small, petty things.

At this juncture, I'm willing to moan about the effect of social media. I don't want to be the one offering around rose-tinted glasses, but remember how good it was when we didn't have coverage punctuated by Nobby No-Name and his tweets moaning about how dull the race was? Things weren't as bad because there were less people complaining that things were bad, and so everyone with strong opinions would wind their necks in because nobody gave the slightest bit of attention to what they think. Now, it seems I'm having everyone's @#$%& thrown in my face because David Croft is letting them smear their @#$%& all over my TV screen and twitter feed.

You are the commentator, Crofty. Describe the race, discuss with Martin what's going on and why, and don't descend into lowest-common-denominator jokes about Pastor Maldonado. Oh, and keep it unbiased too, yeah? Ted Kravitz as well; he used to be great, he brought a touch of irreverence to the F1 world with his awkwardness, but shoving a mic under Niki Lauda's nose and persisting with "but there MUST be a reason why Lewis Hamilton isn't on pole, there MUST be!". @#$%& hell, you're supposed to be a professional!

Rant over? Maybe for now.

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GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2015 10:49PM by Incident 2k9.

I'm definitely not as fanatic as I used to be. I remember how special it felt getting up at stupid o'clock to watch Japan and Australia 1994 and haven't quite matched that excitement since.

Sure 2015 has been a bit flat, but I also have less time and energy to follow it as thourghly as I did before. I'm working day hours most Friday's so don't get to watch practice that often anymore anyway, plus there's a few working weekends which gets in the way of the races.

More recently, I've split myself between three methods of watching. If I'm home, I'll watch it on terrestrial if being shown live. Or dodgy streams for practice/qualify. If I'm home and terrestrial are not showing it live then I get a 24hr pass for skysportsF1 via NowTv. If I'm working during the race then I simply watch on iPlayer. So I guess my main concern is the 4OD catchup, and it's AirPlay ability via my apple devices etc.

I don't think the coverage by either BBC or Sky is as bad as it's made out to be. Sure things could be better, but it's a dammed sight better than many other countries.

Best make the most of Channel 4's live coverage given Sky having exclusive rights from 2019.

I always liked watching Eurosports coverage back in the early-mid 90's with Ben Edwards and John Watson

Incident 2k9 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The aspect about Sky's coverage which I dislike
> the most is the #AskCrofty post-race shitheap.
> Seemingly, he responds only to negative,
> conspiracy-theory-type questions from casual fans
> who can't accept that bad luck can affect their
> favourite driver as well as everyone else. That
> does nothing for the image of F1; it gives
> credence to the tin-foil hat brigade because their
> stupid, irrelevant questions get coverage. Fans
> complain about boring races, they complain about
> why Nico Rosberg dared to win and other small,
> petty things.
>
> At this juncture, I'm willing to moan about the
> effect of social media. I don't want to be the one
> offering around rose-tinted glasses, but remember
> how good it was when we didn't have coverage
> punctuated by Nobby No-Name and his tweets moaning
> about how dull the race was? Things weren't as bad
> because there were less people complaining that
> things were bad, and so everyone with strong
> opinions would wind their necks in because nobody
> gave the slightest bit of attention to what they
> think. Now, it seems I'm having everyone's @#$%&
> thrown in my face because David Croft is letting
> them smear their @#$%& all over my TV screen and
> twitter feed.
>
> You are the commentator, Crofty. Describe the
> race, discuss with Martin what's going on and why,
> and don't descend into lowest-common-denominator
> jokes about Pastor Maldonado. Oh, and keep it
> unbiased too, yeah? Ted Kravitz as well; he used
> to be great, he brought a touch of irreverence to
> the F1 world with his awkwardness, but shoving a
> mic under Niki Lauda's nose and persisting with
> "but there MUST be a reason why Lewis Hamilton
> isn't on pole, there MUST be!". @#$%& hell, you're
> supposed to be a professional!
>
> Rant over? Maybe for now.

Couldn't agree more. Sadly with the next broadcast arrangement there will be no Crofty respite what so ever. His commentary is so unprofessional it makes me sick. He's just using F1 as a vehicle for the David Croft Show and focuses more on lowest common denominator sly remarks and silly personal judgments on incidents that occur. Don't even get me started on his commentary during the practice sessions, it seems the producer just lets these morons off the leash completely during these sessions and more time is spent with Crofty and Kravitz telling lame in-jokes than providing insight into whats happening. Then theres #askCrofty which to me seems like another excuse for Crofty to get his face on television and inflate his ego even more than it already is.

Kravitz just seems to be pushing his own profile and often goes off on ridiculous tangents and conspiracy theories. Compare with Karun Chandhok who keeps it to the point and doesn't clutter the broadcast with unnecessary nonsense.

Even Brundle's standards have been reduced, in my opinion, due to the incompetency that surrounds him and probably a touch of inflated ego and complacency thrown in for good measure. Sky have turned F1 into a complete and utter joke and it sickens me... Dorna set the standards for motorsport coverage, with old-school guys like Nick Harris leading the call, always to the point, always serious about whats happening, and not treating it like its a kids game. V8 Supercars do a good job as well with Neil Crompton and the legendary Mark Skaife... Crompton makes Brundle look amateur with his analysis, knowledge, vocabulary, technical insight, and innate ability to quickly read the play and comprehensively articulate the intricacies of whats occurring in an easy to interpret manner - but without assuming the viewer is a complete uneducated idiot in the process.

These guys need to all lift there game once they become the exclusive broadcaster otherwise F1 will suffer immeasurably. The sports bad enough as it is at the moment we don't need these guys making it any less enjoyable.

Agree completely.

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X (@ed24f1)

I'll be honest, I will watch Channel 4's coverage for the small number of races they get given each year. I usually stream the rest from Sky. But other than Brundle who is just about keeping his head when everyone around him is losing theirs, without major intervention the quality of the Sky coverage is going to be woeful.

If they have any foresight whatsoever they will pick up DC when Channel 4 loses the coverage and stick him in the box with Martin. They then need a classy, well tuned-in presenter for the coverage, but just who would fit the bill?

Does anyone know who gets the coverage in Australia? Might have to start using that when the Sky coverage @#$%& the bed.

I basically do the same thing...

I have no real problems with either to be honest, except when channel 4 News decide to air the race report immediately before showing the highlights.

I think perhaps Channel 4 has the edge on the punditry as the chemistry works well between them all... Plus Chandhok is infinitely more likeable than Davidson. I love the way DC and Webber bounce off each other too.

Herbert and Hill know their stuff and occasionally do good features but I don't think they're utilised that well and perhaps Brundle would be back to his best if he wasn't being dragged down by Crofty and Kravitz. Hill is not a natural presenter but he does have a pretty dry sense of humour if they could just figure out how to use him, he could be pretty good.

Laton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'll be honest, I will watch Channel 4's coverage
> for the small number of races they get given each
> year. I usually stream the rest from Sky. But
> other than Brundle who is just about keeping his
> head when everyone around him is losing theirs,
> without major intervention the quality of the Sky
> coverage is going to be woeful.
>
> If they have any foresight whatsoever they will
> pick up DC when Channel 4 loses the coverage and
> stick him in the box with Martin. They then need
> a classy, well tuned-in presenter for the
> coverage, but just who would fit the bill?
>
> Does anyone know who gets the coverage in
> Australia? Might have to start using that when the
> Sky coverage @#$%& the bed.


Unfortunately, at present only half the races are on FTA, which just piggybacks off Channel 4's commentary with Matthew White and Alan Jones in the studio before and after (there are also ad breaks)... and on pay TV - FOXTEL (aka Fox Sports) is SkyF1. Motorsport in Australia has been migrating from FTA to Foxtel over the last few years.. First the Moto3 and Moto2, MotoGP qualifying, then F1 and even V8 Supercars. Murdoch now owns a portion of Ch10 and rumours are that it could be a FTA Fox channel going forward, so it basically looks set in stone that SkyF1 are here to stay in Australia. Sadly with the small population of Australia this will probably continue to be the situation, especially with Murdoch holding the broadcasting rights in UK and Aus I guess it makes more sense for them to use the Sky coverage from a financial perspective.

The only hope left is if CVC find a buyer, preferably one that does their own world feed with a complete TV package like Dorna do with MotoGP. If I personally have to tolerate David Croft (and Sky in general) for an ongoing basis over the next ten or so years I think it will be the final nail in the coffin for me.

i've watched the Sky coverage through Sky Go ever since it went from the BBC and i also feel it's been slowly going downhill. the BBC team of Jake, DC, Martin, Leigh, Ted et al was perfect.
Brundle was Sky's one hope but even his contribution has steadily deteriorated i feel. his gridwalks are not as entertaining or informative as they used to be. i never liked Georgie Thompson but Jesus, Simon Lazenby is awful. Herbert gets a bit tedious somemtimes.
I've found myself watching the race live on Sky, but then watching it again on Channel 4 and enjoying it more. Steve Jones has done a good job and seems more natural and entertaining than Simon, and his banter with DC is good.

The DC & Ben commentary team is informative and passionate, whereas Crofty just gets annoying with his remarks and i often think to myself "wtf are you going on about man?!"

DC & Brundle could be a good combo.

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RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael

"DC & Brundle could be a good combo."

That last season on the BBC before SKY got the rights was the best broadcasting team weve had in my opinion.

I don't watch any of the race build up these days, although that might just be because life is busier...

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Quote
Muks_C
Steve Jones has done a good job and seems more natural and entertaining than Simon, and his banter with DC is good.

I thought Steve Jones was going to be absolutely terrible (but ideal for the audience Channel 4 said they wanted to attract) but I agree, he's been damn good. He's still says the odd cringeworthy thing, but that's to be expected, and he comes across as really enthusiast for the sport, which is refreshing, as the only person like that in the past few decades is Jake Humphrey.

I still wished Lee McKenzie had been given the role, but it wouldn't have suited Channel 4's coverage.

Quote
Imran
I don't watch any of the race build up these days, although that might just be because life is busier...

I don't watch it because it's @#$%&. Sky's pre-race features are terrible and few and far between these days. Channel 4's had some good ones recently, but I still start watching a bit later so I can fast-forward through some of the more boring bits and the adverts - for example last weekend I watched the BTCC first race rather than some of the build-up.

It's different now as most of us know the news before the programme starts, so it's not like we learn anything before the race.

I agree Gav, i expected Steve to be terrible and am pleasantly surprised. No one has or will top Jake tho IMO.

Also same, i think the C4 features have been more interesting than many of Sky's.

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RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael