Watching F1 on TV
Discussion
What would really help to avoid any serious concerns about rule breaking/bending in regard to 'how to watch F1', was if the UK wasn't about the most expensive place in the world to watch it! Most other territories get it for sub £100 a year via F1TV which comes with a raft of benefits beyond just the stream itself. It's insanely expensive here - such a shame as Britain can rightly claim to be somewhat fundamental in the history and present delivery of the F1 spectacle...
Liberty should sling us the rights for free and get it back on the BBC
Liberty should sling us the rights for free and get it back on the BBC
Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 17th February 17:29
Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 17th February 17:29
TheDeuce said:
Deesee said:
I use F1 tv for a second screen, there’s a choice of the pit lane channel, on boards and a decent driver tracker. I watch the race on Sky Q.
You can get F1 tv pro on the uk App Store, it’s 60.00£ pa, if you don’t want to watch live and watch the sessions on a delay, the 22.00£ pa pack also works
You will need a decent VPN (I use Nord), as you can not watch the race live if your IP is in the UK, however you can watch it immediately afterwards and still have full functionality in splitting the screen, going on board with any driver etc. It’s a decent service.
There is talk that they are going to add TV pro to sky Q, which would be great, as at the moment im paying for for F1 twice!!
What I don’t agree with is illegal/pirated streams.
You still have to accept the T&C's to use the app and buy the subscription though... And if you red the T&C's in full I'm sure you will find that the £60pa is for certain territories only - so whilst you can pay the sub via the app store and then use a VPN so that F1TV don't realise they're dealing with a UK viewer, you may well still be technically breaking the agreement you accepted the terms of.You can get F1 tv pro on the uk App Store, it’s 60.00£ pa, if you don’t want to watch live and watch the sessions on a delay, the 22.00£ pa pack also works
You will need a decent VPN (I use Nord), as you can not watch the race live if your IP is in the UK, however you can watch it immediately afterwards and still have full functionality in splitting the screen, going on board with any driver etc. It’s a decent service.
There is talk that they are going to add TV pro to sky Q, which would be great, as at the moment im paying for for F1 twice!!
What I don’t agree with is illegal/pirated streams.
BUT... then comes another grey area. F1TV themselves are surely breaking their own agreements with SKY and other exclusive rights holders by using sales channels to sell subs that offer them to people in territories that they have already sold exclusive rights to which should prevent the sale of an F1TV subscription being offered in the first place.
My Apple ID is uk registered, my email is .co.uk.
They just want their 60£.
Deesee said:
Apple are happy to take the payment and to have it on the UK App Store, F1 are happy for Apple to take the payment and have it on the UK App Store, it’s even billed in pounds Sterling!
My Apple ID is uk registered, my email is .co.uk.
They just want their 60£.
It is, however, in clear breach of the F1TV user terms. That's plain fact.My Apple ID is uk registered, my email is .co.uk.
They just want their 60£.
However, as you point out - they effectively offered you the opportunity to buy with full disclosure after the point at which you would have accepted the agreement. They effectively broke it themselves I guess.
TheDeuce said:
It is, however, in clear breach of the F1TV user terms. That's plain fact.
However, as you point out - they effectively offered you the opportunity to buy with full disclosure after the point at which you would have accepted the agreement. They effectively broke it themselves I guess.
Then they should take it down.. but they won’t, and are going to launch on Apple TV next season, so I’ll need a second TV However, as you point out - they effectively offered you the opportunity to buy with full disclosure after the point at which you would have accepted the agreement. They effectively broke it themselves I guess.
to fit it all on.I've been a fly on the wall for this thread so far. I'm in the UK, too tight for Sky subs and would like to watch 2021's F1 races live (or at least in full, not just the Channel 4 highlights).
Am I correct in thinking that I can subscribe to a VPN, set my country to XYZ and watch F1TV races live, in HD? Or is it 4K from F1TV? If I done that, are there any drawbacks? Thanks in advance. I can't be the only tight F1 fan on here so others would no doubt be interested too.
Am I correct in thinking that I can subscribe to a VPN, set my country to XYZ and watch F1TV races live, in HD? Or is it 4K from F1TV? If I done that, are there any drawbacks? Thanks in advance. I can't be the only tight F1 fan on here so others would no doubt be interested too.
Scrump said:
The rules haven’t changed:
Do not post any copyright-protected material without permission including streaming sports content. If in doubt, don't post it.
Do not post links to sites that supply illegal download material.
I'm trying to establish what PH considers to be "illegal".Do not post any copyright-protected material without permission including streaming sports content. If in doubt, don't post it.
Do not post links to sites that supply illegal download material.
I've previously used Sky passes, but I'd rather have F1 TV. I already have a VPN, but am unable to subscribe as I don't have a payment card for one of the countries that are allowed full access. I use Argentinian Netflix with Revolut, but that doesn't work for F1 TV.
Has anyone managed to subscribe with a payment card available to those of us in it UK? If so, which one?
Has anyone managed to subscribe with a payment card available to those of us in it UK? If so, which one?
TheDeuce said:
That's a bit different as the pub probably broke the terms of the agreement they had with the overseas broadcaster (not that the broadcaster would care I wouldn't have thought). I can see why Sky wouldn't have wanted such a precedent set though!
In the case of someone using their dish to pick up a FTV foreign broadcast, there is no agreement that such a person has entered in to which they're breaking. They're not asking 'whoever' to transmit in the direction of their house are they? Until it's declared illegal to own a satellite dish and point it wherever you wish then I can't see what recourse a private homeowner could face. That's what I meant as a grey area - it can't be 100% right and proper that a person is receiving an F1 feed beyond the country that broadcast it and paid for the rights to do so. But there is nothing to be done about it that I can see..
This is a partial report of the case. In the case of someone using their dish to pick up a FTV foreign broadcast, there is no agreement that such a person has entered in to which they're breaking. They're not asking 'whoever' to transmit in the direction of their house are they? Until it's declared illegal to own a satellite dish and point it wherever you wish then I can't see what recourse a private homeowner could face. That's what I meant as a grey area - it can't be 100% right and proper that a person is receiving an F1 feed beyond the country that broadcast it and paid for the rights to do so. But there is nothing to be done about it that I can see..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17150054
It went on from there, if only to show the woman, and others, that it is costly to demand your rights against large, international companies. But the high court decision seems to me to be clear enough. She was allowed to use a decoder that Sky did not want her to. It seems to be a case of big guy pushing little woman around.
It is similar, but by no means identical, to what a VPN does. As long as you don't screen it, it seems the courts have decided it is fine; exclusive systems are contrary to European law.
It seems probable that there will be some legislation against VPNs in the nearish future, but whether the claim that the ban is for security reasons, or that the funders of political parties want it, is open to argument. A very brief argument of course.
Edited by Derek Smith on Thursday 18th February 21:29
Interesting.
Of course, this is really a civil matter rather than a criminal matter - so the use of the words "legal" or "illegal" are not really correct. The consideration is exposure to a civil action - whether from those who consider they have exclusive broadcast rights and those who feel that their rights to access broadcast material are being restricted by unfair business practice.
The point that no one seems able to answer is the one I made originally. A number of years ago PH got very uptight about those who were suggesting on a thread similar to this various ways that UK TV viewers could circumvent Sky TV's stranglehold on live FI coverage on TV in the UK.
Is PH now more chilled about such discussions and are they just not afraid of being sued any more by Sky?
Of course, this is really a civil matter rather than a criminal matter - so the use of the words "legal" or "illegal" are not really correct. The consideration is exposure to a civil action - whether from those who consider they have exclusive broadcast rights and those who feel that their rights to access broadcast material are being restricted by unfair business practice.
The point that no one seems able to answer is the one I made originally. A number of years ago PH got very uptight about those who were suggesting on a thread similar to this various ways that UK TV viewers could circumvent Sky TV's stranglehold on live FI coverage on TV in the UK.
Is PH now more chilled about such discussions and are they just not afraid of being sued any more by Sky?
The previous thread had posts giving details of websites giving unofficial pirated F1 streams, it also had details on how to view F1 on Sky without paying Sky. This thread has not ventured into such areas as far as I can see.
Edit to add: If you feel any posts breach the posting rules I highlighted earlier than please use the ‘report’ button to bring it to the attention of the mods.
Edit to add: If you feel any posts breach the posting rules I highlighted earlier than please use the ‘report’ button to bring it to the attention of the mods.
Edited by Scrump on Thursday 18th February 10:25
Europa Jon said:
I've been a fly on the wall for this thread so far. I'm in the UK, too tight for Sky subs and would like to watch 2021's F1 races live (or at least in full, not just the Channel 4 highlights).
Am I correct in thinking that I can subscribe to a VPN, set my country to XYZ and watch F1TV races live, in HD? Or is it 4K from F1TV? If I done that, are there any drawbacks? Thanks in advance. I can't be the only tight F1 fan on here so others would no doubt be interested too.
I'm not sure if things have changed, but I have been using the F1TV app for the past 2 seasons and the only way I could register was doing it via a friend in Poland. I created an account and he did the payment to his card / address which was Polish based, as you can't register with a UK address / payment method, but as I said, this was 2 season ago.Am I correct in thinking that I can subscribe to a VPN, set my country to XYZ and watch F1TV races live, in HD? Or is it 4K from F1TV? If I done that, are there any drawbacks? Thanks in advance. I can't be the only tight F1 fan on here so others would no doubt be interested too.
For live races you need to use the VPN, but if watching replays, no VPN needed.
Scrump said:
The previous thread had posts giving details of websites giving unofficial pirated F1 streams, it also had details on how to view F1 on Sky without paying Sky. This thread has not ventured into such areas as far as I can see.
Edit to add: If you feel any posts breach the posting rules I highlighted earlier than please use the ‘report’ button to bring it to the attention of the mods.
I don't "feel" anything. I was just curious as to whether their stance was more relaxed.Edit to add: If you feel any posts breach the posting rules I highlighted earlier than please use the ‘report’ button to bring it to the attention of the mods.
Edited by Scrump on Thursday 18th February 10:25
Paul-i7c3j said:
TheTrash said:
I've been using F1 TV with a VPN to watch the races, subscribing through the app store and about £40 a year for the VPN. You dont get commentary until the F1 cut screen starts a few minutes before the race/qualifying. I'll not be going back to SKY or NOW TV.
Which country do you use for the VPN to access F1 TV races? Also, do you not have an issue paying for the F1 TV subscription with a UK-based bank/card?Cheers
I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro, it's really very good. It's a real shame that the Sky deal prevents pro access being officially offered to us in the UK. As said though, it's not exactly difficult to access it and morally I think OK on the basis that you're still paying a fair price to Liberty.
And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
TheDeuce said:
I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro, it's really very good. It's a real shame that the Sky deal prevents pro access being officially offered to us in the UK. As said though, it's not exactly difficult to access it and morally I think OK on the basis that you're still paying a fair price to Liberty.
And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
I'd pay £2 pcm. Bit of a bargain. But it doesn't include the Sky subscription, does it. I've got Now! TV and it's an expensive addon for F1.And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
Derek Smith said:
TheDeuce said:
I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro, it's really very good. It's a real shame that the Sky deal prevents pro access being officially offered to us in the UK. As said though, it's not exactly difficult to access it and morally I think OK on the basis that you're still paying a fair price to Liberty.
And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
I'd pay £2 pcm. Bit of a bargain. But it doesn't include the Sky subscription, does it. I've got Now! TV and it's an expensive addon for F1.And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.
I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season
It's a nice to have extra in addition to sky or now TV to watch live. It's fantastic to have when F1 isn't on as it allows me to watch past season races in more depth.
Of course of you use a VPN and pay via appetite for the sub, you get F1TV pro which is the sky love stream, all the cameras, data and all for £99 (I think) a year...
That's massively cheaper than sky or now TV and frankly, better.
carl_w said:
Derek Smith said:
It is similar, but by no means identical, to what a VPN does. As long as you don't screen it, it seems the courts have decided it is fine; exclusive systems are contrary to European law.
European law to which we are no longer subject?But it's still not your content, so however you acquired access, you can't share it. Especially not for commercial gain. That's the all important difference.
TheDeuce said:
I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro...
If you subscribe (I see it's $79 pa in the US), can you watch it in your web browser and stream/chromecast to your TV? Is it HD or 4k etc? Does the live timing work on your laptop?Can you use it like catch up/recorded so you can fast forward through the race etc?
ben5575 said:
TheDeuce said:
I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro...
If you subscribe (I see it's $79 pa in the US), can you watch it in your web browser and stream/chromecast to your TV? Is it HD or 4k etc? Does the live timing work on your laptop?Can you use it like catch up/recorded so you can fast forward through the race etc?
Apparently if you have a chromecast stick for the TV it works too but not tried.
It's HD not 4k at present. Once a race is aired it's added to watch again anytime and you can pause, fastforward, along with the timing.
For live timing just the standard F1 app on phone or website is what I use.
F1TV isn't perfect, the platform has a few rough edges imo but it's also improved a lot since launch. It is however very good value at $79 US for the entire season live and entire back catalogue of races on demand.
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