The Official 2015 Spanish Grand Prix tread ** SPOILERS**

[swisstoni]

Vaud said:

swisstoni said:

As soon as sports take the Sky shilling and leave the Beeb or ITV they face a slow decline IMHO. There just won't be as many eyeballs on your sport any more.
And some of those eyeballs belong to kids and other non-enthusiasts who simply won't have had their interest sparked the future.
Course, the people who make these decisions are usually long gone, classed as heroes for bringing funding into the sport (not to mention their own pockets), by the time this is realised.

My point is actually different - Cricket is doing just fine for viewers, just not in the UK.

But how is cricket doing?

[Vaud]

swisstoni said:

But how is cricket doing?

Fine in places like India, etc...

[jbudgie]

Derek Smith said:

jbudgie said:

I agree, but wasn't it the case that the BBC dropped half of the races to fund the ste that is 'The Voice'.


So more to blame the Beeb for .

And isn't the Open Golf now going.

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

Some suggest that there was some encouragement to drop F1 as there was no buyer for Wimbledon. Dropping half of F1 saved both sports, although, of course, only half of one.

It had the option of asking ITV to share but their income from advertising had dropped as well.

I'm never clear what is meant by 'the BBC'. Is is those who work for the corporation? Those who manage various departments? Those who run the whole thing? It is not, surely, all of them as they will have differing points of view. Some of those in the BBC, but probably not 'the BBC' were shattered that they lost half of the sport.

On an entirely different matter of course, Sky wants to dominate sport broadcasting. Not having F1, at the time the biggest puller of viewing figures, was something that irritated their boss. I feel certain, though, that there was no undue influence exerted by the Digger in any of his many meetings with those in the cabinet.

I understood that it was to fund 'The Voice' ?


But, OTOH I am glad to see that the BBC are now going to show all the Diamond League athletics live from next year..

[RichB]

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

Not so. The BBC were desperate to get the UK version of The Voice and it was at a cost of £40 million. Sky picked up the remainder of the BBC's contract for F1 for £20m providing the necessary funds to buy The Voice.

[anonymous-user]

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

.

What cuts?

[Scuffers]

REALIST123 said:

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

.

What cuts?

Well said, bbc income has risen every year.

[anonymous-user]

Scuffers said:

REALIST123 said:

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

.

What cuts?

Well said, bbc income has risen every year.

It was a genuine question. The only thing that could be cut is the licence fee, any other income is within the control of the organisation. The licence fee rose steadily until it was frozen in 2010 but I am not aware of any cuts nor of any way the BBC was 'forced' to cut F1.

[MG CHRIS]

scrwright said:

MG CHRIS said:

Only 16 pages on this race has that got to be the lowest number for some years.

was just thinking that myself, result of boring race or less people watching I wonder

I genuinely think less people can be bothered to post about the race. You usally had the post from members saying who st f1 is etc etc why this is wrong etc. But they have gone and people like me that hasn't seen a race since Australia are just drifting of from the series.

I am/ was a die hard f1 fan would watch the full weekend but have lost interest since the new engines came in last year I will only watch the race if I aint doing anything.

[RichB]

MG CHRIS said:

I genuinely think less people can be bothered to post about the race...

Plus the fact that the Muppets and wind-up merchants have driven a lot of people away.

[lbc]

MG CHRIS said:

have lost interest since the new engines came in last year

Last year was good with the new engines and the close racing at the front.

This year is not as good, as even the two Mercs can't get close enough to race each other.

I am thinking of cancelling Sky Sports after this season as I only have it for F1, and there is going to be a four month gap from the end of this season until Australia 2016.

Maldonado was the most exciting driver to watch in Spain until he was forced to retire.

[Redlake27]

MG CHRIS said:

I genuinely think less people can be bothered to post about the race...

I agree. There is also less to post about.

When I read credible media analysing the races, such as Motorsport or Autosport, I feel they are genuinely struggling to fill their pages. They can do a deep dive analysis into 'should xx have stopped yy laps earlier' to fill a column, but they struggle to convey any excitement.

If they can't, we don't have a hope in hell.

That's why only a fraction of the posts in this thread are about racing moves and strategy, and the rest are frustrated fans who want to fall back in love with their sport.

[Vaud]

lbc said:

I am thinking of cancelling Sky Sports after this season as I only have it for F1, and there is going to be a four month gap from the end of this season until Australia 2016.

Just buy NowTV vouchers for the few races that you want to watch...

[IainT]

MG CHRIS said:

I genuinely think less people can be bothered to post about the race. You usally had the post from members saying who st f1 is etc etc why this is wrong etc. But they have gone and people like me that hasn't seen a race since Australia are just drifting of from the series.

I am/ was a die hard f1 fan would watch the full weekend but have lost interest since the new engines came in last year I will only watch the race if I aint doing anything.

Might be some of that, might just be general business this time of the year. I managed to watch th race, turn off the TV and headed up to the Dales for a few days so no opportunity to add tot he chatter.

I'm lucky enough to have a legacy Sky deal so the F1 costs me nothing beyond our (original) basic package + HD. Not sure I'd have Sports just for F1 but I'd miss it. Even after a fairly dull race - Barcelona norm though. Not sure the live broadcast format is the entire issue though - F1 regs lead to processional races and always have once car performance equalizes as it does when the tech is more mature.

Working out how to lessen the aero issues would certainly make traditional circuits more interesting - without butchering them to make all approaches to straights a 30 mph hairpin!

[jbudgie]

Vaud said:

lbc said:

I am thinking of cancelling Sky Sports after this season as I only have it for F1, and there is going to be a four month gap from the end of this season until Australia 2016.

Just buy NowTV vouchers for the few races that you want to watch...

Or buy a KODI box.;)

[007 VXR]

I still enjoy watching every race.
with all the issues around F1 being this or that,
Why do football fans keep going to watch there team every season even when they
lose or draw most of the time ? (non top 4 teams)

[swisstoni]

BBC can't win. They'd be held to account for spending over the odds on stuff like F1, especially as Sky are always willing to outbid. Wimbledon very sensibly know that their tie up with the BBC is part of their success as a national institution.
And plenty of people moan about the TV license but spend fortunes on Sky, Netflix and lord know what else.

[VolvoT5]

RichB said:

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

Not so. The BBC were desperate to get the UK version of The Voice and it was at a cost of £40 million. Sky picked up the remainder of the BBC's contract for F1 for £20m providing the necessary funds to buy The Voice.

Is there a source for this?

Quite depressing that they would drop a quality product (I think the BBC f1 coverage was excellent) for total tripe like The Voice. But this is the general problem with the BBC IMO.... they seem to have dropped quite a lot of interesting and high quality programs in favour of mediocre (but ratings popular) trash in the last few years.

I suspect this new Government will be doing everything possible to destroy the left wing BBC now anyway. Can probably kiss goodbye to the few races that do remain if they have their funding slashed.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Saturday 16th May 20:03

[RichB]

VolvoT5 said:

Is there a source for this?

Yes, plenty at the time but it was a few years ago I can't be bothered to scour the internet.

[MG CHRIS]

VolvoT5 said:

RichB said:

Derek Smith said:

My understanding is that 'the BBC' did all it could to keep F1 but in the end, due to cuts, had to choose between Wimbledon and F1. This was forced on the BBC.

Not so. The BBC were desperate to get the UK version of The Voice and it was at a cost of £40 million. Sky picked up the remainder of the BBC's contract for F1 for £20m providing the necessary funds to buy The Voice.

Is there a source for this?

Quite depressing that they would drop a quality product (I think the BBC f1 coverage was excellent) for total tripe like The Voice. But this is the general problem with the BBC IMO.... they seem to have dropped quite a lot of interesting and high quality programs in favour of mediocre (but ratings popular) trash in the last few years.

I suspect this new Government will be doing everything possible to destroy the left wing BBC now anyway. Can probably kiss goodbye to the few races that do remain if they have their funding slashed.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Saturday 16th May 20:03

I always thought it was to do with the Olympics coverage that what killed the full coverage of the f1 on the bbc not the voice.

[ajprice]

So at the McLaren post-race debrief, and according to the Daily Mail, so lets say 'allegedly', Ron Dennis gave the team in general and Boullier in particular an arse kicking. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/articl...