F1 TV audience dwindling.
Discussion
rallycross said:
As someone said above If it was Sky motorsport and had lots of other interesting stuff I’d probably pay for it but not prepared to pay just for F1.
Me too. I would certainly consider it depending on the lineup. Still bugs me that they want us to pay for the service and have adverts. The other motorsport services I subscribe to have no adverts.Sky also have the Indycar series live too. Football channels don’t seem to get the same amount of complaints during the off season when they’re showing replays or interviews and Motorsport has always tended to be a fair weather sport, Rallying excepted, but Rallying audience has been dwindling for years now anyway.
TBH sky aren’t hugely bothered by viewers, as long as they pay their subs. They usually come up with an offer pre-season for the F1 on both Now TV and their sat system too.
As much as Liberty want the races FTA Sky’s lawyers have done a very impressive job in writing their contract. Liberty have, I believe, looked at it in great detail and there’s no wiggle room without significant financial compensation to Sky, possibly in the region if £1Bn+. Which Liberty won’t pay. And it also forbids any other broadcast or stream of live races too, again with no wiggle room or get out clauses.
TBH sky aren’t hugely bothered by viewers, as long as they pay their subs. They usually come up with an offer pre-season for the F1 on both Now TV and their sat system too.
As much as Liberty want the races FTA Sky’s lawyers have done a very impressive job in writing their contract. Liberty have, I believe, looked at it in great detail and there’s no wiggle room without significant financial compensation to Sky, possibly in the region if £1Bn+. Which Liberty won’t pay. And it also forbids any other broadcast or stream of live races too, again with no wiggle room or get out clauses.
Just make F1TV actually worthwhile and have a cheap enough subscription for all the races.
FTA is one thing but traditional TV is dying so why bother considering the money lost?
I’d love it FTA from a viewing perspective but the way to attract new (read: younger, casual) viewers in 2020+ is through a proper working app and subscription service which sadly F1TV is not right now.
FTA is one thing but traditional TV is dying so why bother considering the money lost?
I’d love it FTA from a viewing perspective but the way to attract new (read: younger, casual) viewers in 2020+ is through a proper working app and subscription service which sadly F1TV is not right now.
stevemcs said:
StevieBee said:
Your comment demonstrates the wider issue with restricted TV coverage.
This year has seem some of the best races of the modern era; arguably of any era. Yet because access is limited, people like you (and there are many with the same view) do not get the opportunity to see this for yourself.
When there is less than 2 seconds between first and second and overtaking happens on the track not through pit lane strategy then i may reconsider.This year has seem some of the best races of the modern era; arguably of any era. Yet because access is limited, people like you (and there are many with the same view) do not get the opportunity to see this for yourself.
But it's chicken and egg isn't it? As someone pointed out, if you're a casual observer you might come across forums such as this and deem F1 to be a dull-fest. But much of the discussion here is around the 'nerdy' aspects of the sport that at times may frustrate us but belies the fact that we love the sport and draw great enjoyment from watching and following it. But if a casual observer is all you can be then it's difficult to judge for yourself.
The 2019 season was superb. Anyone who thinks otherwise, I would suggest that F1 isn't really for you.
The cheapest Sky package available at present appears to be £47 a month or £564 a year. The rumoured costs of rights for F1 for Sky are £120m or 212k subscribers at the above price. It appears they had 20 million viewers so around £1 million a race.
No wonder Sky can afford to bid big!
No wonder Sky can afford to bid big!
rog007 said:
A gaggle of twentysomethings I know, all grads and in great paying roles (Engineers/Programmers/Media etc), don’t have Sky. They seem to have everything else (Netflix etc), but not Sky. Not sure if they’re a representative group, but F1 is of no interest to them.
Sky are pedalling a 'past it' product, it's true. The world of content delivery has moved in so much since Sky's heyday, and it's not really a good value choice these days.But that's probably why they're looking to specialise in certain areas they can be strong (sport is certainly an area of strength for them) and I have little doubt that in the next few years we will see them back off from trying to be a sole content provider for their customers, and they will probably start to morph in to something like an Amazon/Netflix equivalent. Possibly with a sporting bent, along with movies and original content.
But for a very long time they were the only real option for most UK viewers that were willing to pay to get more than 4/5 channels, their hardware is in every second home, they're embedded. The newer generations will look elsewhere but Sky have a fair amount of established loyalty to feast off still. Long term they will have to change to compete with newer providers, and that effectively means they will have to match those competitors price/value offering - which means whatever Sky has become at that point, it will have to be cheaper than it is today.
I believe that the disappearance of F1 onto Sky is having a detrimental effect on the profile of all motorsport, and will see it slip further and further from public consciousness.
As for what F1 is or isn't, I am of the view that it has never been what it should be - the most competitive and fastest single seater series in the world, with the entire field circulating as a group throughout the race (NASCAR style, without the contrived safety cars), multiple overtakes throughout the field on every lap, and at least five drivers in with a chance of victory on the final lap.
As for what F1 is or isn't, I am of the view that it has never been what it should be - the most competitive and fastest single seater series in the world, with the entire field circulating as a group throughout the race (NASCAR style, without the contrived safety cars), multiple overtakes throughout the field on every lap, and at least five drivers in with a chance of victory on the final lap.
I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought there were some decent races this year. I don't really get everyone saying it's boring, there have been far worse seasons! I quite like the highlights on 4 too, it means I can have the day to do whatever with the family and then watch it later. There's no way I'd pay for sky though, no sir
TheDeuce said:
Sky are pedalling a 'past it' product, it's true. The world of content delivery has moved in so much since Sky's heyday, and it's not really a good value choice these days.
But that's probably why they're looking to specialise in certain areas they can be strong (sport is certainly an area of strength for them) and I have little doubt that in the next few years we will see them back off from trying to be a sole content provider for their customers, and they will probably start to morph in to something like an Amazon/Netflix equivalent. Possibly with a sporting bent, along with movies and original content.
But for a very long time they were the only real option for most UK viewers that were willing to pay to get more than 4/5 channels, their hardware is in every second home, they're embedded. The newer generations will look elsewhere but Sky have a fair amount of established loyalty to feast off still. Long term they will have to change to compete with newer providers, and that effectively means they will have to match those competitors price/value offering - which means whatever Sky has become at that point, it will have to be cheaper than it is today.
that's very true, in a world where you're used to technology trying to work out what you like and present it, and in cases having infuriating little "structure" (I'm looking at you Netflix), the sky platform is getting pretty long in the tooth, where you miss things you'd have loved to know about.But that's probably why they're looking to specialise in certain areas they can be strong (sport is certainly an area of strength for them) and I have little doubt that in the next few years we will see them back off from trying to be a sole content provider for their customers, and they will probably start to morph in to something like an Amazon/Netflix equivalent. Possibly with a sporting bent, along with movies and original content.
But for a very long time they were the only real option for most UK viewers that were willing to pay to get more than 4/5 channels, their hardware is in every second home, they're embedded. The newer generations will look elsewhere but Sky have a fair amount of established loyalty to feast off still. Long term they will have to change to compete with newer providers, and that effectively means they will have to match those competitors price/value offering - which means whatever Sky has become at that point, it will have to be cheaper than it is today.
Like many, I was a die hard, watch every race live, F1 fan until Sky got hold of it. I did subsrcibe to Sky briefly when you could get the F1 without the full Sky Sports package, but I decided to let it lapse as we weren't getting much value form any of the other channels and I decided I would just watch on Now TV. I slowly stopped doing that as you can't watch on-demand on Now TV and £10 per race seemed a bit steep, so I slipped into watching Channel 4's live coverage which I thought was excellent, and occasionally buying NowTV Sky F1 for the ones CH4 didn't have live. That dwindled tonothing as the highlight packages were actually ok most of the time. However, since Ch4 don't show anything (except 1 race) live now, I got a bit annoyed at always seeing the result before the race and I've slipped into recording everything and just catching up when I've got time. There's a few races I didn't see at all this year, which is a first. If I could see all the sessions live again I'm certain my enthusiasm would return.
My current home TV is Freesat plus Netflix which costs a grand total of £9 a month. Motorsport aside, I'm pretty satisfied with what I get for that price. The cost to get back into Sky F1 as far as I can see is £45 per month, which is just eye watering. They have to be delivering one hell of a motorsport viewing experience to justify that.
My current home TV is Freesat plus Netflix which costs a grand total of £9 a month. Motorsport aside, I'm pretty satisfied with what I get for that price. The cost to get back into Sky F1 as far as I can see is £45 per month, which is just eye watering. They have to be delivering one hell of a motorsport viewing experience to justify that.
stinkyspanner said:
I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought there were some decent races this year. I don't really get everyone saying it's boring, there have been far worse seasons! I quite like the highlights on 4 too, it means I can have the day to do whatever with the family and then watch it later. There's no way I'd pay for sky though, no sir
People have their own preference for what makes a 'good' season. And as folk age, what they qualify as 'good' tends to lean towards what they got used to when they were younger 
But taking a step back, objectively I would say this season (2019) was about as good as the sport has ever been. Most of the extra drama from previous era's was caused by unreliability and danger which isn't exactly the stuff of sporting accomplishment. This season, the cars could race, they could pass - and they did, more so than for a very long time.
It depends how you watch I guess. But in terms of racing to identify the best in each team and overall, this season is very hard to beat. For true race fans, it's been epic. I expect the upcoming season will be more of the same, essentially an extension of 2019, or if you prefer, the second half of the 2019 story
Teddy Lop said:
that's very true, in a world where you're used to technology trying to work out what you like and present it, and in cases having infuriating little "structure" (I'm looking at you Netflix), the sky platform is getting pretty long in the tooth, where you miss things you'd have loved to know about.
Just the fact it's possible to 'miss things' on Sky shows how out of date they are. I know a lot is on Sky on demand... but not all. It's all too complex to work out what value you're actually getting with Sky these days. With Netflix etc, it's dead simple: If it's on the platform, you can watch it whenever you wish. Technology makes life more efficient but also increasingly fast paced. When it comes to entertainment, technology should indeed make it a simple and clear task, because really no one has the time these days to fanny about working out if Sky is right for them by working out what content they can watch live/repeat/on demand and based on tiered levels of subscription. Just serve up the content and let the increasingly busy consumer decide when to watch...very few people I know have SKY now. Within my family and social circle probably 80% have binned it in the last 6-7 years.
The people that do have SKY are not huge sports fans. Typically they'll have young kids and just want loads of tv channels.
The few people I do know that are into F1 don't have SKY, they consume it through other means. The one thing they all say is that they are not paying SKY for it.
Will F1 go the same way as boxing? Just disappear from mainstream media?
The people that do have SKY are not huge sports fans. Typically they'll have young kids and just want loads of tv channels.
The few people I do know that are into F1 don't have SKY, they consume it through other means. The one thing they all say is that they are not paying SKY for it.
Will F1 go the same way as boxing? Just disappear from mainstream media?
Drive Blind said:
Will F1 go the same way as boxing? Just disappear from mainstream media?
Doubt it. If people do give up paying Sky and it becomes a loss make for Sky, then at some point they won't renew the rights. At that point Liberty will effectively have a devalued product to find another UK broadcaster for... End result, it's back on BBC or wherever, for free, until it restores it's popularity and can be milked afresh behind a paywall again.In the end, the collective consumer directs what it's worth.
Luckily for Sky then, if everyone in the UK is binning F1 on the F1 Channel, the F1 Race feed and commentary is also used by other countries as well... ESPN use it in the states I think, as does Canada, I'm sure there's more countries than those as well. Plenty of opportunities for Sky to make a buck...
And don't forget, you get all F3 races, all F2 races (Practice, Qualy, Race). We also get the whole Indycar season, race and qualy, including the Indy 500 where you also get all practice....
Oh... don't forget pre-season practice. Live this year all day for both tests,
And don't forget, you get all F3 races, all F2 races (Practice, Qualy, Race). We also get the whole Indycar season, race and qualy, including the Indy 500 where you also get all practice....
Oh... don't forget pre-season practice. Live this year all day for both tests,
super7 said:
Luckily for Sky then, if everyone in the UK is binning F1 on the F1 Channel, the F1 Race feed and commentary is also used by other countries as well... ESPN use it in the states I think, as does Canada, I'm sure there's more countries than those as well. Plenty of opportunities for Sky to make a buck...
And don't forget, you get all F3 races, all F2 races (Practice, Qualy, Race). We also get the whole Indycar season, race and qualy, including the Indy 500 where you also get all practice....
Oh... don't forget pre-season practice. Live this year all day for both tests,
Yup, the offering is good if you're able to pay for it. I do (via NowTV - discounted) and I don't have any complaints. The testing coverage is particularly good given you would think there isn't very much to talk about! It works though.And don't forget, you get all F3 races, all F2 races (Practice, Qualy, Race). We also get the whole Indycar season, race and qualy, including the Indy 500 where you also get all practice....
Oh... don't forget pre-season practice. Live this year all day for both tests,
But I'm a hardcore fan on an F1 fan forum, hardly representative of the average semi-passionate viewer that in many cases binned Sky years ago and can't afford to bring it back just for 21 races a year.
As for the raced feed commentary, I think in the recent Brundle podcast he said his word's were heard by 100m ish people. As ever in the UK these days, people fail to realise how inconsequential our little nation is in the grand scheme of things. I'm sure Liberty spend a lot more time working out how to conquer developing nations with F1 than they do worrying about shedding a 6m viewers in the UK due to a paywall that they're making good money out of.
As usual I see people talking about how Sky is a dying service and behind the times when they've grown subscriber numbers every year for around 4 years in a row? You now have Netflix integrated into the boxes (albeit with lower quality settings (no 4k on Mini boxes and no HDR but that'll come next year) and if you also take the Sky box Sets package you can save money overall and pay less for your Netflix too.
The Eleven Sports palaver shows that the majority of people still want to watch their live sport on a big screen TV sitting on a comfy sofa, not on a tablet or mobile. While Sky is the major place to watch Premier League Football and many other sports including the F1 they'll continue to have a core of customers. Sky are also well aware that their USP for many people is the Sport and they'll continue to bankroll the PL and other sports as well. Sky have decided to work with BT Sport and Netflix as both of those companies see Facebook, Google, Apple and Disney+ as potential major players in the future. Amazon had some football this year, when the next round of rights comes up for auction we could see Amazon outbidding BT Sport or Sky. If Amazon wanted to they could blow Sky out of the water and take all their PL football away, they're that cash rich, but since Sky got taken over by Comcast their pockets are, if anything deeper than ever before.
The Eleven Sports palaver shows that the majority of people still want to watch their live sport on a big screen TV sitting on a comfy sofa, not on a tablet or mobile. While Sky is the major place to watch Premier League Football and many other sports including the F1 they'll continue to have a core of customers. Sky are also well aware that their USP for many people is the Sport and they'll continue to bankroll the PL and other sports as well. Sky have decided to work with BT Sport and Netflix as both of those companies see Facebook, Google, Apple and Disney+ as potential major players in the future. Amazon had some football this year, when the next round of rights comes up for auction we could see Amazon outbidding BT Sport or Sky. If Amazon wanted to they could blow Sky out of the water and take all their PL football away, they're that cash rich, but since Sky got taken over by Comcast their pockets are, if anything deeper than ever before.
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