NowTV / Watching F1

NowTV / Watching F1

Author
Discussion

phatmanace

Original Poster:

670 posts

208 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Folks,

Any views on what the most cost effective way of watching F1 is for 2020? Having Ditched sky some years ago, I was quite happily watching on C4, but then when they fell out with FreeSat, the SD-only option is pretty horrible.

I was considering a nowTv stick and forking out the £9.99 for each race, especially with family commitments meaning that I rarely get to watch them all.

People have mentioned NowTv deals that come along now and again where you can get a whole season pass for a discount, but at least at the moment, I don't seem to be able to find any of those.

Thanks, Ace

Kraken

1,710 posts

199 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Freeview not an option?

Derek Smith

45,512 posts

247 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Lat year I watched F1 with a mixture of friends houses, Mercedes-Benz World and Now TV passes.

There was no way I could put by 21 Sundays, let alone weekends, to see all the races live. I picked the few that I could see nowhere else and I didn't have any other obligations, and bought passes at Tesco at a reduced price. I can't remember, but probably around 6 or 7. It proved an effective mix. I watched the first race, which was not too exciting, then Bahrain, which was one of the best races I've seen. I avoided France and Monaco.

It was really good.

22 races this season. That's too many for me.

skeggysteve

5,724 posts

216 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
You can get C4 in HD on Freesat, sorry but I can't find the info at the moment but I'm sure a google search should find it for you. It's something like 'non freesat mode' I think.

For Now TV passes I use CDkeys website and occasionally Sky will do offers, I'm currenty watching with their '£20 for 3 months' deal, just have to remeber to cancel at the end of 3 months or they charge you full price.

jonny142

1,502 posts

224 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Just looked at my last yrs Now TV account ...F1 season deal i think they called it ,was £195 for 9 months Sky Sports, so all channel ,so £21.60 odd a month, Watched alot of other stuff apart from F1 so not to bad but still expensive , The Year before was around £160 i think

TheDeuce

21,261 posts

65 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
Lat year I watched F1 with a mixture of friends houses, Mercedes-Benz World and Now TV passes.

There was no way I could put by 21 Sundays, let alone weekends, to see all the races live. I picked the few that I could see nowhere else and I didn't have any other obligations, and bought passes at Tesco at a reduced price. I can't remember, but probably around 6 or 7. It proved an effective mix. I watched the first race, which was not too exciting, then Bahrain, which was one of the best races I've seen. I avoided France and Monaco.

It was really good.

22 races this season. That's too many for me.
Buying discounted now TV passes is the best way I have found too. Although in 2018 I paid for now TV full price, and when I went to cancel they gave me the first half of 2019 half price..


Chrisgr31

13,440 posts

254 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
I watch Channel 4 on Freeview. Having just checked the only way I can watch Now TV on my TV is to get a Now TV stick and for the additional cost and hassle I'll stick to Channel 4!

TheDeuce

21,261 posts

65 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
I watch Channel 4 on Freeview. Having just checked the only way I can watch Now TV on my TV is to get a Now TV stick and for the additional cost and hassle I'll stick to Channel 4!
Could just watch online via now TV website/app if you really want to watch the full sport live - which after 2019, I'd say was worth it... Even though in the end sky/now TV is clearly a rip off!! £200+ a year... It's undeniably unreasonable!

phatmanace

Original Poster:

670 posts

208 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
TheDeuce said:
Could just watch online via now TV website/app if you really want to watch the full sport live - which after 2019, I'd say was worth it... Even though in the end sky/now TV is clearly a rip off!! £200+ a year... It's undeniably unreasonable!
The challenge there is that the All4 app (still) doesn't broadcast in HD - and on a 4K TV, the SD streaming looks awful. It actually looks better on my phone than the big screen.


.... I mean, pet peeve that they still can't stream in HD and it's 2020!


ceesvdelst

289 posts

54 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Dodgy streams is a potential option, not the best, but certainly possible if you can put up with the hassles.

FilH

588 posts

143 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
A spare or second hand satellite dish pointing at the old sky analogue position 19.2 degrees east. A cheep second hand reciever. And watch it all on rtl ( yes it's in German and has add breaks ) but free to watch.





carl_w

9,154 posts

257 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
I just watch the races that I'm interested in/available for on NowTV. Last year someone posted up the cheapest way of getting all the races (e.g. week pass or month pass when there are a few back to back) which I followed until I cancelled a month pass and it offered me something like 3 months for £33.

NowTV keep e-mailing me about a £3/month boost thing that makes the content 1080p but not sure if that applies to F1. Can't say I notice the difference when watching F1, unlike some of the Netflix/BBC stuff that looks fantastic in 4K.

HardtopManual

2,403 posts

165 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
I bought the Now TV season pass last year, thinking that even if I missed the race, I could watch on catch up. You can't, which is why I won't buy it again. You have to watch live or when the race is rebroadcast.

williamp

19,213 posts

272 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
quotequote all
Last year did now tv and will do again. F1 plus Indycar made it, for us financially viable but agree: no catch up. You can only see what they choose to show.

It does allow accross multiple devices, so we shared with family which helped with costs

phatmanace

Original Poster:

670 posts

208 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
HardtopManual said:
I bought the Now TV season pass last year, thinking that even if I missed the race, I could watch on catch up. You can't, which is why I won't buy it again. You have to watch live or when the race is rebroadcast.
this is a useful specific that I was going to ask about, no catch up :-(... also interesting that it's 720p and not 1080...although that's still better than the c4 app.

WonkeyDonkey

2,333 posts

102 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
The lack of catch up put me off nowtv. I usually watch the f1 live but also enjoy the f2 and f3. Can't really watch them live and finding a replay online is a pita.

Deesee

8,327 posts

82 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
Sky Sports Mobile TV 11£ a month so ish 8 months, (free on some Vodafone mobile contracts).

F1 tv via UK IOS App Store 59.99£ (you need a VPN).

Now tv...

Aust/Bahrain/Vietnam month pass

China?

Holland/Spain/Monaco month pass

Baku/Canada/France month pass

Austria day pass/week pass

GB (channel 4)

Hungary day/week pass

Belgium/Italy/Singapore/Russia month pass

Japan/USA/Mexico month pass

Brazil day/week pass

Abu Dhabi day/week pass

So circa 190£

Do you have a satellite dish, if so point at Astra 1 (free tv).

Have a friend who has sky sports, buy them a very very nice bottle of wine and get a Sky go sign in!








IforB

9,840 posts

228 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
What a mess trying to watch F1 is.

All of this discussion and different options, with people seriously (and rightly) suggesting less than 100% kosher methods of accessing the content we want to watch, simply because it is made so expensive or difficult to access when we want to.

For example, I have NOW TV and have forked out this year for the SKY Sports package, so have been paying a not insiginifcant amount to watch the racing.

The problem is, that like most people, I have a life and family and so finding large blocks of time to watch a sport no-one else in the household is interested in becomes often impossible to manage.

That would be fine if there was a decent catch-up service on NOW TV for F1, like is done for everything else, but basically unless you have a PVR or manage to luck out and catch a replay (mainly because their TV guide doesn't work in advance, it just tells you what is on now and next, nothing further) you end up missing it and for me I then end up watching it on Ch4 catch-up, because at least I can access it when it suits me.

Other than moving to Sky proper (which after 25 years I decided to stop because the cost was quite simply ridiculous) then being able to access stuff that you have actually paid for becomes difficult enough to look for alternatives such as dodgy streams or VPN and then use F1's own app. All of which are not exactly what your average punter wants to do.

It is aggravating that even those of us who are willing to pay for it, are finding it difficult to access, let alone those who are less fussed, they will just not bother or watch the stupidly restricted highlights on Ch4 (not Ch4's fault) which are in poor visual qulity and have very little of the actual racing thanks to SKY limiting their race coverage.

It is a mess and I hope Liberty can see that. I know they say they want to fix it, but they'd better get on with it, as for the average punter, it is becoming an absolute pain and deeply dissatisfying.

Eric Mc

121,763 posts

264 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
I wonder what impact this has on UK viewing figures.

Oh - what a surprise.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

TheDeuce

21,261 posts

65 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
IforB said:
What a mess trying to watch F1 is.

All of this discussion and different options, with people seriously (and rightly) suggesting less than 100% kosher methods of accessing the content we want to watch, simply because it is made so expensive or difficult to access when we want to.

For example, I have NOW TV and have forked out this year for the SKY Sports package, so have been paying a not insiginifcant amount to watch the racing.

The problem is, that like most people, I have a life and family and so finding large blocks of time to watch a sport no-one else in the household is interested in becomes often impossible to manage.

That would be fine if there was a decent catch-up service on NOW TV for F1, like is done for everything else, but basically unless you have a PVR or manage to luck out and catch a replay (mainly because their TV guide doesn't work in advance, it just tells you what is on now and next, nothing further) you end up missing it and for me I then end up watching it on Ch4 catch-up, because at least I can access it when it suits me.

Other than moving to Sky proper (which after 25 years I decided to stop because the cost was quite simply ridiculous) then being able to access stuff that you have actually paid for becomes difficult enough to look for alternatives such as dodgy streams or VPN and then use F1's own app. All of which are not exactly what your average punter wants to do.

It is aggravating that even those of us who are willing to pay for it, are finding it difficult to access, let alone those who are less fussed, they will just not bother or watch the stupidly restricted highlights on Ch4 (not Ch4's fault) which are in poor visual qulity and have very little of the actual racing thanks to SKY limiting their race coverage.

It is a mess and I hope Liberty can see that. I know they say they want to fix it, but they'd better get on with it, as for the average punter, it is becoming an absolute pain and deeply dissatisfying.
You're spot on about nowtv not the offering catch up for F1! It's an absolute joke - people are paying a premium for access and not getting a premium product.

As for liberty sorting it out, there isn't very much they can do - the sky deal was signed before they took over. Sky need to get real about the value of F1 to the average punter. £99 a year would be fine, £200+ is just looney.