Bernie sold out - F1 moving to sky

[campbell]

Autosport article. Adam Parr's comments feel a bit derisory, but maybe that's just me:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93455

[foz01]

The BBC signed a contract with F1.

The BBC wanted to get out of this contract, F1 told them to eff off quite rightly, how woudl you feel if your contractors tried to wriggle out of binding contracts, aint ecclestones fault. The BBC are now tring to save face and Sky have clearly bought up the rights with a view to taking them over in thier entirety post 2018.

Much ado about nothing imho!

[campbell]

I'm broadly with you actually, Foz, however it is definitely still a lot to do with Mr E IMHO. Do you think he would stand by and let this kind of buy out happen if he didn't like it, or implicitly endorse it? He's probably been coaching the whole thing in the background, and prob also sees opportunity in it I am certain.

Anyway, what's done is done, only the teams are likely to sway things now I think and they are certainly not on board yet. We'll see.

[mattg]

Apols if the Concorde Agreement has already been mentioned in this thread... this move by Bernie could well be in breach of that agreement, since it includes guarantees for F1 being on free-to-air TV.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93455

I've already had thoughts similar to Campbell's, that Bernie is trying to manipulate the whole business in his usual slippery style. An Ecclestone versus Murdoch celeb death-match would be an entertaining watch!

This is the big point... i'm sure over the next few days the teams and sponsors are going to have something to say about this.

[campbell]

Oops, sorry Jason, you beat me to the Autosport article and in my excitement I hadn't noticed!

[r10crw]

Sorry if its already been asked, am I correct in saying the current commentators work for the BBC? Will we still have Brundle etc on SKY?

[GregR]

Parr has it all completely the wrong way round.

He claims that it costs a fortune to 'put on the show'. B*llocks. he claims its not about two guys with plimsoles and a couple of rackets..

My view is that F1 has become a victim of its own success. The reason they spend £x million a year is because teams can afford to .. and while they're at it they can make a profit, too. F1 teams aren't charities, albeit they might be the loss-making arms of big-budget car companies. Not exactly paupers though, eh?

If the sport hadn't got all of the advertising/sponsorship revenue, people would have to be making cars with the same size of teams as in the 70s, in the same size of sheds that Ken Tyrrell did when he made a world-championship winning car. Ok, perhaps it can never be the pinnacle of motorsport if you scale it back to a limited budget, limit the team size or something like that - indeed, if there were such limits it is likely that GP2 would actually prodive the faster racing.

On that note..

Perhaps if the Beeb were smart they would negotiate a deal to show GP2 on the 'blank' weekends where sky has the F1 coverage. Maybe GP2 would become the sport to watch. Maybe that would deflate some egos ..

With my head back down from the clouds, I'll be interested to seehwther there is anything in Concorde that prevents this deal with sky taking place. Dwarfy is normally one step ahead of the game and methinks this may have something to do with the fact that sky didn't get 100% of the coverage...

[campbell]

You know, I'd really like the chance to watch GP2 "more easily" so that's certainly an interesting angle. But presumably the Beeb would have to fork out for that too, albeit not nearly as much.

[jen]

A blog from Ben Gallop, BBC's head of F1:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors ... betwe.html

[tuscan_thunder]

I have the basic Sky package (no sports) but get Eurosport - GP2 races (and GP3) are shown on it. They're quite entertaining.

[MacK]

A blog from Ben Gallop, BBC's head of F1:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors ... betwe.html

Reading that he says that the current BBC contract is to 2013, so have they cancelled the next 2 years, or sold part of those rights to Sky?



On another note, I hope they don't announce the results in any news/sports reports between the qualifying/race finishing and their 'highlights' packages next year->

[Mr Momo]

Downside - miss the "full season" effect, watching how teams/drivers rise & fall, plus all the Brundle/Coulthard/Jordan/Humphreys analysis

Upside - get my Sunday afternoons back

No big deal. BBC should get its act together and sign up for other forms of british motorsport (GP2/GP3/Lotus Cup/Caterham Academy etc) - "Go Grass Roots BBC !!!"

Overall pants, but everything must change !

Wonder where the teams stand on this ?

[jen]

Watch BBC news from 6.45 tonight. I think Bernie and the teams are being interviewed from Hungary.

[a4drk]

Apparently BBC will show 10 races, incl. British GP

Yeah, on the BBC Sport Website....
Need to upgrade my 19 inch monitor now

crap news.

David

[point n squirt]

Oh God i hope we dont get Watson or pritchard.