Formula One to return to BBC TV

The BBC has secured the television rights to show Formula One in the UK from the 2009 season. The five-year deal for an undisclosed fee marks F1's return to BBC screens 12 years after it switched to ITV. The contract covers all platforms and will see F1 broadcast on the BBC Sport website, as well as on TV and radio. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said he was "delighted", adding: "The BBC has some innovative ideas to consolidate and expand our UK fan base."

Among the new developments will be live video coverage of F1 on the BBC Sport website. Asked why he had decided to split with ITV, Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's not that we are unhappy with ITV but I think maybe they will have their hands full with other things and maybe the BBC can service us a bit better.

"I think it will be good, a fresh face. I'm not complaining about ITV, I'm not saying they did a bad job or anything like that.

"But with all the other things they are loaded up with - and who knows they will get some more stuff - maybe it will be a bit more difficult to spend as much time on us.

"I think the BBC will do that."

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7306123.stm

Interview with Bernie (http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/sol/newsid_7300000/newsid_7306500?redirect=7306569.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1)

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I thought ITV were doing a terrific job with the F1 coverage so it'll be interesting to see how BBC differ. One thing that will be an improvement is that there will no longer be any breaks during the live coverage.

This just means that F1 can be STREAMED on the internet! yay!

This is good :D.


No more stupid ads in the middle of the race :D.


I wonder if all the ITV team will jump over to BBC now :-k ????????

or maybe CBC can have access to BBC's F1 schedules... :D:D:D

or maybe CBC can have access to BBC's F1 schedules... :D:D:D

I'll tell you what if you arrange all the local HNIC games to be aired at a later date on BBC, I will arrange the BBC F1 coverage on CBC LOL :D.

Lets hope they stop the Formula Hamiltone Show and start the Formula 1 show...yes?

Lets hope they stop the Formula Hamiltone Show and start the Formula 1 show...yes?

I was gong to say that but I would have got owned lol.

But yeah they should think about making the coverage less biased.

Its ashame that only me and you see it, the rest are totally oblivious :confused:.

Lets hope they stop the Formula Hamiltone Show and start the Formula 1 show...yes?

^ YES! I hope so anyway.
I enjoyed the Melbourne race as we hardly had to see any of him!

Anyway, I suppose its good news as there won't be any breaks.

yes. Brilliant. F1 gets even better. I hate adds during ITV's coverage. I've been wanting to bbc to take over. Its like a dream come true.

I saw this on the news this morning in school (our cateen has a TV) but no one can hear what it says, so i had no idea exactly what it was about.
But yeah for BBC.

Hamster's gonna be commentating =)

Whoa, that's fantastic.

Does this mean us Brits will be able to watch the race on I-Player afterwards, should we miss it live?

If yes, sweet...

Hamster's gonna be commentating =)

You mean Richard Hammond? Is that for real?

I hope not. Well, maybe it'll be ok, I don't mind him that much, so long as they have someone who knows the ins and outs of the cars and the sport, I'll be fine.

Hamster commentating. Woah, that'll be strange. But its deffinetly good. Richards a great presenter and loves F1 just as much as the rest of us.

^^^ that will be awesome, he'll just shout uncontrollably when ever something epic happens.

Hopefully we can have someone sexier to go down the grid on race day and talk to the drivers.

Hamster's gonna be commentating =)

Whoah, really? If so, I really hope they hold on to either Martin Brundle or James Allen. It doesn't make sense to have someone commentating who's not involved in F1, and doesn't have a clue what they're talking about; it will ruin the whole race.

I hope they hold on to the presneter, Steve Rider aswell and all the other people because that's what everyone has got used to and everyone likes.

I don't really understand it myself, ITV had done a brilliant job with the coverage and if BBc's is anything less, I will be disappointed. The only guaranteed upside is that there will be no ads during race coverage, or any coverage for that matter.

To the person who asked about an I-Player or something, you can watch the race streamed live (and Friday practices, Saturday practices, qualifying and the race) on the ITV F1 website.

^^ OK. But the great thing about I-Player is you don't have to watch it live. If you miss the program, you simply go to the BBC website and you can watch any program aired on BBC for the last seven days, whenever you want to.

IPlayer is superb, actually. Perfect picture quality and it streams no bother, unlike some other places I've tried. Unfortunately, the BBC don't seem to like the Scots seeing as they don't put stuff which is only shown on STV on it. There's a few Rangers game I was hoping to re-watch but they don't have it.

Here's quite an amusing article
Steve Rider a sight for Formula One's sore eyes
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/giles_smith/article3613180.ece

Haha, that was indeed a funny article!

I will be glad to get full, uninterupted coverage, but will the presenters be any good? The commentators? etc. They make the program what it is, if they are rubbish and boring it will ruin it for a lot of people.

Well for all you brits, here's a link for F1 streaming. i'm not sure if it works internationally but I've heard it works in UK.

http://itv-31.vo.llnwd.net/d1/broadband/f1/simulcastPlayer.html

Whats british 8am for us mmf1?
I might watch it if i get really bored

The official time for the Friday practice is at 12:00 am Pacific Time so that means it's around 3:00 am for you, Eastern Time. I'm not sure if that's the case though.

Lets hope they stop the Formula Hamiltone Show and start the Formula 1 show...yes?

I was gong to say that but I would have got owned lol.

But yeah they should think about making the coverage less biased.

Its ashame that only me and you see it, the rest are totally oblivious :confused:.

I've explained it once or twice but I'll explain it again.

The way the likes of ITV make their revenue is through advertising. They want the biggest companies to pay the biggest money for the time slots allowed. This is probably the main reason that Bernie Ecclestone is ramping up more and more night races. You have to remember most of these night races are in the far east, out of the Eastern time zone, out of the prime time slot, where the most money can be made through advertising again, because more people will be watching, and again, Bernie can demand more money.

The reason you see so much of Lewis Hamilton, and I agree with you, you do see too much, and I'm a Hammy fan, is because he is the media child of the moment. Everyone wants a piece of him, because he makes good news. It's the same reason you see Victoria Beckham in the paper everyday. Even though she has no discernable talent except to pout like a twat, she appears in the tabloids practically everyday, becuase people want to read about her. Don't no why, never will. However, Hamilton is a British success, and, at this time, that is a crux for the tabloids. Open a tabloid, and everyday you'll read about how Britain is broken, how we need to rebuild, we need to be patriotic.

Lewis Hamilton, therefore, is seen as the perfect role model. Polite, concientious, good looking some may say, and hard working to get to where he is. He is essentially a prize horse in a field of ponies for the tabloids, and the media, because everyone wants to be associated with him. That is why we see so much of him on ITV.

However, I would be expecting different from the BBC. They make their revenue from tax, not advertising, hence they will probably be paying a bigger lump sum to Bernie, but they can just demand more money for "quality entertainment". I would expect to see more advertising boards spring up though in F1, simply because there is more air time. However, the BBC have a massive diversity policy. Honestly, they won't show Hamilton all the time because of his multi racial ethnicity, and if you think that's a joke, trust me, it isn't. They have to cover all fields, so I would expect more in depth reviews, as ITV did last year, more coverage of all drivers, again, more ITV did last year in the early season, and more of the other British Drivers, because they are the BBC. The good thing about the BBC is, if you don't like something, complain. If enough complain, they technically should have to change it, but they usually don't lol.

I hope that's cleared it up a bit more, maybes for some people who didn't really understand the situation all that well too. :)

I've explained it once or twice but I'll explain it again.

The way the likes of ITV make their revenue is through advertising. They want the biggest companies to pay the biggest money for the time slots allowed. This is probably the main reason that Bernie Ecclestone is ramping up more and more night races. You have to remember most of these night races are in the far east, out of the Eastern time zone, out of the prime time slot, where the most money can be made through advertising again, because more people will be watching, and again, Bernie can demand more money.

The reason you see so much of Lewis Hamilton, and I agree with you, you do see too much, and I'm a Hammy fan, is because he is the media child of the moment. Everyone wants a piece of him, because he makes good news. It's the same reason you see Victoria Beckham in the paper everyday. Even though she has no discernable talent except to pout like a twat, she appears in the tabloids practically everyday, becuase people want to read about her. Don't no why, never will. However, Hamilton is a British success, and, at this time, that is a crux for the tabloids. Open a tabloid, and everyday you'll read about how Britain is broken, how we need to rebuild, we need to be patriotic.

Lewis Hamilton, therefore, is seen as the perfect role model. Polite, concientious, good looking some may say, and hard working to get to where he is. He is essentially a prize horse in a field of ponies for the tabloids, and the media, because everyone wants to be associated with him. That is why we see so much of him on ITV.

However, I would be expecting different from the BBC. They make their revenue from tax, not advertising, hence they will probably be paying a bigger lump sum to Bernie, but they can just demand more money for "quality entertainment". I would expect to see more advertising boards spring up though in F1, simply because there is more air time. However, the BBC have a massive diversity policy. Honestly, they won't show Hamilton all the time because of his multi racial ethnicity, and if you think that's a joke, trust me, it isn't. They have to cover all fields, so I would expect more in depth reviews, as ITV did last year, more coverage of all drivers, again, more ITV did last year in the early season, and more of the other British Drivers, because they are the BBC. The good thing about the BBC is, if you don't like something, complain. If enough complain, they technically should have to change it, but they usually don't lol.

I hope that's cleared it up a bit more, maybes for some people who didn't really understand the situation all that well too. :)

Very nice post Sparky. It's really a simple reason behind it.

I've explained it once or twice but I'll explain it again.

The way the likes of ITV make their revenue is through advertising. They want the biggest companies to pay the biggest money for the time slots allowed. This is probably the main reason that Bernie Ecclestone is ramping up more and more night races. You have to remember most of these night races are in the far east, out of the Eastern time zone, out of the prime time slot, where the most money can be made through advertising again, because more people will be watching, and again, Bernie can demand more money.

The reason you see so much of Lewis Hamilton, and I agree with you, you do see too much, and I'm a Hammy fan, is because he is the media child of the moment. Everyone wants a piece of him, because he makes good news. It's the same reason you see Victoria Beckham in the paper everyday. Even though she has no discernable talent except to pout like a twat, she appears in the tabloids practically everyday, becuase people want to read about her. Don't no why, never will. However, Hamilton is a British success, and, at this time, that is a crux for the tabloids. Open a tabloid, and everyday you'll read about how Britain is broken, how we need to rebuild, we need to be patriotic.

Lewis Hamilton, therefore, is seen as the perfect role model. Polite, concientious, good looking some may say, and hard working to get to where he is. He is essentially a prize horse in a field of ponies for the tabloids, and the media, because everyone wants to be associated with him. That is why we see so much of him on ITV.

However, I would be expecting different from the BBC. They make their revenue from tax, not advertising, hence they will probably be paying a bigger lump sum to Bernie, but they can just demand more money for "quality entertainment". I would expect to see more advertising boards spring up though in F1, simply because there is more air time. However, the BBC have a massive diversity policy. Honestly, they won't show Hamilton all the time because of his multi racial ethnicity, and if you think that's a joke, trust me, it isn't. They have to cover all fields, so I would expect more in depth reviews, as ITV did last year, more coverage of all drivers, again, more ITV did last year in the early season, and more of the other British Drivers, because they are the BBC. The good thing about the BBC is, if you don't like something, complain. If enough complain, they technically should have to change it, but they usually don't lol.

I hope that's cleared it up a bit more, maybes for some people who didn't really understand the situation all that well too. :)
As long as Hamilton doesn't take up 90%of the coverage (like the last 2 GP's) I'll be happy. I can agree that the patriotism is distorting the TV's point of view, and while that may be what Britan wants, it's not amusing for the rest of the world. And a lot of people need to realise that Europeans aren't the only ones who watch F1 (yes I'm talking about Bernie...)

He says they should hold all other races so Brittan gets them at prime time, and doesn't have to wake up early/stay up late for the 3 races no in Europe...

He forgets that the rest of the world has stayed up late to watch every other F1 event.

Untill they realise that this has to be the premier WORLD motorsport series, they'll continue to lose viewers and interest in the actual racing (not the inter-team politics).

As of right now, it might as well be the European F1 Championship - there's about twice as many events in Europe than the rest of the world combined!

I understand your point completely, but you have to remember that Europe is still the PRIME target audience. I know that a lot of the world does watch F1, but we in Europe are still the main audience, and because of this, this is where the money is. I know places like America, Canada, Middle East, Australia, all like F1, but only in their majorities.

It's a similar case for NASCAR. That has the most money poured into it than any other race car series in the world, yet, it is premierly based in the Americas. The only way I can watch it in the UK is by catching it the odd time at about 3am on channel 5. Yet, because the main audience is in the Americas, it doesn't matter.

The main thing to remember is, Bernie Ecclestone, although a lot of people don't like him, is with over £2 billion because he is a damn good businessmen. He'll go where the money is, that's for sure.

I understand your point completely, but you have to remember that Europe is still the PRIME target audience. I know that a lot of the world does watch F1, but we in Europe are still the main audience, and because of this, this is where the money is. I know places like America, Canada, Middle East, Australia, all like F1, but only in their majorities.

Europe may be the prime target audience, but the point I'm making is that they're not the only audience. Obviously there's enough people in Aus, UAE, Canada, etc to warrant them putting the big circus tent on a plane and flying them halfway around the world, so why not make it worth their while?

It's a similar case for NASCAR. That has the most money poured into it than any other race car series in the world, yet, it is premierly based in the Americas. The only way I can watch it in the UK is by catching it the odd time at about 3am on channel 5. Yet, because the main audience is in the Americas, it doesn't matter.

Then your NASCAR coverage sucks. We get the races at 9:00am Saturday every week there's an event (2-3, if you count the different series seperately) on at that time regardless of whatever time it was when it was live. That way we get it at a constant, consistent time, the advertising companies get their fill, and everyone enjoys NASCAR crashes

F1 should be able to do the same thing - and it's not like it's going to be every round that you'd have to do it.

The main thing to remember is, Bernie Ecclestone, although a lot of people don't like him, is with over £2 billion because he is a damn good businessmen. He'll go where the money is, that's for sure.
And we have a banking company running Chrysler. But that doesn't make them appealing.
IMHO, the sooner Bernie goes, the better. He reigns like a dictator, and there's no clarity because of him.
Same goes for Mosley (calling Moss a 'certified halfwit' WTF?). The less technical r3tards, the better.

Europe may be the prime target audience, but the point I'm making is that they're not the only audience. Obviously there's enough people in Aus, UAE, Canada, etc to warrant them putting the big circus tent on a plane and flying them halfway around the world, so why not make it worth their while?

What's your adveritising like during the race ? Simply put, it musn't be that good, because they pulled out of the indy GP. North America is potentially the biggest market for F1, but people don't enjoy it as much as they do racing such as NASCAR. Also, you have indy racing too, so it makes less of an impact. You say it warrants flying it round the world, but it can't be making that much money, because they pulled out.

Then your NASCAR coverage sucks. We get the races at 9:00am Saturday every week there's an event (2-3, if you count the different series seperately) on at that time regardless of whatever time it was when it was live. That way we get it at a constant, consistent time, the advertising companies get their fill, and everyone enjoys NASCAR. crashes

F1 should be able to do the same thing - and it's not like it's going to be every round that you'd have to do it.

You just personified my point perfectly. Of course my nascar coverage sucks, nobody in this country is paticularly fond of it.

It is, physically impossible to have F1 on at the same time week in week out. It's a worldwide series. Does America have no time friendly races ?

And we have a banking company running Chrysler. But that doesn't make them appealing.
IMHO, the sooner Bernie goes, the better. He reigns like a dictator, and there's no clarity because of him.
Same goes for Mosley (calling Moss a 'certified halfwit' WTF?). The less technical r3tards, the better.

I never said Bernie was there to make F1 more interesting. The fact I said he was a brilliant businessman is just that, he knows how to exploit everyone and everything to make money. Of course, he wants to make F1 more of a spectacle, but in no way would he ever do it at the expense of serious cost. Financially Viable will be two words very close to his heart.

Max Mosley, I really don't like. I don't understand why he's still there, as his decisions and his board seem to make biased and unrealisitic decisions decisions that are rarely popular with drivers, teams, or the public. I agree it is time he goes. Bernie, as much as I sometimes hate his opinions, deffinitely brings something to the sport. Getting up at 3am is a *****, but I'll live with it.