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Channel 4 the new home of FTA Formula 1.

No Ad breaks during races. (December 2015)

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MI
Michael
So it's Four-mula One then.
TI
tightrope78
Disappointed to see the BBC step away however excited for Channel Four to be the new terrestrial home of F1.
HC
Hatton Cross
Let the wild rumours about presenters and pundits commence.

Channel 4 could do no worse than try and get the BBC Sport presentation team.
MA
Markymark
Let the wild rumours about presenters and pundits commence.

Channel 4 could do no worse than try and get the BBC Sport presentation team.


.....and hopefully give Lee Mckenzie a more prominent role ?
JA
JAS84
Channel 4... well that came out of left field. Hey, there isn't a race the same weekend as the Grand National is there?
MA
madmusician
Obviously none of you listen to Chris Evans, then! Wink He mentioned it as a possibility on his radio show back in November. And I took it seriously from then, as he has ins at both BBC F1 and Channel 4.

I think it's a positive move going to C4 - they will do a bit more with it than I think ITV would have done. Also it is very likely that Whisper Films will get the production contract, as Whisper has had some investment from C4 recently. Whisper is owned by Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard and does lots of production for the teams themselves - and Sunil Patel (former BBC F1 VT producer) heads up the production side, so if they do produce the C4 coverage, I suspect that the BBC aesthetic will continue, which would be no bad thing.

I just wish that the BBC could have sorted this out in time for the final race of the season, so that the BBC team could have a proper farewell. It's the least that production team deserved. Sad
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Interesting move. I expect running races commercial free was the clincher. Not sure ITV would have committed to that so its good for the FTA viewer. Will be interesting to see if C4 can make this commercially viable and what happens at the end of the 3 years. Potentially puts the future of racing further in doubt on C4.
HB
HarryB
Wonder who could be on the cards to present the Channel 4 coverage. Suzi Perry and co. move to C4, as I can't see them being much use to BBC now?

So C4 being the 'terrestrial' broadcaster, meaning Sky Sports continues its coverage of F1?
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Not great news for Sky really to have another commercial competitor in F1. You have to wonder of the future viability of the dedicated F1 channel, although I think I read somewhere that it may be a contractual obligation ?
Last edited by Square Eyes on 21 December 2015 12:42pm
JA
JAS84
Looked it up - no Grand National clash this year, but there is an F1 race the week before, so a clash in future years is certainly possible.
VM
VMPhil
JAS84 posted:
Looked it up - no Grand National clash this year, but there is an F1 race the week before, so a clash in future years is certainly possible.

Grand National on Channel 4, F1 on More4? Or the other way around?
MA
madmusician
Wonder who could be on the cards to present the Channel 4 coverage. Suzi Perry and co. move to C4, as I can't see them being much use to BBC now?

So C4 being the 'terrestrial' broadcaster, meaning Sky Sports continues its coverage of F1?


Yes - the Sky deal is unchanged from this, and their contract still runs through to 2018. All that has happened is that Channel 4 has taken on the BBC commitment for the final three seasons of the joint deal.

Then we'll see a shake-up in 2019, I'm sure, with BT and Discovery (Eurosport) itching to get their hands on the rights, and possibly ITV and C4 going great guns for it too.

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