F1 Digital + RIP

DMC

Ecclestone switches off F1 TV service

http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/story/0,7494,843160,00.html

Julia Day
Tuesday November 19, 2002

Bernie Ecclestone has pulled the plug on the formula one pay-per-view TV service he ran with broadcasters including BSkyB and Canal Plus, after it failed to ignite the interest of racing fans.

The hugely ambitious operation, which meant flying two jumbo jets full of equipment around the world stopping off for each race on the circuit, did not prove popular enough to justify the massive cost.

Instead Mr Ecclestone will use the sophisticated equipment, including on-board cameras, for free broadcasts.

The F1 Digital+ service was launched in the UK last spring in a joint venture between BSkyB and Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management, but has been pulled after its first season.

Similar services had been running in other European countries, including Germany - where it was launched in 1995 - and France. But now all the digital broadcasts have been halted.

In the UK subscribers had access to eight different strands of programming, including continuous live broadcasts from cameras on the cars and a separate channel dedicated to the action in the pit, for £12 a race.

The formula one boss has built up the world's most advanced digital broadcasting facility in the world at a cost of £35m, hoping to make the format the future of racing on TV.

But this year even terrestrial coverage of this year's races did not prove particularly popular, with the dominance of Germany's Michael Schumacher being blamed for turning off viewers.

Coverage of the Japanese grand prix was beaten in the ratings by Paula Radcliffe's record-breaking Chicago marathon win and even snooker's LG Cup.

dmeehan

it might have lasted a bit longer (though not much) if they were'nt charging a ridiculous E19.60 a race. I assume they have finally copped on that it was on free on two other channels:D

ShaneOC

Originally posted by DMC
Instead Mr Ecclestone will use the sophisticated equipment, including on-board cameras, for free broadcasts.

Now that sounds better.

I planned to get one of the races on F1 Digital + but never got around to it.

Can anyone who did try it tell me if they had the onboard graphics that we saw during one of the last races this year. We got to see the rev counter. I vaguely remember seing a cool on screen display of the speed, rev counter and current gear during the Japanese GP a few years ago. It gives a great sense of the speed which you don't appreciate on TV.

DMC

Yes Shane, the astons and graphics used on I think the US GP was the standard set for F1D+

chernobyl

Booo! Hissssss!

DMC

Its gone everywhere else as well Chernobyl.... bit of a písser that... was it sucessful in Europe at all, at any point?

chernobyl

It never had a chance of being sucessful as piracy hit the big leagues in late 97 but the service in Europe was priced extremely well.

Before Kirch hit the money probs they were offering season tickets for <€50 but last year to get F1+ you only had to subscribe to Premiere Sport for €15 a month to get it and also there was unlimited replays [so to speak]

Canal were slightly more expensive as there no season tickets and the service was available on thier Palco PPV channels @ €9 a race...maybe less.

It would never have been big in britain as it was just too expensive but britain was the key to its sucess a long time ago but silly fights have meant big losses to Bernie.

$12/€20 hits per race and €60 for 8 races...only a fool would pay that, and this is one.

I dont believe for a second that its "cost" as Bernie see's that he can make more money offering a centralised service to everyone.

In the article they say that lugging an investment of $100m around in two jumbo jets has proved too costly as the lack of interest.

So Bernie will continue to lug the two jumbos and $100m digital heaven around, but now instead of each country being allowed to produce the "world" feed, Bernies team will do it all but unfortunately for me that means no more "full weekend" coverage and once again, silly advert interruptions.

The coverage for the rest of the world will be ramped up some though.

DMC

Originally posted by chernobyl
In the article they say that lugging an investment of $100m around in two jumbo jets has proved too costly as the lack of interest.

So Bernie will continue to lug the two jumbos and $100m digital heaven around, but now instead of each country being allowed to produce the "world" feed, Bernies team will do it all but unfortunately for me that means no more "full weekend" coverage and once again, silly advert interruptions.

The coverage for the rest of the world will be ramped up some though.

Yep, and I think this is where the distinction is. Bernie realises that PPV has not worked, and for those watching on RTÉ and ITV for the last few years have discovered that the coverage has been stagnant, that the best way to please the majority of fans is to give them the top range coverage on terrestrial.

He still makes the most money on terrestrial rights, and with the way the terrestrials have been given locked down coverage over the last while, ITV and RTÉ would've been willing to pay less for the rights to terrestrial coverage, because what they were getting was **** in comparison.

So what does Bernie go and do? Close the PPV operation and give ITV and RTÉ all the bells and whistles; better graphics, more in-car, more cameras, in-car radio, a dedicated production team (no ropy local TV productions!) all of course without the interactive features and choice of views, which was the killer app of F1 D +.

Result: F1 gets a fresh new look and doesn't look as boring, ITV and advertisers pleased and Bernie get more money when the contracts are renewed.

spanner_head

Found this on the bbc website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2492975.stm

F1 to boost TV coverage


Ecclestone hopes to arrest declining viewing figures



By Andrew Benson
BBC Sport Online motorsport editor



Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has moved to improve television coverage of the sport for the new season.

F1's digital TV facility is to replace local broadcasters in supplying pictures to all free-to-air television companies from the races in 2003, Ecclestone told BBC Sport Online.

The move comes after a season in which TV audiences declined dramatically in the wake of Ferrari's domination of the season and manipulation of results.

It should mean better overall coverage of the races - the digital production has generally been superior to that offered by terrestrial TV in recent years.


Digital TV has captured more of the action in recent years

At least in part, this has been because Ecclestone had denied terrestrial broadcasters access to certain pictures

In particular, on-car camera coverage will now be available to all viewers regularly during broadcasts.

This had largely been denied to terrestrial viewers while Ecclestone tried to promote his pay-per-view service over the last seven years.

Ecclestone said the future of the pay-per-view service is "up in the air", but denied a report in a British newspaper on Tuesday that he had already decided to ditch it for 2003.

The new approach will mean that Ecclestone's company will have more control over ensuring that the best action is shown.

Local producers have been criticised for concentrating too heavily either on race leaders or local drivers - and not showing action at other places in the field.

Ecclestone's digital service often captured incidents that were missed by local companies, whose facilities were restricted.

Ecclestone said that he would try to customise TV coverage for each country.

Ecclestone admitted that he had been disappointed by the lack of popularity of pay-per-view.

It was first introduced in Germany in 1996, before spreading elsewhere in Europe in subsequent years - and to the UK for the first time last season.

"We did a super job, but there was just not the take up we expected," Ecclestone said.

A decision on the future of the pay-per-view service would be taken "soon," he said.

Leesider

Has the F1 channel disappeared from the EPG?
It was there yesterday, but seemed to be missing today.

chernobyl

Haha, theres still life in the old dog!

http://www.dailyf1.com/en/news/news.php?id=2726

Mossy Monk

A Quote From Bernie Ecclestone
Pay per view does not work. And nobody knows why.

i do. the majority of viewers don't want to hand over a fortune to watch a race that can be seen for free elsewhere

chernobyl

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
i do. the majority of viewers don't want to hand over a fortune to watch a race that can be seen for free elsewhere

I can assure you that when watching F1+, you are viewing an entirely different race.
The boring races are even worth watching.

Mossy Monk

that is very true. i have seen it a few times and it is a very good service. but most people are only interested in the result. Bernie should have enforced a price limit on the cost of it

DMC

Well, if it was kicking before, its dead now....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2502589.stm

DMC

And it gets worse... The Digital service will not now provide pictures for FTA coverage. Coverage will be the same as before.

Digital F1 service scrapped

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2502589.stm

Bernie Ecclestone has finally decided to entirely scrap Formula One's pay-per-view digital television service, BBC Sport Online has learned.

It is thought that some 220 people have been laid off as a result of the collapse of the service.

Digital viewing figures have been poor and Ecclestone had already said he would scale down the project.

"We produce a product for pay-per-view and we agreed with the broadcasters to discontinue the service," Ecclestone said.

Only three weeks ago the F1 supremo said that, instead of providing an alternative from terrestrial images, the digital pictures would provide shots for free-to-air broadcasters around the world.


Effectively every country would have received their F1 coverage via the Formula One Management (FOM) company's pictures.

In the 2002 season FOM took cameras and equipment to every race - transporting them from country to country using two jet planes.

But now Ecclestone has made a u-turn and decided to shut down the service altogether.

That means the existing system, whereby a race in, for example, Brazil, would be beamed around the world via Brazilian television's pictures, will continue.

The countries which host F1 races have a reciprocal arrangement whereby the 'host' broadcaster gives the others its images.

However, Ecclestone said he hoped FOM would be producing TV pictures for the world by 2004.

Germany was the first country to screen the sport on pay-per-view television in 1995, while the interactive service has spread across Europe in recent years.

Features such as in-car cameras were cut back from terrestrial television in order to promote them better on digital but figures remained poor.

This could have been due to Ferrari's dominance but in Germany - home of world champion Michael Schumacher - numbers were disappointing.

In Britain the digital service was screened on Sky's F1 Digital+ but that will now be closed down.

The likes of Canal Plus in France and DSF in Germany will also lose the pictures which were provided by Formula One Management.

Element 4

I think that I was one of the loons that would have paid a sub fee for the whole season if it were available in the begining.

Thanks be to Rupert it was n't availabe as if it were I woul dhave being maknig a voodoo doll of Bernie and roasting it over the fire.

An utterly boring F1 season capped off by watching a hung over looking Matt Lorenzo trying to sound knoledgable, is it any wonder it has shadows of doubts over it at this stage.

Perhaps Bernie should make some of these facitities available to the Terestrial channels who already pay too much for this "SPORT" and for GOD SAKE GET RID OF PETER COLLINS !!!!!!

bye4now

chernobyl

Originally posted by Element 4

Thanks be to Rupert it was n't availabe

Wrong.

Originally posted by Element 4

Perhaps Bernie should make some of these facitities available to the Terestrial channels who already pay too much for this "SPORT" and for GOD SAKE GET RID OF PETER COLLINS !!!!!!

Wrong.

Originally posted by Element 4

bye4now

Get out.