Well sad to say i will not be watching this weekends GP.... and i suggest everone does the same.... those on twitter can we #BOYCOTF1 trending (i know there is 2 t's in boycott but this way we can get more #BOYCOTF1 in a tweet)

Why is F1 any different to football? If the tennis went, we'd be happy & they would be moaning. Beeb had to make cuts, F1 is pricey so it went. No point crying, iv got an excuse to get sky now. Matt

I understand that it will cost a minimum of £30 a month to get the package to watch F1 on Sky, for this you get all of the adverts during the racing and the over hyped presentation.

So the Beeb funds Wimbledon where it doesn't bother showing anything for two days because of the rain..gets a cheap do out of any available singer who just happens to be there to keep the crowds entertained and bores the pants of anyone who doesn't get the point of tennis. Two weeks of tosh and the totty isn't as good as it used to be as they now have muscles under their blouses, not to mention all that grunting. I know what I'd rather watch.

Edited 30 July, 201114 yr by Paul007

Maybe if the BBC cut some of the middle and senior staffs salaries and cut a few jobs they could afford to make better TV and keep the likes of F1.

Just a thought.

Well sad to say i will not be watching this weekends GP.... and i suggest everone does the same.... those on twitter can we #BOYCOTF1 trending (i know there is 2 t's in boycott but this way we can get more #BOYCOTF1 in a tweet)

Cutting off nose to spite your face springs to mind!!!

Maybe if the BBC cut some of the middle and senior staffs salaries and cut a few jobs they could afford to make better TV and keep the likes of F1.

Just a thought.

They are making pretty hard cuts as you type :( Less days for crews and production to rig for events and the lowest daily rate in the industry for freelance staff. They are also in the process of making many managers redundant.

It's not within the BBC's remit to get into an arms race with Sky. The public have made their choice and it's Sky.

It's not within the BBC's remit to get into an arms race with Sky. The public have made their choice and it's Sky.

Did the 'public' have a vote in who got the rights to show F1?

Did the 'public' have a vote in who got the rights to show F1?

No but enough of them pour money's into Sky's coffers to make their business model work.

F1 is a business, not some free public facility. F1 won't be the last sport we see moving off terrestrial screens either :(

Edited 30 July, 201114 yr by Lady Elanore

Pure greed, not sport.

well all the sponsors of F1 want to reach a large as possible audiance, I cannot believe they are happy as alluded to by Martin Whitmarsh

Is this the Start of the End of F1? F1 is set to go to Sky Sports with 'some' live races on the BBC.

Petition if you're against it and copy and paste this into an email and send send send:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/keepf1onthebbc

Beeb website: The BBC and Sky Sports will broadcast Formula 1 in the UK between 2012 and 2018 under a new rights deal. The BBC has been the exclusive broadcaster of F1 in the UK since 2009 but its contract with Formula One Management was due to expire after the 2013 season. Sky Sports will show every race, qualifying session and practice live. Both companies will broadcast in high definition. "With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers." Races shown live on BBC TV will include the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Monaco GP and the concluding race of the season. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_7066182,00.html

The current "Government" has slashed the BBC's budget so it has no choice to make cuts. Think of all the people who have no interest in F1 but pay for it via their licence fee. This will be the model for many other deals going forward I see ie cricket and many other sports going this way. I do subscribe to the full Sky package despite hating News International which are getting their come uppence and hopefully will be forced out of broadcasting all together.

F1 is undeniably great technology but rarely good racing. I also subscribe to Premier Sports for their NASCAR coverage of which there is more action in one race than a whole season of F1 and the same often applies to BTCC, WTCC and certainly MotoGP, IoM, BSB and WSB which is for real men. Money makes the wheels go round.

Edited 31 July, 201114 yr by lol

The current "Government" has slashed the BBC's budget so it has no choice to make cuts.

Is there anything that isn't David Cameron's fault

Is there anything that isn't David Cameron's fault

Yes, but if there is something then it is Nick Cleggs fault.

At least Cameron is a proclaimed Tory. You can only have things if you can afford them, everything has a price etc.

Nick Clegg said one thing and did another ie with tuition fee, he is far worse than Cameron ie a two faced Judas.

The F1 issue just re-inforces the Tory thinking. People who can pay can watch F1, those who cannot can play with a hoop in the street.

Edited 31 July, 201114 yr by lol

Yes, but if there is something then it is Nick Cleggs fault.

At least Cameron is a proclaimed Tory. You can only have things if you can afford them, everything has a price etc.

Nick Clegg said one thing and did another ie with tuition fee, he is far worse than Cameron ie a two faced Judas.

The F1 issue just re-inforces the Tory thinking. People who can pay can watch F1, those who cannot can play with a hoop in the street.

omg only you could turn this f1 thread into a political labour fanboy troll. Amazing. :no:

Yes, but if there is something then it is Nick Cleggs fault.

At least Cameron is a proclaimed Tory. You can only have things if you can afford them, everything has a price etc.

Nick Clegg said one thing and did another ie with tuition fee, he is far worse than Cameron ie a two faced Judas.

The F1 issue just re-inforces the Tory thinking. People who can pay can watch F1, those who cannot can play with a hoop in the street.

Wtf?

I have just done a bit of googling, it is reported that the last contract itv signed was £150m over 5 years, when they pulled out, the BBC stepped in (2008) and as the only bidder offered £200m over 5yrs! As the only bidder!

Now this new deal is reported to be 45 "Bernies"* per year from Sky and 20 "Bernies" per year for sloppy seconds on the BBC. Bernie is laughing all the way to the bank.

*A Bernie http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bernie&defid=883530

No but enough of them pour money's into Sky's coffers to make their business model work.

Some of us don't have any choice because the transmission quality of freeview is something that rhymes with bright. I begrudgingly pay it, because there's nothing else. I didn't vote for and certainly wouldn't vote for a move to Sky for F1 and feel cheated. It's going to be cheaper and probably better to go to several BTCC meetings at the relevant circuits to watch it there. At least there won't be any stupidly placed ad breaks right in the middle of the action. No doubt MB and DC are laughing all the way to the bank...EJ doesn't need to.

I'd like thank the little man no end for his help in doing a lot of people out of the oppportunity of watching F1. You know who I mean. DC = David Coulthard too, not that other other jerk.

Would it be free on some European channels from sat? Just thinking this and listing to 5live. A way round this sky crap I hope.

I'm in Ireland and have a sky dish but a freesat hd box.

Where there is a will there is a way.

Wtf?

I have just done a bit of googling, it is reported that the last contract itv signed was £150m over 5 years, when they pulled out, the BBC stepped in (2008) and as the only bidder offered £200m over 5yrs! As the only bidder!

Now this new deal is reported to be 45 "Bernies"* per year from Sky and 20 "Bernies" per year for sloppy seconds on the BBC. Bernie is laughing all the way to the bank.

*A Bernie http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bernie&defid=883530

Oh yeah I forgot he was a big Labour Party support. Great business man, believer in "the Third Way" like JK Rowling, Alan Sugar etc.

Deal sounds like a "Third Way" business deal, hope the do it for Cricket to ie at least one match of every test is Freebie as Strauss has proposed.

I have Sky Sports, but I think it should stay on BBC. Anyone remember the complete dog's breakfast that ITV made of the coverage when they had ITV?

BBC should ditch crap like the darts and snooker - utterly boring and not proper sports!

The problem here is each to their own - I like snooker but can forget about darts, tennis, tiddlywinks, you name it. Slightly OT, I'd not like to have been Nick Heidfeld today.

omg only you could turn this f1 thread into a political labour fanboy troll. Amazing. :no:

Yep, unbelievable.

Can we have a speperate political spam section for lol?

Look at the figures below, it's a small percentage of the total BBC budget.

BBC funding:

According to the BBC's 2009-2010 Annual Report[42] its income can be broken down, as follows:

* £3,446.8 million in licence fees collected from householders;

* £888.3 million from BBC Commercial Businesses;

* £293 million from government grants;

* £112.9 million from other income, such as providing content to overseas broadcasters and concert ticket sales;

Let's keep this thread about F1 and not politics eh?

The move is more down to other factors I believe.

Wtf?

I have just done a bit of googling, it is reported that the last contract itv signed was £150m over 5 years, when they pulled out, the BBC stepped in (2008) and as the only bidder offered £200m over 5yrs! As the only bidder!

Now this new deal is reported to be 45 "Bernies"* per year from Sky and 20 "Bernies" per year for sloppy seconds on the BBC. Bernie is laughing all the way to the bank.

*A Bernie http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bernie&defid=883530

So what happened to the Beeb's 5 year deal, or were they going to default on it?

So what happened to the Beeb's 5 year deal, or were they going to default on it?

As I understand it the beeb were looking for a way out of the deal to cut costs as this link from June suggests.

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/51983.html