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The BBC is to end its Formula 1 TV contract early in order to save money. Channel 4 will take on the BBC's F1 broadcast rights from next season.
Channel 4 becomes terrestrial home of Formula 1 - Channel 4 - Info - Press
"The current financial position of the BBC means some tough and unwanted choices have to be made," said Barbara Slater, the BBC's director of sport.
Formula 1
Liberty Global who own Virgin Media and who are also rumoured to be looking into purchasing Channel 4 also held prolonged negotiations to acquire a stake in F1 but were unable to reach a deal. It is thought Channel 4 won the deal over ITV because Channel 4 agreed not to air ads during the race, something ITV couldn't make a commitment to.
The sport is likely to receive a smaller viewing share on C4, although Bernie Ecclestone has said the broadcaster would bring a “new approach”. F1’s live audience fell to an eight-year low in the UK in 2015, although comparisons are complicated by splits between SKY pay-TV and the BBC's free-to-air coverage.
21 DEC 2015
Channel 4 and Formula One™ agree new three-year deal for 2016-2018
Channel 4 to broadcast 10 races per season live – with highlights of all 21 races
Live races to be broadcast without advertising breaks
Channel 4 will be the terrestrial home of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ from 2016-2018 in a new deal agreed today with Formula One World Championship Limited.
Channel 4 will broadcast 10 live Formula 1® races, including practice and qualifying sessions, in each of the three FIA Formula One World Championship™ seasons from 2016 to 2018. It will also broadcast comprehensive highlights of all 21 Grands Prix and qualifying sessions – including those shown live by Sky Sports F1®. All of the live coverage and highlights will be broadcast free-to-air and in high definition.
Reflecting Channel 4’s track record for innovation in sports broadcasting, in a first for a UK terrestrial commercial broadcaster, no advertising breaks will be taken through the duration of the live races.
Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group said: “I am sorry that the BBC could not comply with their contract but I am happy that we now have a broadcaster that can broadcast Formula 1® events without commercial intervals during the race.
“I am confident that Channel 4 will achieve not only how the BBC carried out the broadcast in the past but also with a new approach as the World and Formula 1® have moved on.”
David Abraham, Channel 4 Chief Executive said: “Formula One is one of the world’s biggest sporting events with huge appeal to British audiences. I’m delighted to have agreed this exciting new partnership with Bernie Ecclestone to keep the sport on free-to-air television.”
Jay Hunt, Channel 4 Chief Creative Officer said: “Channel 4 and Formula One are the perfect partnership. We've the same appetite for innovation and we'll be demonstrating that to fans by becoming the first free-to-air commercial broadcaster to show the races ad free.”
Details of the 2016 races broadcast live by Channel 4 will be agreed in early-2016. Further details of Channel 4’s production and presenting teams will also be announced in due course.
The new agreement to broadcast Formula One World Championship strengthens the Channel 4 schedule and will not affect the level of spend on peak time, UK-originated content.
Channel 4 has a track record for innovative coverage of major sporting events, which most recently includes its BAFTA-winning coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games, RTS-award-winning coverage of horse racing; and its BAFTA-winning cricket coverage. In 2016, Channel 4 will also broadcast the Rio Paralympic Games and 90 days of live racing coverage including The Grand National, Royal Ascot and The Derby.
-ENDS-
For further information:
About Formula 1®
Formula 1®, which began in 1950, is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition and is the world’s most popular annual sporting series. In 2014 it was watched by 425 million unique television viewers from over 200 territories. The 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship™ ran from March to November and spanned 19 races in 19 countries across five continents. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of the Formula One group, founded by CEO Bernie Ecclestone, and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™. For more information on Formula 1® visit www.formula1.com (opens in a new window).
The F1 FORMULA 1 Logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved.
About Channel 4
Channel 4 is a publicly-owned, commercially-funded, public service broadcaster. Financially, C4 is self-sufficient and puts all its profits back into programmes, at zero cost to the taxpayer. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 is also required to commission UK content from the independent production sector and currently works with over 300 creative companies across the UK every year. In addition to the main Channel 4 service, its portfolio includes: E4, More4, Film4, 4Music, 4seven, Channel4.com and digital service All 4.
Over 2015 to date, Channel 4 has increased its peak-time share by +8% - more than any other terrestrial channel. It has also grown its all-hours viewing share across all the major demographics (all individuals, ABC1s, and 16-34s) – the only terrestrial channel to have done so.
Channel 4 becomes terrestrial home of Formula 1 - Channel 4 - Info - Press
"The current financial position of the BBC means some tough and unwanted choices have to be made," said Barbara Slater, the BBC's director of sport.
The Director General announced recently that the BBC needs to plug a £150 million annual gap in its finances from next year. He outlined that two-thirds of the savings would come from ‘scope’ savings, meaning that the BBC would stop doing some of the things that we currently do.
BBC Sport was asked to deliver approximately £35 million of these savings. This was due to the pressing need to realise the savings and the greater flexibility that BBC Sport has to deliver them compared to most other parts of the Corporation.
No Director of Sport wants to be responsible for reducing the amount of sport on BBC TV. But the current financial position of the BBC means some tough and unwanted choices have to be made. There are no easy solutions; all of the options available would be unpopular with audiences.
The amendment to the TV rights agreement for the Open Golf (a move from live to extended highlights) and the sharing of the 6 Nations Championship earlier this year contributed to our savings target. These deals also helped to mitigate the super-inflation that is prevalent across the sports rights market.
And the BBC is announcing today that a significant chunk of BBC Sport’s remaining savings target will be delivered through the immediate termination of our TV rights agreement for Formula 1. Any decision to have to stop broadcasting a particular sport or sporting event is hugely disappointing and taken reluctantly.
As part of the exit arrangements we are extending our radio rights deal to 2021 and will continue to cover the sport via our sports news service and the BBC Sport website. The package of TV rights we have foregone will transfer to another free-to-air broadcaster.
I’d like to extend my appreciation to our production team who for seven seasons consistently produced coverage to the very highest level which has been loved by the sport’s fans. It has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA. The quality of production from those behind and in front of the camera has been without equal.
These are very challenging times for the BBC and sport is not immune to those financial pressures.
We have had to take some unpopular decisions this year but we have done so from a position of strength with long term deals already in place for the likes of the Football World Cup, Wimbledon, the FA Cup, the Olympics, Match of the Day, UK Athletics and the World Athletics Championships, the European Football Championships, Rugby League, Snooker, the London Marathon, the Boat Race and much more.
Barbara Slater is Director of BBC Sport
Formula 1
Liberty Global who own Virgin Media and who are also rumoured to be looking into purchasing Channel 4 also held prolonged negotiations to acquire a stake in F1 but were unable to reach a deal. It is thought Channel 4 won the deal over ITV because Channel 4 agreed not to air ads during the race, something ITV couldn't make a commitment to.
The sport is likely to receive a smaller viewing share on C4, although Bernie Ecclestone has said the broadcaster would bring a “new approach”. F1’s live audience fell to an eight-year low in the UK in 2015, although comparisons are complicated by splits between SKY pay-TV and the BBC's free-to-air coverage.
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