BBC misses Aus GP again, 1st 2015 F1 race live SKY only

[John S]

Beeb's 10 live GPs start Malaysia. Won't please Ian. 

Link shows full BBC coverage for year. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30704154

[Ian]

Don't start me off on the BBC John, wonder if they'll do what they said and hive off half of Wimbledon to BTSport, bet they won't.

[John S]

Don't start me off on the BBC John, wonder if they'll do what they said and hive off half of Wimbledon to BTSport, bet they won't.

Yeah but you'll still be able to get all the matches, even though you don't want em, you've got BTSport with your internet package haven't you?   

Anyway you will get MotoGP which I won't since BTSport outbid the Beeb for that.    I have to make do with highlights a day or so later on ITV4. 

[Scott]

Can't you guys get RTL or whatever the French equivalent is way down the TV dial?  I have to scroll to channel 101 before I find any english, and then I get all the BBC, ITV channels and a handful I don't even remember.  When I can't watch on BBC, I simply watch it in German with the sound down and then stream the english on my computer.

Have faith, when Bernie dies they will find the internet and we'll all be able to buy our $25 F1 subscription (Bernie would charge $1000, justifying it by saying it's a better show than grandstand seats and they go for $4-500 per race).

[Ian]

MotoGP's ok John, but not a patch on the IoM TT, that's real bike racing.

[Alianora La Canta]

Can't you guys get RTL or whatever the French equivalent is way down the TV dial?  I have to scroll to channel 101 before I find any english, and then I get all the BBC, ITV channels and a handful I don't even remember.  When I can't watch on BBC, I simply watch it in German with the sound down and then stream the english on my computer.

Have faith, when Bernie dies they will find the internet and we'll all be able to buy our $25 F1 subscription (Bernie would charge $1000, justifying it by saying it's a better show than grandstand seats and they go for $4-500 per race).

RTL/Sport1 (German) is available on the Astra satellite, Hungary's on Eurobird 9A and Azerbaijan's is on Azerspace (this is just the unencrypted ones; if you have decryptor cards, most European FTA offerings become available.). None, however, are on the main Freesat offering; the satellite has to be configured. Not practical for me, but also not an issue since I can either go to the pub in town (which has Sky F1, albeit the other people there don't watch the racing too carefully...) or watch the BBC version with my parents (my preferred option, since the commentators' voices don't get distorted and are therefore decipherable). Mind you, I wouldn't mind a decryptor to get RAI - they were fantastic last time I listened to them for Brazil 2012...

[Irisado]

RAI offered pretty good coverage back in 2002 when I was in Italy.

On the subject of the BBC's choice of live races, I'm not sure how much of it was up to them, or how much of it was given to them as a 'take it or leave it' type deal.  I am not pleased to see the Russian Grand Prix being shown live again.  That was the worst Grand Prix I've ever had the displeasure to see, so why broadcast it live again?  Also, why broadcast Bahrain live?  Apart from last year's race, it has always been dull, and it's a very controversial event too.  I'd rather have had live coverage from Barcelona and Monza.  At least Brazil will be live this year though.

[Alianora La Canta]

The live race selection system in Britain is as follows:

1) BBC is not allowed to have 3 live races in a row.
2) Sky is not allowed to have 3 exclusive races in a row.
3) BBC gets to pick 3 live races first.
4) Sky then picks 3 exclusive races.
5) The broadcasters then alternate, with Sky getting the leftover round in years with an odd number of races.

It is suspected Russia was the race nobody wanted to claim this year...

[Irisado]

Thanks for explaining the process Ali .  Maybe they could have both just said that they didn't want the Russian Grand Prix, and given it back to Ecclestone .

[Andy B]

Beeb's 10 live GPs start Malaysia. Won't please Ian. 

Link shows full BBC coverage for year. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30704154

I find it odd that the Beeb fly they guy's around the world and do the full broadcast live but do not show it live in the UK? To make it even more odd I get all the races here in NZ live from the BBC on Sky NZ so go figure not that I'm complaining. I had expected to get Sky coverage here but it seems Sky NZ and Sky UK are different entities and buying the BBC coverage is cheaper than buying Sky coverage.   

[Alianora La Canta]

Thanks for explaining the process Ali .  Maybe they could have both just said that they didn't want the Russian Grand Prix, and given it back to Ecclestone .

Sadly they're not allowed to do that. Indeed, races BBC was actually interested in (it considers the second half of the season more interesting than the first, in the main) obliged it to take it.

[John S]

I find it odd that the Beeb fly they guy's around the world and do the full broadcast live but do not show it live in the UK? To make it even more odd I get all the races here in NZ live from the BBC on Sky NZ so go figure not that I'm complaining. I had expected to get Sky coverage here but it seems Sky NZ and Sky UK are different entities and buying the BBC coverage is cheaper than buying Sky coverage.   

I thought too that commentating the whole race live was a pointless and expensive exercise, then my son pointed out to make a proper highlights show you have to have all the coverage anyway, trust the younger generation to be smarter. 

Plus when you think about it the Beeb has contracts with Canadian TV, your NZ Sky and probably others; all this extra revenue cuts the actual cost of putting the commentating team at every race. 

Ian will be heartened that the BBC is not wasting too much of our mandatory licence money flying Eddie and DC to every race. 

 

[Scott]

Eddie and DC aren't a waste, but that bizarre Suzi Perry who likes to hold her iPad for every shot that has me stumped.  What purpose does she serve other than to segue into the next bit?  At least Jake used to pretend to have some F1 knowledge though we knew he was secretly just watching soccer in his hotel room while the race was going on.

[Ian]

With you there Scott, DC and Eddie are great, Suzi Perry is a waste, she should have stuck to bikes, Lee would have been better.

[Monty]

Personally, I think Eddie is a complete idiot  .
DC is great and I like Suzi although I agree Lee might be better. However, Suzi was really successful presenting bikes because she was well liked by the riders. It appears to me that she is starting to get the same reaction from the F1 drivers so her best times might be coming in the future. I felt I had to pay for Sky to get live coverage. Given the choice I still tune to BBC but actually the best presenting team is probably a mixture of Sky and BBC -as long as it doesn't include Ted Kravitz (aka Theodore Slotover), who IMHO is a buffoon!