GRcade

David Coulthard reveals worries about new F1 exclusivity deal with Sky Sports ahead of next season

The start of the 2019 season will see Sky Sports becoming the sole TV rights holder for F1 in the United Kingdom, marking the first year in a six-year rights deal for the subscription-based broadcaster.

The move will see the live coverage of the sport disappear from free-to-air television across the country - although Sky will have to make their coverage of the British Grand Prix available to non-subscribers each year under the terms of the deal.

Sky currently share the UK broadcast rights to the sport with Channel 4 (a free-to-air platform) although this arrangement will cease at the end of the season.

One man who is concerned by the move is former McLaren driver - and Channel 4 F1 pundit - David Coulthard.

Coulthard shared his views on the situation during a podcast, hosted by Motor Sport - and fears that the absence of F1 on free-to-air television will damage the appeal of the sport in the UK.

The 47-year-old Scot feels so strongly about the issue that jokingly threatened to protest against the move to F1 owners Liberty Media.

"I'm planning a march to the Liberty (Media) offices at the end of the year, and I'm going to get all the Formula One fans to hunker down outside the building and we are not going to leave until they put Formula One back on free-to air television," declared Coulthard in tongue-in cheek fashion, with a sense of seriousness as well.

Coulthard is, however, very much serious about his belief that the move will be a negative for the size of the sport's fan base in the UK.

"I grew up watching it, but back then there was only three channels...Nowadays there are so many more options and stimulations for youngsters...When you reduce the window of opportunity to capture them (by moving to a pay platform), then you are just going to shrink the audience," argued Coulthard.

Sports such as golf, tennis and cricket have all seen a reduction in fan engagement and participation following their own moves to the subscription-only broadcaster, evidence that Coulthard's concerns are far from unfounded.

"There will still be the hardcore fans, Sky do a fantastic job with a dedicated channel so there's no fears in terms of how well served the sport will be, but there will be a smaller audience. It's a shame for Britain. This is the home of motor racing," declared Coulthard, worried about the potential drop in visibility for the sport.

"We are too modest, we don't shout enough about how great our engineering is. People want to come and work here...We have seven teams based here. It's a huge industry and generator of income for the UK economy...If people aren't seeing the sport, then maybe we lose them to other industries."

Whilst Liberty Media have put significant resources into developing the social media presence in recent times, the lack of a traditional broadcast deal across UK television is an undoubted negative for the profile of F1 in the UK.

Sky's rights deal runs until 2025, by which time it would be no surprise to have seen a further shift in the manner in which sports fans consume content.

Indeed, Coulthard himself believes that there is bound to be change. The new deal was originally struck back in 2016. However, in recent times promoters have begun to complain about the spiralling costs of hosting races - making it possible that the value of traditional TV rights will fall when they are renegotiated.

"The revenue from Sky is huge. It does benefit the sport and the teams...Business is business...But the traditional broadcast model of television companies paying those big numbers has peaked."

As frustrated as F1 fans locked out by the "paywall" will be by the broadcast changes, the fact remains that Sky will hold a six-year monopoly over live F1 coverage from next season. It is incumbent upon Liberty Media to ensure that they are as comprehensive and as innovative as possible in the way that they market the sport across other mediums to limit the effect of the new TV on F1's mainstream appeal.

Vermilion wrote:With any luck he and Max will be in the gravel at turn 1.