Bratches defends F1 internet-pay TV plans

It gets worse....maybe not for me as I'm used to getting up at 2:30am (only getting 4 to 5 hrs of sleep) to watch most of the practices and races BUT...

F1 race start times could change in plans to boost TV ratings

Formula 1 race start times could be shifted back to 3.10pm at the majority of events from 2018 as part of an effort to boost the television audience.

This would mean typical European races would move away from the traditional 2pm start slot they have held for decades.

Furthermore, there is the idea to move the races back a further 10 minutes - to start at 3.10pm - to help better fit with commercial television channel coverage, especially with the American audience and the need to run adverts before the start.

It added a further practice session must take place the day before the race and the qualifying must "take place on the day before the race and will start no less than two hours after the end of P3."

The timetable changes will only apply for events that run to a normal daytime slot, with Singapore and Bahrain running to a full night race schedule and Abu Dhabi again expected to hold its event at dusk.

The start time of the French Grand Prix this year is also expected to be moved back another hour - to 4.10pm - in a bid to avoid a direct clash with the England vs Panama World Cup game that begins at 2pm French time.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/134073/f1-bosses-consider-changing-race-start-times

 

I think its a good move, because nobody under 30 years of age has a premium cable subscription anymore... and if you haven't figured out how to watch internet or app based content on your TV by now, then its time to get with it.

MotoGP streaming service works very well, but they have a lot more content, remember they have 3 series (MotoGP, Moto2,and Moto3) and during race weekends you get non stop coverage of all 3 series from practices to races. This is all in addition to other content covering testing, specials, and an archive of past races. F1 only has the one series, thats 1/3 the live on track content as MotoGP, they would need to add a second series (GP2 for example) just to fill in some of the dead air they would have on race weekends.

MotoGP season subscription for 2018 is $175 (thank you weak dollar).... That might be a little high for F1 fans!

 

is this Bratches dude the idiot that removed the grid girls?

 

Yeh the ex ESPN person....what a shock when TV coverage goes to ESPN.

I would not be surprised if this Grid Girl fiasco is somehow related to the ESPN deal..

 

I wouldn't pay anything close $175 to watch F1 so I guess I am done with F1. I don't watch enough races through out the year to warrant anything close to that. Chalk this up to the powers that be not knowing their audience demographic. I can and do stream on my big screens so that's not a problem.

 

$175 year is $15 a month is on par with subscription based online games. Not bad, especially if you get 100% uptime on your coverage with no adds. Very much worth it.

Problem, is they are likely to rig this deal with "microtranscations", something very popular to implement from the same sort of folks that in other forms here in the U.S. have made similar statements to why the grid girls were removed.

I have to give this a wait and see. 100% up time, fixed cost, that would be great. Adds, microtranscations, etc, forget it.

 

I wonm't pay ****, never did when teh races where good sure won't pay now that they are crap...and with no girls!!