MOTORSPORT: F1 pay-TV bombshell

Australian Formula One fans wanting to follow Daniel Ricciardo’s world championship campaign this year are going to need pay-TV.

In a bombshell today, it has been announced that pay-TV service Fox will telecast all 20 F1 grands prix live and in high-definition this season, with free-to-air network Ten showing only 10 live.

The season-opening Australian GP at Melbourne’s Albert Park street circuit on March 13-15 remains one of those that Ten will continue to screen live.

But fans who want to see Ricciardo and Red Bull Racing challenge the might of Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, as well as a Ferrari team that may be on the up again, will need Fox Sports to view every GP live.

Those GPs that Ten does not simulcast live won’t be seen on the free-to-air network until 9.30pm on Mondays — and then only as a one-hour highlights package on its One channel.

F1 fans without a Fox subscription, or easy access to a venue with the pay-TV service, will have to wait five weeks after the Melbourne race to see another GP live on Ten — the fourth round of the world championship in Bahrain.

The Monaco GP, the most glamorous of the season, will be live on both Fox and Ten on May 24.

The new TV deal is for five years, but there is no sign of it extending to making the V8 Supercar non-championship races at Melbourne’s GP a round of Australasia’s major motor racing series.

That is a matter for negotiation between Fox and Formula One Management’s 84-year-old British chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

Fox and Ten had been expected to combine in a new F1 TV deal in Australia from next year, but the news that the arrangement had been brought forward 12 months, with Fox becoming the primary telecaster this season, was a bolt of lightning this morning.

Ten, with well-publicised financial constraints, has surrendered its exclusive rights to F1 a year early — at the expense of viewers.

Australian F1 fans would have thought they had at least another year before having to pay if they want to continue to see all GPs live — as V8 Supercar fans now have to do.

Fox’s telecast of the V8 Supercar ‘Super Test’ at Sydney Motorsport Park drew only 30,000 viewers nationally last Sunday, although more than 100,000 watched a highlights package on Ten.

Fox is controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, which also owns the British host broadcaster of F1, Sky.

News Corp often has been mentioned as a potential buyer of the F1 business long run by Ecclestone and in which private equity company CVC has been the largest shareholder for the past decade.

CVC already has reduced its holding, reaping huge profits on its investment and appears intent either on selling the rest of its stake, or most of it — either in a stock market float or to a buyer prepared to pay its price, certain to be several billion dollars.

News of the Australian TV deal today came through News Corp channels, without any comment from the Australian GP Corporation.

Fox has claimed a major coup in snaring F1 in Australia, especially a year earlier than had been expected.

“This is a monumental deal for F1 fans and is in line with our V8 Supercars and MotoGP arrangements, bringing Australian viewers through Fox Sports on Foxtel live coverage of every practice, qualifying and championship race from this season,” Fox Sports chief executive Patrick Delany said.

“On top of this, we have reached an extraordinary affiliate agreement with Sky [in Britain] to deliver through Fox Sports the same incredible F1 coverage which is provided by Sky Sports in the UK.

“With live coverage of every F1 event joining V8 Supercars and MotoGP on Fox Sports in 2015 fans will see the very best motorsport in the world, all live and in high-definition.”

Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein said the deal was “great news for motorsports fans and terrific for Foxtel”.

“Together with Fox Sports we have worked hard to build a truly comprehensive motorsports portfolio and F1 is, of course, an absolute jewel in the crown,” Freudenstein said.

“Not only will fans see all the races live but we will add unrivalled behind the scenes experiences and the most expert commentary available.

“Fans of motor racing will be thrilled with what they can see if they subscribe to Foxtel’s sports package.”

Network Ten chief executive Hamish McLennan said the free-to-air network was “delighted to bring Fox Sports on board as our partner”.

“F1 is one of the great global sports and we are delighted to be able to extend Network Ten’s long and successful relationship [11 years] with Formula One Management,” McLennan said.

“The new deal is a great step forward for F1 in Australia and will ensure bigger and better coverage for motorsport fans.”