Formula 1 fans make plea as Sky Sports extends TV deal to 2029
Live coverage of every race will remain behind a paywall after Sky Sports extended their deal with F1 until 2029.
Sky Sports entered F1 coverage back in 2012, showing every session while selected races remained live on terrestrial TV. In recent years just the British Grand Prix has been available free-to-air on Channel 4 which shows highlights of all other qualifying sessions and races. That will remain the case under the terms of the new deal.
News of the extended Sky deal was hailed by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who said: “Formula 1 has seen huge growth in recent years, and I can't think of a better partner to continue to reach our fans with dedicated, expert and in-depth coverage.”
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But the reaction of F1 fans has been mixed to say the least. Some have welcomed the news while others have bemoaned the expense of needing a subscription to watch the sport. Meanwhile, others called for Sky for stop showing adverts in the middle of sessions.
“Good, now stop putting adverts on during practice,” posted one fan on Twitter while another said: “Great – no adverts during live sessions now – especially practise. We pay to watch the sport, you’ve got our money.”
A third wrote: “Sky seriously need to up their game. Sick of watching adverts during practice and between qualifying sessions when I already pay £Silly for it.”
On Sky’s coverage in general, one fan said: “I think Sky provide great coverage of live sessions but programming through the week needs a lot of work. So much repeated content every day. Show some Motorsport documentaries, original content about the regulations, car design etc.”
What do you think about F1 staying on Sky Sports? Tell us in the comments section below.
A number of fans were not happy, with one tweeting: “What a sad day for free to air TV coverage of motorsport in the UK.”
Another added: “On the 1 hand, it’s good to have continuity as it is best coverage we have had, but it’s a shame to not see some shared Free to air coverage, as you need to catch those sporting neutrals.”
One fan simply asked: “Are you going to do anything to make it more affordable?”
But another defended the broadcaster, saying: “Some people need to shake their heads. @SkySportsF1 do a tremendous job to bring all of the #F1 track action live allied to all the other features. Viewers have never had it so good. When l was a kid we got 10min on Wheelbase on Tues evening after the race if we were lucky!”
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