Nature?
RELEASE THE TIGER
RELEASE THE TIGER
Liberty Media buy F1
- Thread starter Bill Boddy
- Start date
rufus_mcdufus
Champion Elect
Maybe one of his daughters will take over?
*shudder*
*shudder*
Oh sweet lord no !!!
If Bernie goes in three years that gives the new company 2 years to write a new Concorde agreement.
There is no doubt that one individual will ever hold that much power over F1 again. All the talk on the radio was of Liberty (should they complete the deal) ruling more by a board and chairman arrangement.
I fear though, we are going to see more power plays over the next few years as each team scraps for influence with the new owners.
First rule for the new outfit to bring to the table 'we don't give a crap how long you've been in F1'. That would solve a few issues from the get go.
If Bernie goes in three years that gives the new company 2 years to write a new Concorde agreement.
There is no doubt that one individual will ever hold that much power over F1 again. All the talk on the radio was of Liberty (should they complete the deal) ruling more by a board and chairman arrangement.
I fear though, we are going to see more power plays over the next few years as each team scraps for influence with the new owners.
First rule for the new outfit to bring to the table 'we don't give a crap how long you've been in F1'. That would solve a few issues from the get go.
Agreed, a simpler arrangement would be welcome. Large annual payouts to all teams capable of genuinely competing, with bonuses for championship points. A meritocracy.
I'm happy that Bernie will still be around to stir the pot for a bit, he amuses me. Maybe Liberty will make him interview a few drivers, do the pre-race grid walk perhaps. Heh, here's hoping. I bet Sky are rubbing their hands together already, what with their connections to Chase Carey. It'll be interesting...
I don't hate the idea of Horner taking over. He's been a far better team principal than Ecclestone ever was, he's far more public-tolerant than Ecclestone, and he is capable of navigating even the trickiest of door systems.
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With their close links to Murdoch that's the final nail in the coffin for free to air coverage in those countries where it remains.
Not to mention free-to-the-internet - as I read it, their intention will be to "monetise" (hateful word) as much access to F1 as they can.
I think there will be FTA TV deals still done, but more along the old BBC/C4 lines, where only a select few races will be live, the rest covered with highlights. If you want all races live, you will almost certainly have to pay for the privilege - wherever you live.
I think there will be FTA TV deals still done, but more along the old BBC/C4 lines, where only a select few races will be live, the rest covered with highlights. If you want all races live, you will almost certainly have to pay for the privilege - wherever you live.
When I read this my heart sank,
“We were particularly attracted to F1 by the diverse revenue drivers and low-risk business models,” he explained. “There are essentially three core revenue buckets in the business: race promotion, broadcasting and advertising, and sponsorship – each with significant growth potential as we go forward."
Seems like they are going to squeeze every last penny out of the support.
What they fail to realize is that F1's fan base is the weakest it's ever been. Squeeze too hard and you'll break it.
What they fail to realize is that F1's fan base is the weakest it's ever been. Squeeze too hard and you'll break it.
Chase Carey has also said:
"I see great opportunity to help Formula One continue to develop and prosper for the benefit of the sport, fans, teams and investors alike."
cider_and_toast, this is not aimed at you personally, but to all of us:
No need to make any doom-laden predictions yet. Of course there will be controversial and bad ideas, as well as good, that get floated over the next year or two before we start to see any real change from a fan's point of view. There will be hirings and firings and jostlings and deals and silly things reported. As there have been over recent years, decades, always? We know that the sport will be milked for profit, but the new owners are supposedly experts at this - hence why would they squeeze too hard and break it? I may be rose-tinted in my view, but we have an amazing sport compared to many others. What other sport allows direct access to the players / drivers in the very minutes before they go on track risking all for glory? Can you imagine trying to interview a boxer just before a big fight? Or a football captain in the tunnel before running out on the pitch? It simply doesn't happen. And post-race too, with cameras in the ante-room to the podium. Not to mention the racing. The in-car and trackside images are incredible (the director occasionally make the wrong call I'll admit) but the spectacle of drivers driving at full tilt with all the scary moments available to watch from various angles in vivid detail is, I think, a testament to a sport that's got a lot of things right for the fans.
A new broom is what's needed, now we're getting one.
"I see great opportunity to help Formula One continue to develop and prosper for the benefit of the sport, fans, teams and investors alike."
cider_and_toast, this is not aimed at you personally, but to all of us:
No need to make any doom-laden predictions yet. Of course there will be controversial and bad ideas, as well as good, that get floated over the next year or two before we start to see any real change from a fan's point of view. There will be hirings and firings and jostlings and deals and silly things reported. As there have been over recent years, decades, always? We know that the sport will be milked for profit, but the new owners are supposedly experts at this - hence why would they squeeze too hard and break it? I may be rose-tinted in my view, but we have an amazing sport compared to many others. What other sport allows direct access to the players / drivers in the very minutes before they go on track risking all for glory? Can you imagine trying to interview a boxer just before a big fight? Or a football captain in the tunnel before running out on the pitch? It simply doesn't happen. And post-race too, with cameras in the ante-room to the podium. Not to mention the racing. The in-car and trackside images are incredible (the director occasionally make the wrong call I'll admit) but the spectacle of drivers driving at full tilt with all the scary moments available to watch from various angles in vivid detail is, I think, a testament to a sport that's got a lot of things right for the fans.
A new broom is what's needed, now we're getting one.
Wombcat
Podium Finisher
Cycling.
ATL11
Pole Sitter
Don't get me wrong, I love F1, some of the action you watch can gives you goosebumps, but the sport does need fixing, it is as simple as that!
The overall package today (yes I hate using words like this) is good, the weekend, media coverage, the number of races, access to the drivers, some of the tracks, the anticipation at the start of race, the technology, the crashes, etc.
F1's problem is predictability over long periods:
McLaren, Williams, Benetton, Williams, McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, Vague, Red Bull, Mercedes - I reckon that's about 30 years of F1.
I remember some dark periods in there especially the early 2000's when you're thinking, will any other car ever win another race? But the cycle does change but as we are in now, will it be 2018 before we realistically see another team knock Mercedes off their perch?
The change we need to see is how the wealth is distributed among the teams, give other teams the chance. But there lies the problem, I'm not going to give up my wages so the bloke down the street can build a new extension on the side of his house cause I already have one. F1 teams will be the same, the Ferrari's of this world will not give up their money for the better of the sport, cause they're crap now, imagine them with less money.
So would a better approach be to loosen the regs so a team today can be like Brawn bringing in the equivalent of a Blown diffuser, but then again to do this would they need the money to develop the cars?
Catch 22, can it be solved, Yes, will it, probably not, will they trim things around the edges & call it improvement, Yes, will the sport be run for Milo Minderbinder's benefit, most definitely Yes.
The overall package today (yes I hate using words like this) is good, the weekend, media coverage, the number of races, access to the drivers, some of the tracks, the anticipation at the start of race, the technology, the crashes, etc.
F1's problem is predictability over long periods:
McLaren, Williams, Benetton, Williams, McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, Vague, Red Bull, Mercedes - I reckon that's about 30 years of F1.
I remember some dark periods in there especially the early 2000's when you're thinking, will any other car ever win another race? But the cycle does change but as we are in now, will it be 2018 before we realistically see another team knock Mercedes off their perch?
The change we need to see is how the wealth is distributed among the teams, give other teams the chance. But there lies the problem, I'm not going to give up my wages so the bloke down the street can build a new extension on the side of his house cause I already have one. F1 teams will be the same, the Ferrari's of this world will not give up their money for the better of the sport, cause they're crap now, imagine them with less money.
So would a better approach be to loosen the regs so a team today can be like Brawn bringing in the equivalent of a Blown diffuser, but then again to do this would they need the money to develop the cars?
Catch 22, can it be solved, Yes, will it, probably not, will they trim things around the edges & call it improvement, Yes, will the sport be run for Milo Minderbinder's benefit, most definitely Yes.
If all the teams get $50x every year just for competing, and bonuses of $15X down to $1X for the top ten teams in each year's WCC, then things will be fairer.
Even the lowest football club in the premiership gets umpteen million squids for just being there - same should be for F1.
Oh and touché Wombcat
Even the lowest football club in the premiership gets umpteen million squids for just being there - same should be for F1.
Oh and touché Wombcat
PayTV = No sponsorship.
How do you work that out?
I watched some cricket the other day on pay TV and the players were plastered in sponsorship logos. Ditto football, darts, boxing and a whole multitude of other sports. We have been spoiled in the UK with F1 being free to air for so long but sports coverage will disappear behind a pay wall as soon as the viewing figures reach a certain level. You wait until women's football disappears from our screens, I reckon the WEC and Formula E will go this way at some time as well. The Olympics is now with a free to air satellite broadcasters who I doubt has any plans to transmit on a terrestrial platform.
Sorry folks, you want a capitalist economy so this is what you get. You can always go and live in North Korea, everything is free there apart from your existence.
Sorry folks, you want a capitalist economy so this is what you get. You can always go and live in North Korea, everything is free there apart from your existence.
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