Current Where do FOTA's loyalties lie? With the fans, their sponsors, themselves, or Bernie?

[Fenderman]

Who's their loyalty to? Their sponsors.

What do their sponsors want? Exposure.

Where will they get exposure? Free-to-air.

Is Formula One going to be free-to-air in the UK? No.

So they have a problem.

Absolutely correct, but do not doubt the power of the sponsors. They will have influenced the FOTA's stance with regard to the coverage clauses in the Concorde Agreement. As sure as eggs are eggs they will not have been properly consulted and will surely be upset about this latest debacle.

 

[Brogan]

Whitmarsh has changed his tune.

"From what Bernie has said it's better than expected," said Whitmarsh.

"The BBC will show every grand prix in full, half of them live and half of them deferred, so free-to-air is available to everyone.

"Sky sound like they are really going to commit to it as well, so it sounds like there is a little bit of competition between the BBC and Sky.

"So overall, from Bernie's view, it will increase the total viewership within the UK.

"Bernie assured me, and I asked him several times, the deferred coverage will not be highlights, it will be a full race.

"That, to some fans, will be very important, depending on exactly races they are, so hopefully that means it's a good deal for everyone."

Whitmarsh said teams were becoming more receptive to the deal as more details emerged.

"Based upon that, if it increases the total viewership, and it maintains the ability of free to air for all of the viewing public in the UK, then cautiously it's good news isn't it?" he said of the paddock's reaction.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93494

So that's it then, FOTA have capitulated as usual

 

[cider_and_toast]

The idea of deferred coverage as opposed to highlights has only just come up in conversation.

In this article from autosport posted at 1600 today: Ecclestone says Sky pay to view......

They quote Ecclestone as coming out of the meeting saying this:

"Sky will broadcast everything, all the races, live. The Beeb will do 50 per cent live, and when it isn't live, they will be putting together a very good highlights package.

"They [BBC] may yet do the whole race deferred, we have to see."

So as usual the whole thing is clear as mud.

If the BBC are now going to broadcast the whole race but deferred until Sky have shown it then what's the point?

Obviously the deferred broadcast issue has cropped up in the wake of the hostile reception to the deal because this wasn't even mentioned in the official statements this morning.

 

[lyster]

Going through the entire day - not listening to any news programs, staying away from the web, trying your best not to hear the result, staying away from pubs and shops all day long, only to get home and have someone say - "I hear there was a great race today - Lewis won by ten seconds"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh"

It's just not the same

 

[MCLS]

I can't see how BBC can gain from this, people are either going to bite the bullet and pay for Sky or stop watching completely. Either way the BBC lose viewing ratings considerably.

 

[FB]

So that's it then, FOTA have capitulated as usual

Did you expect anything else? Bernie has offered them a load of extra cash for the sake of a few TV viewers in the UK. Most of their sponsors are multi-nationals and this is a local issue. They really couldn't give a monkeys and, I hate to say it, if you want to watch F1 you're going to have to part with some cash - no amount of petitions, strongly worded e-mails, threads on websites, letter writing campaigns are going to change a damned thing.

Welcome to the capitalist economy folks. Enjoy your stay and don't for get to save hard for your retirement...

 

[FB]

I can't see how BBC can gain from this, people are either going to bite the bullet and pay for Sky or stop watching completely. Either way the BBC lose viewing ratings considerably.

But the BBC's income isn't dependant on viewing figures and they were heavily criticised by many MP's when they bought the rights to F1 after ITV packed it in.

 

[lyster]

With F1 being such a big money churner (not necessarily a money maker), it's no great surprise the sharks in the news-corporate world got their teeth into it.

Who cares about a part of european/global sporting heritage when you can create a product out of something.

It'll be

"TUNE INTO SKY TO WATCH BATTLE OF THE TITANS, AS LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES ON ALONSO AND VETTEL IN WHATS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE POTENTIALLY THE GREATEST RACE OF ALL TIME.

WATCH ALL THE RACES, GET EXCLUSIVE ACCESS AND UNRIVALED COVERAGE ONLY WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE WITH SKY

WATCH OUR AWARD-WINNING STAFF LED BY LONG-TIME F1 COMMENTATOR JONATHON LEGARD AND PRESENTER JIM ROSENTIAL

ONLY ON SKY"

No need to seek out F1 anymore - it'll be sold to you - buy only if your willing to buy!

 

[TN23]

A sad day for all British F1 fans:

• BBC output and capitalist crisis- The whole point of the license fee (What we use to fund the BBC) is to provide broad, but very good quality coverage. This should apply to sport also. With Premier League and Champions League coverage more or less the plaything of Sky (They even get to show PL highlights before the BBC), all Rugby League coverage, lots of Golf apart from that one that was on the other week, most Boxing and all live Cricket, Formula 1 is to follow in the footsteps of those sports. This leaves the BBC fundamentally flawed as a key area of television broadcasting is dominated by a non-free to air broadcaster. Who do we blame? The BBC, for being too tight to fork out to provide 'quality' programming, something that they have stopped doing on whole channels! The British Government, for waging war unneccessarily with a manageable deficit, one measure they have taken is to freeze the license fee- an effective cut of 20% (Yes, they do not have to savavge public spending you know- its an ideological cuts programme and its state capitalists trying to manage a crisis of their dear capitalist friends making) or the capitalists (Bernie, Rupert, etc.) for being exploitatious money-making scoundrels.

• The British fans- Whilst the British fans are being hit in the pocket (and many other fans across the world may I add) to pay for the crisis of the capitalist bourgeois, one of the aristocratic bastions of capitalism (Sky) is tempting more of the squeezed prolateriat to pay more for what is, for some, the thing that they live and work for (Quite literally for some!). The outcomes are thus: you are rich and you can afford. You are poor and can't afford, becuase you are struggling to pay for the three beans on toast to feed your kids. Or that you are poor, but scrape the money together, leading to suffering with a household budget further whilst the capitalists gain further from your struggle. Who loses? The ordinary working class British F1 fan, and to a lesser extent, all fans. Who wins? Capitalism: Bernie Ecclestone and Sky.

... and of course, the blasted adverts will be back!

 

[sobriety]

"The BBC will show every grand prix in full, half of them live and half of them deferred, so free-to-air is available to everyone.

How deferred is the question, if it literally says in the contrat 'deferred' then the bbc cover may start say 15 minutes behind skys, I wouldn't put it past Bernie to have wrangled it so that it effectively shafts sky even though they've paid him laods of money...

 

[Jen]

How deferred is the question, if it literally says in the contrat 'deferred' then the bbc cover may start say 15 minutes behind skys, I wouldn't put it past Bernie to have wrangled it so that it effectively shafts sky even though they've paid him laods of money...

One can only hope!

Maybe this about the egos - Ecclestone and Murdoch - neither are terribly loveable individuals but both are extraordinary 'businessmen'.

Anyone know who of the two is richest at the moment? Just a thought

 

[lyster]

I'd like to think Bernie is just trying to pull a fast one but i think that's being hopeful. It's already over all the news channels (i've literally just watched a BBC News piece) confirming only half the races will be covered live, the rest will have 'extended highlights'.

Executives are already defending themselves from outcry's by angry fans in the usual patronizing tone - by trying to make out we should be pleased to have the privilege to watch any kind of F1!

 

[Fenderman]

Welcome to the capitalist economy folks. Enjoy your stay and don't for get to save hard for your retirement...

Where do you think we've been, FB? A point many have been making today is that we have nothing left in the cupboard.

As I mentioned before and I will repeat it in case you missed it - I'm maxed out and I'm not poor! Millions of UK citizens are worse off than me. So if it's going to be hard for me, it'll be harder still for a great many more.

So - and I mean no offense when I say this, believe me, please don't patronise us by "welcoming us" to the Capitalist economy as if we've been thinking we're somewhere else.

 

[Slyboogy]

Interestingly, and I am not joking Sushifiesta, someone on another F1 forum came up with "FOFA" earlier, same name, same abbreviation....they posted it before you, but you have copyrighted it so

 

[sushifiesta]

I nominate Sushi for the Chair.

I nominate you to sit on it, so long as you don't weigh much!

 

[Pacific Ocean Blue]

"Where do FOTA's loyalties lie? With the fans, their sponsors, themselves, or Bernie?"

All IMO,

1. Themselves, if it's a good deal for them they will keep quite, Ecclestome knows that.
2. Sponsors, if they lose their sponsors they will either need others or move from Grand Prix Motor Racing (Ah, happy phrase from the good old days)
3. Ecclestone, if they are united Ecclestone will back down, if they are being nutured, cared-for, molly-coddled and nursed by Ecclestone, they will love it.
4. Fans? Important to get the great unwashed to make the place look full, other than that the Pimms and G and T brigade in the Paddock Club are the only ones who matter.

the catch-phrase of the BARC at Brooklands was, "The right crowd and no crowding", how the powers that be long for the return of that.

Basically motor racing is a sport where the fans job is to shell out and stay on their side of the fence.

We'll be wanting autographs next.

I only go to the Goodwood events, far less pretentious although strangely, they seem like they should be more snobbish.
I can get close there and actually MEET people, feel a part of it, instead for some remote annoyance to be ignored.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

One can only hope!

Maybe this about the egos - Ecclestone and Murdoch - neither are terribly loveable individuals but both are extraordinary 'businessmen'.

Anyone know who of the two is richest at the moment? Just a thought

Bernie by several zeroes I should imagine.

 

[teabagyokel]

Can I say, TN23, I've read a bit of Marx in my time, and that is very similar.

This is from someone who doesn't see "communist" as an accusation, by the way!

 

[FB]

So - and I mean no offense when I say this, believe me, please don't patronise us by "welcoming us" to the Capitalist economy as if we've been thinking we're somewhere else.

Wasn't trying to be patronising Fenderman and my apologies if you felt I was. I understand that many might find it difficult to stump up the money to watch Sky Sports but it is what it is. The point I was trying to get across is that big business actually doesn't give a shit about the likes of you and me as long as they make more money. All the crap you see about social inclusion, green standards, equality programmes fall by the way side if they can make a few more quid/dollars/yen/roubles etc, etc.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

One can only hope!

Maybe this about the egos - Ecclestone and Murdoch - neither are terribly loveable individuals but both are extraordinary 'businessmen'.

Anyone know who of the two is richest at the moment? Just a thought

Murdoch has been listed three times in the Time 100 as among the most influential people in the world. He is ranked 13th most powerful person in the world in the 2010 Forbes' The World's Most Powerful People list.[13] With a personal net worth of US$7.6 billion, he was ranked 117th wealthiest person in the world in March 2011.

The Sunday Times Rich List of 2009 ranked Ecclestone as the 24th richest person in the United Kingdom, with an estimated fortune of £1.466 billion, a decline of £934 million from the previous year.

Seems Murdoch has it by a long way!