BBC drops F1 Coverage with Immediate effect.

David O'Reilly · Dec 21, 2015

To bridge a £35m budget shortfall the BBC have announced that they will cease to broadcast F1 races on TV.
In 2014,15 they covered 10 races live and the rest as a highlights package.

This will leave UK viewers no free to air option to watch F1.
(EDIT) Correction Chanel 4 will show the races from 2016.

Radio 5 Live will continue to cover the races.

Andy_J · Dec 21, 2015

Another reason to get rid of the enforced TV tax/licence that is forced upon British tax payers.

TobiasR · Dec 21, 2015

Without Clarkson and F1, what does BBC have now?

Gareth Jones · Dec 21, 2015

Umm...Wimbledon and some snooker...I think.

It's a bit of a shocker considering their pulling it so early. According to what I've read Channel 4 will pick up BBC's coverage from next season.

vee10 · Dec 21, 2015

Channel 4 have it now for the next three years with no adverts shown in the live races.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/21/formula-one-channel-four-bbc-bernie-ecclestone

Glad to see it move form the BBC, too many talking heads with style and no substance and hopefully no more Eddie Jordan the idiot. I hope C4 mix it up a bit as the coverage format has been the same for a long time.

Kenny Paton · Dec 21, 2015

Andy Jackson said:
Another reason to get rid of the enforced TV tax/licence that is forced upon British tax payers.

Yes but that'll leave us with the commercial crap that other countries have to watch, best value for money ever.
Pokes bear with stick and stands back

Kenny Paton · Dec 21, 2015

Lazarou said:
Glad to see it move form the BBC, too many talking heads with style and no substance and hopefully no more Eddie Jordan the idiot. I hope C4 mix it up a bit as the coverage format has been the same for a long time.

"Style and no substance" bit like the F1 races.

Andy_J · Dec 21, 2015

Kenny Paton said:
Yes but that'll leave us with the commercial crap that other countries have to watch, best value for money ever.
Pokes bear with stick and stands back

Maybe so, but Sky (a service that I can decide on whether to subscribe to or not) have F1 coverage with no commercials. Why can't the BBC go subscription or commercial like all others have to do? I for one do not enjoy paying the BBC mandatory tax. And stop poking me with that god damned stick.........it hurts.

paracletus · Dec 22, 2015

compulsory licence fee doesn't give much that i'm interested in anymore. this is the last.
bbc is now all about baking competitions, hairy bikers who stuff their faces (who do more baking) and more tripe about sod all.
but i guess the news is ok.

Blimey · Dec 22, 2015

people pay to watch F1? That's a shame.

David O'Reilly · Dec 22, 2015

I must confess I have tired of Eddie Jordan. He started as someone who was insightful and controversial and ended as some one who was trying really hard to be insightful and controversial.
He was also very inconsistent with his views.
EG in the 2015 wrap up. RedBull were very foolish to fall out publicly with their engine supplier. "Bad moce as any team owner knows". However Alonso was very clever to publicly humilate Honda at Their own track in their nations GP.

Andy_J · Dec 22, 2015

Blimey said:
people pay to watch F1? That's a shame.

Obviously some people don't like paying for anything and stream it from illegal sites. There's always that type of people.

Kenny Paton · Dec 22, 2015

Blimey said:
people pay to watch F1? That's a shame.

My wife has Sky Sports but I have never watched F1 on it always end up with the beeb. Only thing I envy her for is Motors TV.

Andy_J · Dec 22, 2015

Kenny Paton said:
My wife has Sky Sports but I have never watched F1 on it always end up with the beeb. Only thing I envy her for is Motors TV.

Motors TV is on Freeview Kenny.

Kenny Paton · Dec 22, 2015

Andy Jackson said:
Motors TV is on Freeview Kenny.

Believe it or not Andy I still have an old freeview box, I keep promising myself to upgrade but then R3E brings out new content

. It's alright for madam with her fancy tivo box

. Of course she says if I stopped buying CDs and books I could afford one as well.

Andy_J · Dec 22, 2015

Kenny Paton said:
Believe it or not Andy I still have an old freeview box, I keep promising myself to upgrade but then R3E brings out new content. It's alright for madam with her fancy tivo box. Of course she says if I stopped buying CDs and books I could afford one as well.

You mean your TV does not have freeview HD built in? Wow..

Kenny Paton · Dec 22, 2015

@Andy Jackson
My wife has Virgin tv with about 3 million channels on hers and I'm really not that bothered I don't think in all the years she's had it I've ever watched anything on it.
Before you ask, yes the tv is a flatscreen

and I did have to replace the hdd in the freeview box. I really am a cheapskate.

Blimey · Dec 22, 2015

Here its basically free, every broadcast has like a couple minute delay from the real stuff, its just 1 channel that covers almost all the sports and costs like 10 cents a month to have it at all.

Ho3n3r · Dec 22, 2015

Gareth Jones said:
Umm...Wimbledon and some snooker...I think.

It's a bit of a shocker considering their pulling it so early. According to what I've read Channel 4 will pick up BBC's coverage from next season.

So the only person watching it now, would be the queen.

And "with immediate effect" is kinda ironic since the next race is only in 4 months.