Fans worldwide reveal the cost of watching F1 in 2015

172 comments on “Fans worldwide reveal the cost of watching F1 in 2015”

1. 

   Sam Andrew
   27th January 2015, 12:43

   Thankfully it’s not been too much of an issue for me in the UK since Sky came in, I don’t mind watching the highlights on the BBC as they cut out the red flag and safety car periods but don’t miss any of the action, and lets face it, there can be boring periods in any race.

   I do miss getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the first race in Australia though, it did add to the excitement and anticipation. Certainly not worth paying several hundred pounds for though!
   1. 

      Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
      27th January 2015, 13:32

      Do what I do and shell out the £10.99 for the NowTV week pass if its a live race you just cant miss.
      1. 

         Marc Thielke (@motor)
         27th January 2015, 13:53

         They offered a Five Pack of 24hour passes plus a free Now Box last year for 30pounds, was a great deal.

         Just checked, they have day passes on sale for 7pounds. Seems reasonable, but if I was back in the states and I had to pay 10bucks for the race day only I would laugh at them.
      2. 

         Richard
         27th January 2015, 14:54

         I’ll second that one. For the past couple of years I have watched all races with Sky but this year I’m going to watch the races BBC don’t have live via Sky Now and in some cases I may even take the cheaper day pass rather than the week pass. Either way still cheaper than paying for Sky Sports all year.
      3. 

         Dan Brown (@danbrown180)
         27th January 2015, 16:42

         I’m not generally a fan of Sky, but Now TV is really good. You can watch the 10 races on Sky for £10 each, meaning it only has to cost £100 over the season and if you don’t mind watching the qualifying highlights on BBC.

         Totally agree though that hiding F1 behind paywalls will do nothing for maintaining a fanbase in the future.
      4. 

         sonia luff (@sonia54)
         28th January 2015, 17:29

         I watch on NOWTV :)
   2. 

      Deej44 (@deej92)
      27th January 2015, 23:14

      Australia though, it did add to the excitement and anticipation.

      Same as that! It was one of my favourite parts until the BBC-Sky deal and with it the BBC stopped showing the opening race live. I enjoyed the early Australia starts in the ITV days as well. But as you say, for some, including me, it isn’t worth paying the sums for when you can see it later on.
2. 

   JPQuesado (@joao-pedro-cq)
   27th January 2015, 12:43

   The cost of watching F1 in my country (Portugal) is why me and most of the people who want to watch F1 do it via illegal ways. Costs like that are unacceptable and unbearable in these times.
   1. 

      Jorge H. (@kobe08)
      27th January 2015, 13:07

      +1

      SkySports/BBC illegal streaming here! The costs are ridiculously high and the quality of transmission contents/commentary are really bad.
      I know it is not the correct way to do it and I am not proud but..
      1. 

         Nase (@)
         27th January 2015, 13:53

         Is it really illegal or rather a morally questionable grey area?
         As far as I know, the current legal situation in Germany doesn’t outlaw any kind of streaming, as you’re technically not violating intellectual property if you’re not storing the streamed data. It would, however, be illegal to record protected content, or to generate income (i.e. via subscriptions) with the streaming of protected content without owning it.
         1. 

            Jorge H. (@kobe08)
            27th January 2015, 23:38

            @nase, I would say it is illegal since I didn’t pay the sky subscription… however I am only accessing something made public by great fellow!! :D
      2. 

         Jimi (@hendrix666)
         27th January 2015, 15:04

         Same for me in Canada. I haven’t had TV service for 3 years now. Yet I have watched all the races live (except for the one or two I can’t stay awake for) online. The Sky broadcast. So it is great for me!
   2. 

      leejo
      27th January 2015, 15:58

      Second the comments above. Further, as far as I know the ONLY way to watch a race from last year is to download it illegally. There is no online store where I can buy it (for whatever reason) at any price. But those races are available aplenty on the internets if you know where to look.
      1. 

         ElBasque (@elbasque)
         28th January 2015, 7:51

         Sky will show certain classic races over a race weekend usually, but you don’t know what you’re getting, and more than once I’ve gone to “the bay” and batch downloaded whatever early 2000s races were available to watch in the off season.
   3. 

      Rambler
      27th January 2015, 17:55

      and people blame X rule and Y issue and bla bla bla for declining number of viewers and spectators. I think you’ll find the number of viewers and spectators lost are in direct relation to the increase in ticket prize and move towards expensive tv-channels. Greed will be F1s demise. As expected.
      1. 

         GongTong (@gongtong)
         27th January 2015, 18:46

         I’m not proud either, but I will put my hands up and admit that I use “creative” methods to view the races live. I think the pricing is unrealistic and I refuse, on principle, to pay it.
   4. 

      Paul
      27th January 2015, 20:20

      Its not illegal. Youre not making ANY money by watching, sharing and supporting a series and its drivers, teams, sponsors…
   5. 

      Miguel Sampaio (@gordess)
      28th January 2015, 10:12

      Not only the cost, but lets face it… SportTv commentators are very bad… I’m not an expert on F1 but I truly believe that I could do a better job than them! That’s why I use stream (SkySports F1). I only wish there would be something like pay-per-view in in Portugal for the Sky channel!
3. 

   Kelsier (@kelsier)
   27th January 2015, 12:47

   I steal all my F1 and other motorsports from the internets.

   Is the most comfortable.

   If Bernie would stream it live to me them i might pay for it, but he doesn’t so I don’t.

   I have no interest in watching it on tv with the Swedish commentary. By stealing it I get exactly what I want: Martin Brundle, HD and I can watch it when I want where I want.
4. 

   Journeyer (@journeyer)
   27th January 2015, 12:48

   Hey Keith,

   The currency is wrong for the Philippines. :) It’s Philippine pesos, not British pounds. Also, that’s a monthly, not annual, price.

   If converted to pounds, the annual cost is 150 GBP for SD and 240 GBP for HD.
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th January 2015, 13:01

      @journeyer Thought that one seemed high – have changed it now.
      1. 

         Journeyer (@journeyer)
         27th January 2015, 13:09

         @keithcollantine Much better – Thanks! :)
   2. 

      RL
      27th January 2015, 23:43

      Having used to live in the Philippines, cable isn’t astronomically expensive, I’d say most middle-class Filipinos can afford cable.
5. 

   Linda_Williams
   27th January 2015, 12:50

   i was initially annoyed when sky got the f1 rights as i was not a sky subscriber. in 2012 i was watching just the bbc coverage but in 2013 i was able to view sky’s offering when i visited a relative & decided after that to subscribe to sky myself as i was amazed at how good the sky coverage was, in particular the amount of content they were offering on there f1 channel.

   the coverage i have had on sky since has been the best coverage of f1 that i have ever had access to & i feel its well worth the subscription cost for what you get not just the live f1 content but also the support categories, the classic races, the fantastic programs like legends of f1 & takes from the vault which feature a lot of archive footage some of which i’d not seen before & then there’s the midweek report & f1 show which are excellent.

   if any of the free tv providers could produce the same level of coverage as sky then fine, but i can’t see it unfortunately so hopefully sky retain the coverage for years to come. i’ll certainly be more than happy to keep subbing to get there excellent coverage.
   1. 

      James Allen
      27th January 2015, 13:25

      I’m with you 100%. I always though the BBC coverage was great but Sky’s blows it out of the water. The F1 show is a particular highlight for me and the ability to watch the GP2 and GP3 races (wife permitting) adds something to the weekend that the BBC will never be able to provide. Having said this, I am fortunate enough to be a sport fan, not just an F1 fan, so having the football, darts, tennis, NFL, etc. alongside the F1 make Sky Sports much more value for money than if I was just an F1 fan. I do also feel that having free – to – air on the BBC is vital as it offers the opportunity to pull in new fans and keep casual viewers satisfied.
   2. 

      Tiomkin
      27th January 2015, 15:45

      Here comes the mandatory justification for being ripped off. “Everything is better the more you pay for it”. Keep repeating that until it makes sense. Water tastes better when it comes in an expensive bottle from a tap out of my sight. Air is more life giving when it comes in a can. A Rolex tells time better than a quartz watch.. the list goes on. F1 is better when it is too expensive for the common man to watch.
      1. 

         Linda_Williams
         27th January 2015, 17:25

         its not nothing to do with trying to justify anything, its got everything to do with the coverage actually been good.

         like i said i didn’t have sky to start with & was not planning to buy it until i actually got to watch it & see how good it was.
         if i didn’t feel like it was better i would not have brought the subscription & if i ever feel like its no longer that good i’ll have no issue ending it.

         just because you feel that paying for it is an unjustifiable ripoff does not mean that everyone feels that way. and just because you feel that anyone with anything good to say about the coverage is them trying to justify the cost doesn’t make it true either.
         1. 

            Darren B (@downwithdrs)
            27th January 2015, 18:29

            It would be nice to watch TOP sport in the UK on a channel OTHER than Sky. All I care for is the action, and not the babbling before and after the race.
      2. 

         Davey
         27th January 2015, 17:30

         Well if your happy with your crappy free coverage on the bbc with no extras, a terrible on-air team & awfully dull commentary then continue believing that.

         You say just because you have to pay for it doesn’t automatically make it better & that is indeed true, However just because something is free doesn’t mean its better either!

         I’m happy paying for Sky simply because there coverage is 100x better than the BBC’s & because I want all of the extra live feeds they provide & all of the extra programming they produce.

         If you want to continue believing that anyone happy is only trying to justify them been ripped off or whatever you think then continue believing that, Maybe one day you will realize that your talking a load of BS!
      3. 

         Julian (@julianwins)
         27th January 2015, 18:19

         I understand both points. Cost aside sky offers the best coverage anywhere on the planet (IMO). They cover all races, have multiple feeds, and have commentators that actually know what they’re talking about. Its unparalleled.

         The cost is astronomical though, and because of that it keeps the majority of fans from being able to watch live coverage since the free to air broadcasts continue to decline.

         But there’s always the internet!
         1. 

            Ray
            12th February 2015, 9:55

            Average 2014 viewing figures for live races on Sky in the UK were significantly under 1 million. Figures for the same live races on the BBC were frequently over 4 million. The BBC got similar numbers for the races they only showed highlights of.
            Given those numbers, the fee Sky pays for the rights, plus production costs, and the obscene amount of money they’ve just committed to Premier League soccer for the next few years, how long will SkyF1 continue, do you think.
            F1 teams rely on corporate sponsors for much of their money. Those sponsors want their names in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Declining TV viewers wont be sitting well with them.
      4. 

         Maroc
         13th January 2016, 0:52

         Topman, best post.
6. 

   Patrick (@paeschli)
   27th January 2015, 12:52

   Tip for our French readers here: I heard La Une/La Deux is also broadcast in some parts of Northern France.
   1. 

      Tango (@tango)
      27th January 2015, 19:25

      Yep, vive la Belgique
7. 

   Jim PROFIT
   27th January 2015, 12:53

   For France this is more than €300.
   One month is €24,90 for 6 months when you start suscription. The next 6 months are at €39,90.
   So the first year you pay €388,8. The following years it’s €478,8.
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      27th January 2015, 13:02

      If you’d like to supply information please do so via the links at the bottom of the article. Thanks.
      1. 

         Tango (@tango)
         27th January 2015, 19:32

         Actually, Canal+ is well known for allowing the subscriber to stay on the subscription price so 300€ is accurate (I have succesfully “negociated” it so for two years running). I also believe that saying that F1 costs 300€ is unfair. First, it’s great F1 coverage, live and on demand… TF1 was so bad even though it was free, I still watched BBC feed illegaly. The coverage also has good additional features (especially the 30min onboard segment after each race but also a great quality 1h debrief). It also comes with complete access to all of Canal + contents (including premier league and Ligue 1 football, French rugby, recent movies etc.). I started paying for the F1, I’m actually still paying for the rest.
         1. 

            Tango (@tango)
            27th January 2015, 19:34

            PS : I still believe pay per view or subscription F1 will kill F1. I’m just saying that I am feeling less disgruntled by the pay to view switch than I was two years ago.
8. 

   PeiChecK
   27th January 2015, 12:59

   In spain the free coverage in Antena 3 puts like 20-25mins adverts on a single race event.
9. 

   pSynrg (@psynrg)
   27th January 2015, 13:00

   I’m with Sky, 90% for F1 (in HD) but we also have a one other option (Variety pack) and our annual cost is £459 inclusive VAT (£38.25 per month). I’m generally happy with the service & costs and I consider Sky’s F1 coverage to be the best of any to date.

   No idea where you are getting £763 without options from?
   1. 

      pSynrg (@psynrg)
      27th January 2015, 13:02

      F1 is such a highly commercial enterprise I also think the BBC is better spending its license fee revenue on other things, although I understand a Sky subscription may not be affordable for some.
      1. 

         Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
         27th January 2015, 13:10

         @psynrg The cost breakdown is posted in the forum which is linked above.

         Also, the price you’ve quoted does not match what Sky state on their site.
         1. 

            Ginja42 (@ginja42)
            27th January 2015, 13:19

            @keithcollantine and @psynrg – I’m not on any special deal, I don’t have any other sports channels (because there are no other sports!) ;) But for the standard entertainment HD package (which includes F1HD as standard) it costs me £31.75 pm which is £381 per year – I hate that they took half the races off the beeb but I would have bought the HD package anyway so I guess I can’t complain too much – I would though if it was nearly £800!!!

            Now there is a good chance that they don’t run the same deal as when I subscribed – 3 years ago – if that is the case then I really hope they don’t go changing mine anytime soon! :(
            1. 

               Ginja42 (@ginja42)
               27th January 2015, 13:30

               Not that I ever doubted your research Keith but you are so right, anyone new to F1 on sky is going to have quite a bill!! It’s a good job Bernie doesn’t want any new younger viewers! ;)
            2. 

               Briggers
               27th January 2015, 13:55

               I’m not on any special deal, I don’t have any other sports channels (because there are no other sports!) ;) But for the standard entertainment HD package (which includes F1HD as standard)

               SkyF1HD isnt included in the HD pack anymore, so if you want the F1 channel you have to subscribe to the sports package. Those who got the deal you have with SkyF1 included in the HD pack obviously kept it since the change.
         2. 

            pSynrg (@psynrg)
            27th January 2015, 13:21

            Maybe I should keep shtum but £38.25 is all we pay a month for all the above! I didn’t join Sky until they started covering F1 and I’ve checked, there’s no special offer that could expire any time soon.

            I’ve fed my stats into your form.
         3. 

            Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
            27th January 2015, 14:15

            @ginja42 @psynrg Yes, to be clear, that price is not available for new customers.
            1. 

               pSynrg (@psynrg)
               27th January 2015, 14:16

               So for once, loyal customers are getting a much better deal than newbies!

               Banks and broadband or mobile providers should learn from that!
10. 

    plyschak
    27th January 2015, 13:01

    I’d like to correct the data for Slovakia. It’s now the same as Czech Rep. Markiza (Dajto is a sister channel) lost the rights to Sport TV and Sport TV acquired the rights for both countries at once. In an interview the Sport TV manager said they also have rights for online streaming and want to do it as well. As an alternative, german RTL is available on satellite and in some cable networks, near the border austrian ORF1 is available too.

    Here are some links with information about Sport TV acquiring the rights (unfortunately only in slovak language)
    http://www.sport1tv.cz/Zpravy/2014/09/29/F1%20-%20prava%20-%20OV
    http://medialne.etrend.sk/televizia/markiza-v-buducom-roku-uz-neodvysiela-f1-prava-kupila-amc.html
    http://www.masmedialne.info/rozhovor-evzen-chlanda-formula-1-je-pre-nas-zo-sportovych-prenosov-absolutna-priorita-pre-rok-2015/
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       27th January 2015, 13:12

       OK but can you please supply the information using the links at the bottom of the article. It will make it much easier for me to trace what different people have contributed.
11. 

    Ryan Carson
    27th January 2015, 13:07

    F1 is pretty much the only broadcast TV I watch, so there’s no way I’m going to shell out over £500 extra per year on top of the £150 annual TV license fee (UK).

    I’m not going to pirate it either mind you as the Beebs coverage is still good enough for me. Also, iPlayer is a bonus for times when other things crop up and I can’t watch a race until later on.
12. 

    Yusha (@freebird78)
    27th January 2015, 13:08

    Hey Keith,

    Slight correction for India. Star Sports broadcasts the race in HD also and you can watch it on HD as long as you are subscribed to Star Sports HD service. So you can watch F1 on SD as well as HD. There is no separate charge for watching F1 on Star Sports HD.
13. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    27th January 2015, 13:16

    I have already begun to receive some submissions through the contact form from people who are sending updates to the table. Thanks very much and keep them coming here:

    https://www.racefans.net/f1-information/f1-faq/watch-f1-around-world/#contribute
14. 

    Alex Brown (@splittimes)
    27th January 2015, 13:21

    I can’t afford sky in the UK. The subscription is more than double my car insurance. It’s a years energy bill.

    I’m not happy about that, but I can still see half the races (I don’t bother much with analysis) and I listen for free on Radio 5 Live. I understand that I’ve got it better than a lot of fans had it way back when.

    The radio commentary could be better, but the broadcasting in general is sub-par, with interruptions, late starts and early finishing which doesn’t seem to occur for other sports. There is also a Radio 5 Live extra channel, but this is often poorly utilised to give F1 space whilst other sports updates take place elsewhere.

    In the UK, it would seem that broadcasters are becoming less interested with F1 and less willing to make time for it. Motorsport in general gets little coverage. F1, GP2, GP3 and WEC championships coming our way got virtually no attention in mainstream sports press, yet the UK is home to so many F1 teams. It seems strange to me that commercially, the sport is losing a grip on the place it should feel most comfortable.
15. 

    grat
    27th January 2015, 13:22

    Accounting for the drop in viewing in the USA is difficult– it’s up considerably from last year.

    NBC Sports Group wrapped up its second season of F1 telecasts with big viewership gains over ’13, as well as gains from the last season of F1 racing on Fox Sports in ‘12. NBC, NBCSN and CNBC averaged 477,000 viewers for 19 races in ’14, up 30% from 366,000 viewers for the same number of races last year. The three nets also were up 15% from 414,000 viewers for 20 races across Fox and Speed in ’12.

    At least for our money (which is essentially “a standard cable subscription” wherever NBC sports is available) we get FP2, qualifying and the race in full (and FP1/FP3 online), and if you miss one of the events, it’s usually available online for a week or two.
    1. 

       pastaman (@)
       27th January 2015, 14:01

       Yes, the US cost is a little deceiving since that is the cost of a cable subscription and not for F1 on NBCSN by itself
       1. 

          SteveR
          27th January 2015, 14:29

          Not really, for a lot of us. I do not have cable TV by choice as I am tired of all the cr*p out there, so to watch the races I would have to pay for basic cable as well as the specific package that carries the NBCSN broadcast. That would cost me at least $50/month = $600/year. I refuse to do pay this much for F1, so have found other solutions. If Bernie had a reasonaable interwebs deal I would be happy to buy that. And the US coverage really sucks, with commercial breaks all the time as well a bad commentators and awful viewing times – 5:00 am where I live.
          1. 

             pastaman (@)
             27th January 2015, 14:40

             Yes, but when you spend that money you it is not for a single channel.
          2. 

             BJ (@beejis60)
             27th January 2015, 15:35

             Agreed. I do not wish to give the Turner family any more of my money than I have to, so I just stick to internet broadcasts. I would gladly pay for an a la carte F1 subscription.
             1. 

                Tim M (@tim-m)
                27th January 2015, 16:02

                +1 as well. I’m not going to pay $1,200+ a year to a legalized monopoly, only to watch one channel whenever there’s F1 coverage. I really don’t have a use for the other 599 or so channels.
       2. 

          trublu (@trublu)
          27th January 2015, 15:47

          The US cost is definitely misleading. Attributing total subscription to NBCSN doesn’t make sense.
          1. 

             Vortex Motio (@vortexmotio)
             27th January 2015, 18:40

             Why do people believe the US cost is misleading? If a household is not paying that money, then F1 is not available.

             A growing portion of households in the US have “cut the cord” and dropped their cable TV subscriptions for a substantial savings of money (and some will say, savings of time).
             1. 

                Riccarr (@riccarr)
                27th January 2015, 20:48

                If the US cost is for the whole cable subscription package, then yes … the cost identified for watching just F1 is misleading. In this case, the cost for any channel in the package is $720. That’s pretty expensive for the kids cartoon channel.
                I wonder … is the pricing in the table above showing the whole cable package price for all the other countries? If so then this isn’t a cost comparison to watch F1 … it’s simple a cost comparison of cable packages around the world.
             2. 

                Vortex Motio (@vortexmotio)
                27th January 2015, 21:07

                I wonder … is the pricing in the table above showing the whole cable package price for all the other countries?

                Yes, free (aka Over The Air here in the states) TV versus subscription (cable, satellite) TV…

                For the US we received 4 “free” F1 races last year broadcast on NBC, with the remainder only available on NBCSN.

                And you’re correct in that the US pricing should be of the minimal packages required to view NBCSN from various subscription providers such as Time-Warner, Direct TV, Comcast, etc.
             3. 

                Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
                28th January 2015, 10:45

                It’s misleading because the cost is not just for F1. If I’m paying 100/month for 250 channels, one of which is NBCSN and my family regularly watch 100 of those channels, then it could be argued that I’m paying $1/month for F1. So to truly gauge the cost you would have to know what additional channels come with the lowest package that contains NBCSN and for households that watches F1, how many of the other channels are typically watched. Then derive a price for the F1 coverage based on the cost per channel watched.
          2. 

             Tim M (@tim-m)
             27th January 2015, 21:23

             NBCSN isn’t even part of my local ‘basic’ cable package. I have to get ‘basic+’ for twice the cost or some other package, which is annoying.
             1. 

                cdh
                30th January 2015, 4:11

                The Sky or BBC one day passes might be a way to avoid the NBC”package”. Have not yet tried those passes yet but will, have always thought at least having the option of an ala carte purchase preferable to the usual package subscriptions.
16. 

    loki_0420 (@loki0420)
    27th January 2015, 13:35

    Hello Keith,

    One more correction for Russia! With the currency rate we have now i pay for internet + TV with Sport 1 around 120 british pounds. So internet excluded it would be under 50 pounds, i’d say. 600 pounds is very exaggerated number.
17. 

    Ivan Vinitskyy (@ivan-vinitskyy)
    27th January 2015, 13:44

    Worth noting that Now TV only streams SD quality live, unless you’re watching it on apple TV:
    http://help.nowtv.com/article/Streaming-Quality
18. 

    Nase (@)
    27th January 2015, 13:45

    A small correction for Germany: FP1 and FP2 aren’t shown on RTL, FP3 is shown as a half-hour summary. Only the qualis and races are shown live.
    FP1 and FP2 can be watched on Sport1, another free channel.
19. 

    mickey18 (@mickey18)
    27th January 2015, 13:51

    Lordy may, how much do you not want to be Argentinian right now?

    Thanks for this Keith, I know that those of us in Australia are very lucky, getting it for free while most of Europe is getting financially abused (it’s even delayed in Germany??). We really are just waiting for some powerful (and old) figures in the sport to die off before absolutely anything at all happens.
    1. 

       Nase (@)
       27th January 2015, 13:58

       @mickey18: “(it’s even delayed in Germany??)”

       It’s not. Only FP3 is shown delayed, while race and quali is always live (with the very small exception of e.g. the Brazilian GP quali in 2009). Additionally, some of the early races (like Australia, Malaysia) are shown both live and as a recording a couple of hours later, around noon (CET).
       1. 

          mickey18 (@mickey18)
          27th January 2015, 14:01

          Haha, ahh cheers good to know. Saw your thing above after I posted.
    2. 

       mickey18 (@mickey18)
       27th January 2015, 13:59

       @keithcollantine
       You should create an instructional video tutorial on how to use VPN’s to trick the system so those who don’t know can stream it online :p

       I’m sure those in Peru would be most grateful.
    3. 

       Pink Peril
       27th January 2015, 21:31

       I’ve heard rumblings that Ten is only going to show half the races next year in a shared broadcast deal with Fox Sports, possibly with the V8 Supercars as well. Can any other Aussies shed any light on that for me? I refuse to give Murdoch one red cent so if that is the case, I will have to find other ways to watch F1. Or give up altogether, I’d do that before I gave actual real money to Fox.
       1. 

          Kazihno (@kazinho)
          28th January 2015, 10:25

          The report I heard (still trying to find the source article) was that Fox would essentially be doing what Sky in UK do: All sessions, while Ten show only the race live – all races, not half.

          It’s understandable really. Their contract is up and the formerly profitable broadcaster (until Lachlan Murdoch took a seat on the board) is now heavily in the red ($A170m loss in the last financial year alone). Cutting back on licencing fees is standard, especially if they can get away with just showing the race.
    4. 

       matiascasali (@matiascasali)
       27th January 2015, 23:57

       it’s very wrong that figure! in the most expensive situation, watching f1 in HD will cost about 500 euros a year (in SD would cost about 350 euros) so, no, it’s not THAT expensive. besides, everyone (or almost everyone, about 80%) got cable tv, so, is not that we’re paying only for F1 anyway
20. 

    Maciek (@maciek)
    27th January 2015, 14:05

    Besides all that ails the ‘sport’ in other areas, the problem’s not so much how much it costs to watch F1, but how cable companies package sports channels as part of bundles rather than individually or as pay per view. I miss having F1 and hockey live in proper quality, but there’s simply no way I’ll feed the cable TV monster just so I can have them again.

    You can easily find races in full HD several hours after they’ve been run. For me it’s a no brainer.
21. 

    Donna
    27th January 2015, 14:09

    $720 in Canada? TSN is available as part of cable/satellite packages. So this amount must represent the annual cost of someone’s service fees. If that’s the case, I’m paying $1,200 for TSN.
    1. 

       René (@ares)
       27th January 2015, 17:06

       @Donna Canadian here. I agree with you but I think Keith is listing what it takes to get TSN at all, which is to have at least a basic cable package bundle of some sort.
    2. 

       CanadaF1
       27th January 2015, 22:20

       He also claims that TSN tape delays races which isn’t true at all, I’ve watched the last 3 seasons on TSN/TSN2 and its always live. Also says that NBC coverage is blacked out which is inaccurate as well.
       1. 

          Donna
          28th January 2015, 23:00

          NBC Coverage is only available for a couple of races. Otherwise, we don’t get NBC Sports in Canada. And I don’t know about you, but I wish TSN would improve their F1 coverage. Too many commercials, not quali interviews. They’re always rushing to get to the 3rd rerun of Sports Center. I’d gladly (well, maybe not with the new V6s) pay for an F1 season package to get BBC’s pre-race and Red Button coverage.
22. 

    goondu86 (@goondu86)
    27th January 2015, 14:23

    Hello from Singapore guys!

    TV coverage here is limited to Fox Sports, my subscription is SGD $69.90 (~€$46.00) per month for the TV package that includes sports channel (Barclays Premier League + Fox Sports). Contract period is for 12 months.
    1. 

       goondu86 (@goondu86)
       27th January 2015, 14:28

       The package I’ve subscribed to includes a lot of other channels, just browsed around on the provider website, cheapest Fox Sports coverage is at SGD $14.90 (~€9.77).
23. 

    Ferrari fan
    27th January 2015, 14:31

    In South Africa it costs £600 a year for bbc coverage on super sport no free to air since 2005
24. 

    lockup (@)
    27th January 2015, 14:35

    Sky’s UK coverage is very good, but so expensive. And the cost is so sneaky, like you can’t have HD with the cheaper bundles, and it goes up EVERY year like a Bernie escalator.

    Can it last? What will happen when Lewis and Nando and Kimi retire? Is it just me or are the new drivers less interesting? Just…sweet. I don’t know. Maybe one day my addiction will suddenly be gone.
25. 

    Frans
    27th January 2015, 14:45

    For Indonesia (and probably the rest of South East Asia), Star Sports is no more. They renamed the channel as Fox Sports Asia. And you can watch online using Fox Sports Play, but you need to be (afaik) a Fox Sports subscriber through Firstmedia (cable).
    Anyway, I can find a provider that would only cost me around $90 annually, but the provider isn’t really popular. And it can reach $90 because the dollar is strong, otherwise it would easily cost more than $100. And I can’t remember a pay TV that carried Star Sports that would cost $80 annually (admittedly, I haven’t shop around). Anyway, I looked at the one who gave the information and I noticed that it is 8 months old. I believe Star Sports already changed to Fox Sports since at least 2013. I definitely wants to know how he can get Star Sports with only $80.
    1. 

       Brian Frank (@brianfrank302)
       27th January 2015, 16:02

       It’s still Star Sports here in India.
       1. 

          Frans
          27th January 2015, 20:31

          That is why I said South East Asia (and probably East Asia too). Basically Star Sports branding is relegated to catering India (and probably most South Asia).
       2. 

          Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
          28th January 2015, 0:00

          @brianfrank302)

          How is Star Sports Free to Air in India?
    2. 

       Fikri Harish (@)
       28th January 2015, 11:17

       We’re pretty lucky in that Fox Sports is not exclusive to one provider only in Indonesia.
       I’m pretty sure that it’s available with at least 3 different provider, Indovision, Biznet, and Firstmedia.
       All three have both HD and SD broadcasts, but Indovision’s live broadcast (for all sessions) is only available in SD. I should know as I’m a past subscriber.
       It’s rather complicated to be honest, Fox Sports have 3 different channels, FS1, FS2, and FS3. Indovision have all three in SD but only FS3 in HD if memory serves, and that one only have delayed broadcast for F1.

       I’m not entirely clear on the pricing scheme, but Biznet’s cheapest package that includes Fox Sports costs 100$/month. Rather pricey yes, but that includes a 20mbps internet connection as well and that’s the one I’m currently using.
       Either Firstmedia and Indovision most likely have a much cheaper (and rather complicated) package available as you can pick & choose which channel you actually want while Biznet is all-inclusive.
       And yeas, Fox Sports Play is only available with Firstmedia.
26. 

    KoosOos (@koosoos)
    27th January 2015, 14:53

    I do not mind paying for F1 monthly amount. We here pay about 39 Pounds a month for it but i do get all the other channels included in my packages. It is not going to stop every one is making more money this way and they do not need as much people too watch to make the amounts they do.
27. 

    Spencer
    27th January 2015, 14:56

    With F1 live and free to air on RTL in Germany, I know many people in the UK who have a small dish pointed at Astra 1 (19.2 east) and a cheap receiver. You can practically pick it up with a coat hangar. Whole setup less than £50 one off and then listen to Radio 5 live commentary. Lots of other German, Spanish French channels too for other sports events.
    1. 

       GT Racer (@gt-racer)
       27th January 2015, 17:17

       That may not last much longer as due to the declining TV viewing figures in Germany RTL are currently not planning to extend there deal after there current contract expires at the end of 2016.
28. 

    melkurion (@melkurion)
    27th January 2015, 15:03

    me and my friends split the costs. Here in the Netherlands , besides getting a year long subscription, yopu can pay on a race by race base. So we rotate the venue where we watch between the five of us, and that week’s host buys the race for 6 Euro’s.

    As for quali, I usually tune in to a stream website
29. 

    James Peelson
    27th January 2015, 15:19

    Please add the following note to RTL Germany: Annoying ads :(
30. 

    Andy
    27th January 2015, 16:05

    I have Sky and it doesn’t cost me anything to watch F1. Zero.

    That is because when Sky took up F1 I already was paying for a TV license and already had a Sky HD subscription that I was using every day. F1 was just tacked onto my existing package.

    So therefore no additional cost.

    Seems bizarre to assume people would have no TV at all and then get it only for F1.
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       27th January 2015, 16:36

       Obviously not as the vast majority of the country doesn’t have a Sky Sports subscription. It would be “bizarre” to assume most people are in your situation when they obviously aren’t.
       1. 

          Andy
          27th January 2015, 20:50

          I understand what you are trying to do here, but my point is that I think the concept is flawed. It’s not comparing apples with apples. :)
          1. 

             Andy
             27th January 2015, 20:51

             Also forgot to add – I don’t have a Sky Sports subscription. For me the F1 channel was added to the HD subscription I already had.
31. 

    Brian Frank (@brianfrank302)
    27th January 2015, 16:07

    Here in India, the F1 broadcast is on Star Sports 4. But the pre-race+qualy and post-race=qualy are from Fox Sports. On top of that, the commentary and race are of Sky and they also show Martin Brundle’s pre-race grid walk.
    1. 

       Nin13 (@nin13)
       27th January 2015, 16:31

       Yes and not just in SD. But for Rs.500 extra (~ $8) you can get HD on most DTHTV networks.

       Another good thing Star Sports did is streaming on mobile (android/ios) via app for just Rs 450 (~ $7) all quali and races only, which I use when I’m at work on Sunday. And you can get upto 1080p too but its different story that there is no proper 3G other than few cities.
32. 

    soundscape (@)
    27th January 2015, 16:13

    And here I am complaining that we only get it in SD in Australia (since it used to be broadcast in HD). It turns out we’re one of the lucky few to get it for free!
    1. 

       Kazihno (@kazinho)
       28th January 2015, 10:36

       Remember how bad it was when Ch. 9 had coverage?

       Qualifying was a 30 second recap, races were rarely live and they didn’t stop the coverage while the ad breaks were on, they continued in the false assumption that they were showing it live.

       Worst example: the 1997 Canadian GP was broadcast 18 hours after the race finished because they decided Wimbledon was more important and couldn’t find a 2 hour window to squeeze it in.
       1. 

          Evil Homer (@)
          29th January 2015, 12:29

          @soundscape & @Kazihno
          Yes we are lucky, I complain we don’t get practice but looking at that for other countries all quali & races looks pretty good doesn’t it!

          However there is talk of in 2016 of a contact with Channel 10, Channel 7 & Foxtel (AFL Style). It would mean we miss some quali & races unless you get a Foxtel subscription !! :( Nothing signed yet and hopefully it wont happen, but may be not so good next year when we watch Daniel’s 1st WDC :)!!
33. 

    Oni (@oni)
    27th January 2015, 16:24

    Albania
    TOP Channel – All races, all qualifying, no practice sessions. Free on air.
    1. 

       Oni (@oni)
       27th January 2015, 16:26

       You gotta add Albania to the list! :) (No online coverage)
34. 

    mantresx (@mantresx)
    27th January 2015, 16:27

    There will be some very important changes in F1 broadcasting for Latin America in 2015.
    Fox Sports will only cover the second half of the season live and I believe will not show all the practice sessions anymore.

    Spanish broadcaster Mediapro acquired the rights last year and will provide a 24h channel dedicated just to F1 with multiple cameras, interactive, etc which will come no doubt at a higher price.
    Link (in Spanish): http://www.todotvnews.com/news/mediapro-seal-formula-1.html
35. 

    RDK
    27th January 2015, 16:40

    Information for Slovakia is wrong. Season 2014 Free-to-air coverage ended last year. Season 2015 for Slovakia will be only for € on Sport 2 CZE HD. The lowest price in country for year subcription is 120€ for 7 premium channels which includes Sport 2 CZE HD another 49 channels are for free.
36. 

    Mike (@mikeydcmtd)
    27th January 2015, 16:41

    Haha i love that in Brazil the free option has the races live and the paid option is delayed.
    As much as i don’t like giving money to sky, I might try watching melbourne on the playstation through now tv as I get so frustrated with the Live streams. Does anyone know how stable the streaming on now tv is?
37. 

    Dimitris 1395 (@dimitris-1395)
    27th January 2015, 16:41

    It is not certain, although it is quite possible, that Greece will have free-to-air coverage of the next F1 season. Usually it is announced shortly before the beginning of the season and the biggest favorite is Alpha TV, which has shown every but one season of F1 since 2000.
    The other option, OTE TV, which has a subscription had a contract until last year and will likely renew. They already have produced a tv ad in which F1 has been mentioned to be shown in the channels. Hopefully it will remain there, as the alternative choice, Nova, costs more than twice and the quality is not as high.
38. 

    Claus Hansen
    27th January 2015, 16:50

    I just want to mention, that I enjoyed again to watch the Tudor 24 hours of Daytona this recent weekend, totally free of charge, with top class commentators all the way, and I think there also was 6 different onboard cameras to choose from, AND NO ADS.

    Which website can I log into, where something like that is avaible, Mr. Ecclestone ?

    I’m from Denmark
39. 

    wasiF1 (@wasif1)
    27th January 2015, 16:53

    In Bangladesh we pay $5 per month for the channels of Star Sports, though we don’t get the HD channel and we get around 15-18 minutes of ad in between the races. We get the feed from Sky.
40. 

    Shreyas Mohanty (@ssm0304)
    27th January 2015, 16:56

    Star Sports HD2 in India airs all F1 races too.. @keithcollantine
41. 

    F1 Fella
    27th January 2015, 16:57

    In the US, the only reason I have cable is because of F1. It costs me $1000 a year. For F1. I need to rethink…
42. 

    Ean (@ean)
    27th January 2015, 16:59

    You can add South Africa All races practice and Qualifying live in HD Supersport TV Price similar to Namibia
43. 

    Karol (@karol296)
    27th January 2015, 17:04

    Hello from Poland.
    Some figures showing the audience fall in F1 in Poland without Kubica. Polsat (free-to-air television) showed Formula One in Poland between 2007-2013. In 2009, the races was watched by an average 2,1 milion. it was the best year. Other seasons with Kubica had just a little worse ratings. In 2013 season it was only 0.7 million. Then Polsat contract expired. They bought the TV rights for 2014 season on the day before the start of the season. But there were only broadcast in pay TV – Polsat Sport. Viewership last season was good – 0.4 million viewers. This very good ratings for pay Polsat Sport. Still no one has bought the rights for the next seasons. The reason is the high price expected by the broker – MP & Silva.
    1. 

       kkrzewniak
       27th January 2015, 18:39

       I really hope that Polsat will not renew the deal, their commentary is so bad that I prefer to switch over to RTL and live with having commercial breaks. It’s like the commentators have no clue what the rules are and what’s happening on track. The best coverage we ever had was back in the day when F1 was on Canal+, they at least knew the rule book.
44. 

    Brian Frank (@brianfrank302)
    27th January 2015, 17:42

    Here in India, I pay £4.07 pm for all channels as per my package, which includes full F1 coverage. The quality’s also good as it’s actually from Sky. But the lack of recorded broadcast is a problem, particularly for the American races (the US gp starts at 1 am on Monday).
45. 

    Ernie2492 (@ernietheracefan)
    27th January 2015, 17:45

    IDR 800k in Indonesia..
    I rather paying 5 euro for WRC+
46. 

    Brian C (@bcracing)
    27th January 2015, 18:02

    Does nobody have the internet? I’ve been streaming for free for several seasons. Why would you pay such outlandish prices? It just empowers F1 to stay in the dark ages with their digital media, or as they put it “those fancy moving pictures”. Until we can subscribe to F1 races without having to buy cable and/or satellite companies I will be watching for free.
    1. 

       davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13)
       27th January 2015, 21:32

       The only streams I’ve seen are incredibly poor quality and the sites their on full of malware and dodgy pop ups etc. I wasn’t aware of their being actually high quality illegal streams. Must not be looking in the right place. If FOM just did it themselves, charged a reasonable, competitive fee, they could stop many from streaming and provide a much better service that could help draw in fans unable or unwilling to sign up to Sky or whatever at great cost just to catch a handful of races.
       1. 

          davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13)
          27th January 2015, 21:33

          There – their… I know the difference, just not when angrily typing apparently! Let it be known!
47. 

    matiascasali (@matiascasali)
    27th January 2015, 18:27

    Argentinian cost it’s a bit overestimated: the basic cable cost about $3732 a year wich is roughly 355 euros a year. and the premium subscription goes up to 540 euros. So, i think that 1500 figure is way out of proportion…
48. 

    spoutnik (@spoutnik)
    27th January 2015, 19:02

    As a RTBF developer, in Belgium, I am quite sad to see our efforts to provide free content on about every device that can play a video are almost unmatched. The only regret is that we cannot afford retransmitting it live on internet, everything is in place to allow it, but the price is just too high ( I don’t know the figures).

    Thing is, we are a public television, with public money, and in most countries public media are assaulted by private firms. This is particulary the case in Europe where the rtbf is in first line with the presidency of european public televisions. Last year the european court ruled out a claim that the rtbf had no right to even be present on the internet. There is a trending model towards the pay-for-everything, which is quite annoying.
49. 

    Camilo Vasquez
    27th January 2015, 19:20

    In Canada TSN puts adds every 7-10 laps that last up to 3min…I cant watch it like that. Thats the reason why i watch all the races online.

    Its like putting adds on a powerplay in the stanley cup final.
    1. 

       Bert
       28th January 2015, 0:45

       But they also (usually) do a picture-in-picture during the commercials. Yes, it is not great, but it could be worse. You could also, if you have it, flip over to TSN’s French sister station RDS.
50. 

    tim
    27th January 2015, 19:41

    Why, why, why, must F1 always be on TV? Why can’t I watch a race on the web? Put ads on it, I don’t care, just don’t force me to buy cable, which I refuse to have in my home.

    Until then, F1, you’re missing out on a HUGE audience that doesn’t watch things the way previous generations have. And until you get this, I’ll just watch free streaming and all sorts of other things I can find — Ted’s Talks on YouTube, etc — without a dime going to you. Your decision, F1.
    1. 

       GT Racer (@gt-racer)
       27th January 2015, 21:15

       Why, why, why, must F1 always be on TV? Why can’t I watch a race on the web?

       Big part of the reason for that is because the broadcasters buy exclusivity clauses which grants them exclusive TV/Online distribution in there region.

       In the UK for example the Sky/BBC deal gives them exclusive distribution of live content on TV & the internet so the only way to watch the live content is through there TV & online services.

       Since so many broadcasters have those clauses even if FOM started an official online streaming service it would have to be Geo-blocked in a a lot of regions around the world where these clauses exist.
       Its something most (If not all) broadcasters ask for because there paying to get the F1 rights & feel that if an alternative option becomes available it will hurt there viewership which will cost them money (Bigger issue for subscription based & commercial broadcasters).

       Some of the smaller categories get away with offering free online streams because most of the time there paying for what TV coverage they get & having free streams online is a way of getting a lot of extra exposure which they desperately need.
       1. 

          davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13)
          27th January 2015, 21:29

          Going forward most of us are online and most of us have very decent speeds capable of running this. In future they’re going to HAVE to cater to this market, even if it means taking it off traditional broadcast TV. Look at how Netflix and the Netflix model is expanding and within a year or tow many films will get simulataneous online release or come out very shortly after a cinema release. They desperately need to get F1 up to modern standards. Indeed if they really want the sport to expand and find new audiences, spearheading innovative online distribution and a whole host of other things related to that would be the best place to start. Let people actually access F1, lots of behind the scenes stuff, on tablets, on laptops, streaming on your PlayStation etc. They’ll find an audience then. Oh and don’t make it prohibitively expensive. Things like the WWE wrestling have subscription models I believe which are reasonable. F1 MUST do this. They’d make more money in the long run. Imagine hundreds of thousands (in the UK), and possibly millions worldwide of F1 fans happily spending £10-£15 a month for full access. Look at that revenue stream!
          1. 

             PeterG
             28th January 2015, 12:23

             Things like the WWE wrestling have subscription models I believe which are reasonable.

             They have & interestingly the subscriber numbers have been very disappointing & well below what was expected.
51. 

    MarkM
    27th January 2015, 20:07

    I’m moving to Australia…
    1. 

       greg-c
       28th January 2015, 12:39

       Come on over Mate,
       The beer , beaches and babes are sensational :)
52. 

    Daniel (@)
    27th January 2015, 20:34

    The only downside to watching F1 on the west coast of the US (apart from the coat) is having a lot of races start at ungodly hours (5:00 am). But the Austrailian GP, Chinese GP etc are shown late saturday night so catching those are easy, if you don’t mind staying up to 1 or 2 in the morning.
    1. 

       Daniel (@)
       27th January 2015, 20:35

       *cost.
       1. 

          @HoHum (@hohum)
          27th January 2015, 22:27

          That’s what PersonalVideoRecorders are for, most TVs now have a crude PVR via USB built in, and in the US cable providers like Comcast provide a PVR in the HD subscription package, Sunday morning, a cup of coffee and F1 to start the day.
    2. 

       notalent
       28th January 2015, 4:20

       The nice thing about F1 being a niche sport in the US is not having to worry about seeing race results before I watch it on dvr
53. 

    davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13)
    27th January 2015, 21:23

    Last year I did the Now TV thing and caught the remaining BBC live races. Still pricey but the cheapest option. Always a worry in case your internet badly times when it goes down, but I was lucky!

    I really wish FOM just did a high quality live stream for worldwide consumption with access to commentators from each countries coverage. £5 a race or say £100 for the comprehensive year round coverage. It is just ONE sport after all. I can get Netflix with access to thousands of shows and movies and it’s a paltry £8 a month.

    Obviously if they did ever run a modern online stream they’d probably want £15 per race weekend or something ludicrous.. because they’re crazy and apparently they only want F1 to be consumed by the well off. Folk like me who work in retail are apparently not good enough for them (doubly so when looking at British GP ticket prices, remember for ONE event that last 2 hours).
54. 

    FormulaLes (@formulales)
    27th January 2015, 21:31

    Having just left New Zealand after living there for a year, the $1000 a year figure is really just an approximation.

    To watch Formula 1 on Sky, at a minimum you need to purchase the sports pack in addition to the basic pack.

    The basic pack is $48.07/month. The sports pack is $26.86/month. A total of $74.93/month or $899.16/year. If you want to watch in HD add $9.99/month, and if you want to record add $15/month. A total of $1,199.04/year.

    Even then, those prices give you access to more content than just Formula 1.
55. 

    Edu Pimentel
    27th January 2015, 21:34

    The numbers for Argentina are way off. You need cable to watch F1, but that costs about AR$ 405 a month, if you’re getting picky and need to watch in HD, that cost goes up to AR$ 650 a month more or less. That sums to about up to 800 EUR. Hardly the 1500 claimed here…
56. 

    Toots
    27th January 2015, 21:43

    Estonian price for VSB subscription is more likely €91.52. You can also subscribe to German channel pack (RTL included) for only ca €4.95 per month… Some cable companies even offer picking, and then RTL only goes for €0.50 per month.
57. 

    @HoHum (@hohum)
    27th January 2015, 22:36

    It occurs to me that those paying subscriptions to watch F1 may never be able to afford that Rolex that Bernie wants you to buy, but if you really must have a Rolex the obvious answer is to give up that TV subscription.
58. 

    Quinn (@quinnolabar)
    27th January 2015, 22:36

    I haven’t read through all of the previous comments so I don’t know if anyone has clarified this yet, but in the United States the coverage is actually much more extensive than that. The NBC Sports Network only shows FP2 live on the actual television and the races and qualifying sessions are sometimes delayed due to bad timing (who’s going to watch if no one is awake to see it), but on NBC Sports Live Extra on the internet you can view all practice sessions, qualifying, and races live without any extra fee. All you have to do is sign in with your cable or satellite TV provider. In my opinion, the coverage here in the US is exceptional and where I live the most basic cable package includes NBC Sports so I have no extra cost to view F1 races, Premier League soccer, or the biggest NHL games, among many other programs.
    People love to hate on America and our relative lack of support here, but I actually think we have one of the best deals when it comes to watching F1 and I wish more people knew about it.
59. 

    3furious
    27th January 2015, 23:45

    Slovenia has free online F1 coverage on http://4d.rtvslo.si/, there’s even a mobile app (RTV 4D) available.
60. 

    RL
    27th January 2015, 23:49

    I fear that Australia’s status as one of the countries that still has free F1 coverage will come to an end soon.
    This year, V8 Supercars is moving to a coverage model similar to F1 in the UK, with a deal between a FTA channel (Ten) and a cable provider (Foxtel). If successful, I feel these two will move on with the same model for F1
61. 

    greg-c
    27th January 2015, 23:59

    I notice some folk saying they would pay for old content ,

    I would guess there’s a small river of money to be made from this ,

    How many people would pay a few clams to see a Senna/Prost race ?
    Alonso/Schumacher
    The list is HUGE!! And almost endless
62. 

    Spartak Moscow
    28th January 2015, 0:01

    In Russia I pay 3Euro per month for Sport1HD chanel without adv(in living room). In kitchen sport1SD and other 30 chanels for 2euro per month.
63. 

    Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
    28th January 2015, 0:53

    Well, at $1000NZ, I won’t be watching F1 this year (unless I happen to get a better job, which isn’t on the current plan), and nor will most of the F1 fans in New Zealand. Pity, the coverage used to be really good, and lots of people would stay up to midnight to watch the races. Nowadays … as far as I can tell hardly anyone watches a race.
    My thanks to the sponsors, they hand over millions of dollars in the hope that potential customers might notice their brand name on an F1 car.
64. 

    notalent
    28th January 2015, 1:37

    @Keithcollantine. In the US we are scheduled to get 5 free over the air races this season on NBC. Monaco, Canada, USA, Mexico, and Brazil. The cost for the cable satellite subscription can very significantly. NBCsports or a sister station airs all the races live.
65. 

    Ibrahim (@baimthesynth)
    28th January 2015, 3:42

    1. What country are you in
    In Jakarta, Indonesia

    2. Which channels broadcast F1 near you?

    Fox Sports Asia (1,2,3) and all channel avaiable in HD

    3. Do they show all the races live or only a limited number of them live, or are they delayed (if so, how many?)

    For last year race all race live in Fox Sports 1-2 (Delayed in Fox Sports 3 after coverage finished in Fox Sports 1/2)

    4. Do they show all the qualifying sessions live or only a limited number of them live, or are they delayed

    Live in Fox Sports 1 and 3

    5. Do they show all the practice sessions live or only a limited number of them live, or are they delayed (if so, how many?)
    Live in Fox Sports 1 and 3

    6. If they are a subscription channel, what does a full year’s subscription cost (excluding limited time offers)?
    in my satellite provider called “Big TV” these channel available in “Big Ultimate Sports” add on Package cost IDR 50.000 / Month (4 USD), and also you get the Eurosports Asia SD/HD (this channel show WTCC and WEC live)and you must subscribe the basic channel, total cost are IDR 180.000 per Month (14.4 USD) / 172 USD/year the cheap way to watch F1 Coverage in HD on this country also you get MotoGP, Nascar and Formula E coverage live in 2015

    7. Do they broadcast coverage online? If so please post link/s
    Free Broadcast online in racematelive.com (only onboard channel, driver tracker, timing, highlight channel)

    8. Please supply any other relevant information such as alternative viewing options
    for this year only way to watch Formula 1 coverage live on Fox Sports. No Free to Air Broadcast since 2013
66. 

    bankelele
    28th January 2015, 7:29

    I live in Nairobi where were watch F1 via super sport /dstv from South Africa. All races are shown in about 3.5 hour blocks live on Sunday’s on sports channels on their premium package that costs about $80 per month. However the majority of race fans (including those who have premium TV packages at home) tend watch the live races at sports pubs for the camaraderie and fun of cheering their teams – e.g. at Ferrari branded pubs
67. 

    Sujeeth (@sjct83)
    28th January 2015, 7:55

    United Arab Emirates BeIn Sports All All All £1512 n/a

    keith it is UK Pounds approx 170.00 for one year subscription in UAE.
    1. 

       GeeMac (@geemac)
       28th January 2015, 8:42

       My package for Bein Sports with Du is AED 725 pm (which includes everything – most of the TV channels, BeIn sports and internet) which does work out to about GBP 1500 per year.

       On its own it is less but as far as I’m aware you cant just get BeIn on its own.
68. 

    GeeMac (@geemac)
    28th January 2015, 8:38

    The worst thing about the UAE isn’t just the fact that we get fleeced to watch BeIn Sports, it is the inconsistency of the the English Language coverage. It is either quite decent (all practice sessions with 5 live commentary, quali and the race with Sky commentary and a pre-race build up with Tony Jardine and either Karun Chandhok) or non existent. A few times last season races or practice sessions were advertised but then without warning weren’t broadcast with the likes of handball being given precedence on the designated channel and Levante v Real Sociedad repeats on the other channels. In those circumstances I would have to watch the race on the Arabic channel with the TV on mute while listening to the commentary on the F1 app. Not ideal, and there is nothing you can do about it.
69. 

    Kazihno (@kazinho)
    28th January 2015, 11:00

    Just wanted to add that in Australia, the full race can be watched online (via Tenplay) on demand, for free, for 7 days after the event.

    In 2013 & 2014 for most races:
    Qualifying was on ten’s HD channel live, and delayed on SD.
    Race was live on SD, reply on HD the following night.
70. 

    Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
    28th January 2015, 11:39

    South Africa (DSTV) is $USD 798 per year.
71. 

    Rick Hendrikse
    28th January 2015, 11:41

    here in the netherlands, news just came out that Sport One will show live F1, nascar Sprint Cup, Dtm, gp2, gp3, indycar and porsche cup. And that for 15 euro’s! Not bad compared to some other countries in the list!
72. 

    Peter Hunter (@holdenv8)
    28th January 2015, 11:57

    This is what I love about living in Australia. For well over 30 years our Formula 1 coverage has been on Free To Air.
73. 

    Sergey Martyn
    28th January 2015, 14:00

    Please correct – HD coverage of ALL sessions (all FPs, qualifying and race) in Sport1 channel costs 150 roubles per month or 1800 roubles = $26 or £17 per year.
74. 

    Sun Siyuan (@peking901)
    28th January 2015, 16:23

    The information about China is in complete, we now have another channel: LeTV, they broadcast all the qualifyingsessions and races.
75. 

    Robert T.
    29th January 2015, 7:28

    I just started DirectTV again, glad to hear NBCSN will carry the Formula One Series. I was with Dish and the only way to watch it was on the Spanish channel which wasn’t fun because the commentary is what makes it interesting and I don’t speak or understand Spanish. The Cheapest Package to get NBCSN Starts at $73.99….Plus Equipment or Roughly $115 per month for a 4 TV system with DVR and HD for that I get 210 Channels of which 190 I don’t watch and could careless if they disappeared. So taking that into account the cost of NBCSN is either 54cents a month or $5.75 if I ignore the other 190 channels I don’t watch. All in all it’s much cheaper than the rest of the world it seems. I will say one thing though the cost of television is becoming outrageous and Greed associated with the System Providers is getting out of hand. Personally I could stop watching everything on TV and probably be healthier in the long run. Although I would probably just go to the computer an spend just as much time wasting time, SO, I keep my DirecTV, complain about the cost and write comments at 23:30 on a Wednesday night.
76. 

    Sean Doyle (@spdoyle17)
    29th January 2015, 18:52

    In the US, I am glad F1 is not on free to air.

    -Degraded commentary
    -More advertising
    -Considerably high likelihood of pre-emption

    Reading the above comment that five races in 2015 will be broadcast over the air means I’m probably going to miss two of them, while the other three I hope I am working a shift that allows me to be drunk during the broadcast.

    Out of the last eleven USGP’s, I’ve attended two while forgetting if it were viewable on TV, had two pre-empted, and boycotted one. Three of those races I lived in an area I couldn’t see it and had to watch via DVD-R. That’s for the HOME round.

    Then, there are incidents like the 2013 Brazilian GP in Oklahoma. As someone who forecasts weather for a living, I knew that the freezing rain threat was laughable at the time of the race. However, I missed over half the race because the local tv station decided that they will make more money telling people, “No, it’s still not freezing,” for an hour.

    Would I be ecstatic to pay a couple hundred USD per year to have an F1 viewership account, with decent commentary, live coverage, and an on-demand feature where I could watch any race in the database? You better believe it. I would do the exact same thing if I got every race for free over the air.
77. 

    Stefan
    29th January 2015, 23:03

    I’m a Dutch viewer and my TV package costs €17,50- per month and with that I can receive RTL (Germany), BBC (UK) and Rai Uno (Italy) so my costs to watch F1 aren’t that high as I don’t have to buy the Sport1 Package. One negativ thing is that my provider is blocking Rai Uno during F1 races so I’ve to hope BBC to be live otherwise I’m stuck with RTL which shows commercials during the races which is very annoying.
78. 

    MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
    31st January 2015, 20:39

    One factor not considered is non-FOM coverage. By that I mean pre-/post-race and other support shows.
    In Canada, TSN uses FOM video and BBC audio but only has 5 minutes of pre-race and has cut the podium ceremony if the race goes over 2 hours. The french language RDS have their own commentary and have a 30-minute show dedicated to F1 on alternating weekends.
    My point is, for equal money, many places get more coverage from their broadcaster than we do in Canada.
79. 

    Paul
    7th February 2015, 1:20

    Where did you get your info for New Zealand F1 coverage?

    I’ve asked Sky if they can confirm that they are showing the whole season this year, they said they couldn’t give me any promises beyond the first two races as they’re still negotiating?
80. 

    Keith
    12th February 2015, 14:21

    It is misleading to quote a cost of C$720 to watch Formula 1 in Canada. The package offered by satellite or cable may cost that per year but there are lots of other sporting events and other channels in that package.
81. 

    Matthew
    14th February 2015, 2:38

    Australia has now fallen to the Fox-network domination also.
    Only 10 races will actually show on Free-to-air TV this year, and all races will be on Fox. A subscription is $50/m to include the sports packages.
    And they have done the same with V8Supercars. Thanks for selling us out Channel 10. Grumpy Face.
82. 

    Stephen H.
    16th February 2015, 9:44

    Gees I see Sky costs $90 au to get basic package and sports (which includes sky f1)quite expensive really compared to here downunder. Now that Foxtel has all rights to all races as well as practice. qualf. you can get the basic and the sports package for $50 for new subs. Pretty reasonable here compared to sky uk.
83. 

    Sergey
    9th March 2015, 13:19

    Beginning this year, the channel is no longer sport1 show formula 1. Thus in Russia remained show only channel Russia2 format SD. Only qualification and race (timeshift)
84. 

    Steve
    19th March 2016, 11:18

    You literally could not pay ME to watch this sport, never mind expect me to pay to watch.

    If you believe my mum, I’ve been watching F1 since I was 1 year old. Apparently, watching little colourful blobs move across a tv screen (which is all it would have been to me at that age) was the only thing that could make me shut up. Apparently, for two hours on a sunday was the only time I was quiet. According to legend, they even had to prod and poke me during F1 races because they were worried that I was being so quiet that I was dead.
    In reality, I was glued to these funny little coloured blobs on the screen.

    And I’ve grown up with this sport ever since.

    39 years later, I’m 40, and havent watched F1 in two years. In 40 years, those are the only two years I have missed and there will be more. I will not be returning.

    If I have to pay to watch racing, then I want a LOT of product. Which is why I’ve moved over to sports endurance. Now I get 6 hours worth of racing (for less than it costs for two hours of F1), and on Le Mans weekend I get 24 hours of it.

    F1 never wins me back from here. I’ve gone. Bernie Ecclestone would have to pass, and F1 would have to be free again for it to attract this old bird back. It would also have to be a lot more exciting to watch.

    You literally could not pay me to watch it right now.
    1. 

       Tony Fisk
       6th November 2016, 22:31

       The problem I have with paying for Sky F1 coverage is that 95% of what you give them goes to football. How much cheaper could it be if it was just paying for the thing you actually want? At the moment you are buying a jar of jam and 19 jars of Marmite for the price of 20 jars of jam.
85. 

    nani
    3rd July 2017, 11:03

    Nice post http://www.selfcarinsurance.com

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