F1 says that they are working on adjusting their TV coverage as per the fans need – whether avid or casual as it offers view on free-to-air and pay channels.
Ever since F1 made the full switch to paid television in the United Kingdom and some other countries, prior to the start of the 2018 season, there has been significant outcry from fans who are unhappy with this controversial decision.
The main argument from such fans is that F1 is losing viewers due to the move away from free-to-air TV, but the statistics tell a slightly different story, as the sport’s 2019 season was its most successful season since 2012 on the viewership front.
Expanding on the on-going issue, Ian Holmes explained the challenges with pay TV and the in-depth coverage it brings, while acknowledging that FTA does provide larger audience as it is available at more homes than the pay channel.
“It goes without saying that an FTA broadcaster is going to generate a larger audience than a pay TV channel,” said Holmes. “That said, it is a bit of an oversimplification. Firstly, there are always commercial elements to be considered but equally as important, is to look at who the viewers are, what the demographics are, and therefore who you’re addressing.
“Furthermore, pay TV often provides far more in depth coverage and I think it would be fair to say that in the likes of Sky and Canal+ they have and continue to strive to improve the overall standard of F1 coverage, bringing to the fan far more than ever existed in the past – and they do a fantastic job.
“Then there are those people who are consuming F1 content on the different digital and social channels of our broadcast partners and our own F1 owned and operated platforms and channels.” Holmes also touched upon what was behind the increases in viewers beyond just the aforementioned highly-detailed coverage.
“For this, he pointed the finger at the nature of the 2019 season, which was more complex and interesting than years prior. “I think that it should be acknowledged that in the ever-fragmented media landscape we live in, achieving a flat-line is a ‘win’ so to have secured another increase is particularly satisfying,” he said.
“In terms of what has been driving the increases I think it is a myriad of different factors on and off the track. I think generally there was more compelling racing in 2019, more storylines, new and exciting drivers challenging for honours. Also, we are always looking at ways of improving the coverage and capturing the action.
“New graphics with the help of AWS, different camera angles and positions have also been introduced. My personal favourite was the ‘on-halo’ graphics which I thought looked incredible. I also believe our efforts away from the track are bearing fruit.
“We ran four fantastic Fan Festivals, introduced ever more digital offerings and games, further developed our esports series and enjoyed great success with the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ which really resonated with lapsed, light and new fans.
“All these elements aligned with our on-going event by event marketing efforts such as those we put on around F1’s 1,000th Grand Prix meaning that we are talking to ever more people through so many different channels. It shows that engagement with F1 has increased significantly year on year.
“We have a similar size group of people watching more content and for longer than they did a year ago. This was of course helped by more compelling races and a more engaged fan base who have increased the amount of content that they are watching compared to 2018. We have found this with all F1 touchpoints.
“It’s no coincidence that 72% say that the sport has improved in the last two years. The growth in cumulative audience suggests that we have more engagement which means that fans are spending longer watching the races on TV compared to last year.
“There will always be a component of casual fans who do not stay as long with the coverage as more avid fans. However, we have invested significantly in biometrics research in 2019 to understand the drivers of engagement with the TV feed, and this research is being utilized by the TV production team to help improve the coverage and ensure we focus on the more engaging aspects of the content.
“The new graphics, different camera angels and positions have all no doubt had a significant impact on improvements that we saw in engagement and have ensured fans have stayed longer with the coverage compared to 2018.”
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The story was edited by Darshan Chokhani
