19 replies to this topic

[Half Fast]

Here is the full year schedule, including practices and qualifying. Note ESPN3 refers to streaming. It ain't like NBCSN but its something. Coverage will be from Sky Sports in the UK.
 
ESPN reveals F1 TV broadcast schedule for 2018
 
Cheers,

[Half Fast]

The verdict is in after ESPN's first race:
 
It was a total fustercluck, see the article and comments here:
 
ESPN apologizes to F1 fans after having rough debut weekend coverage
 
I couldn't agree more.
 
Jeers to ESPN and F1.

[Tex]

I didn't see it live, caught it on replay yesterday morning. Even so, the commercials were horrendous. OK, it would show the commercials "side-by-side" with the racing, but the commercials went on and on and on forever...

[Jaz]

I watched the replay yesterday at 11 AM.

The ESPN annoucers suck! Sounds like were at a soccer match. These guys don't understand the nuances of F1.

Bring back Hobbs and Diffy!!!

[Noose]

Agree, it was really bad. Thank god I had it on DVR and could fast forward.

[chaparrAL]

 

[Cheater]

... the commercials went on and on and on forever...

That's a hot-button topic with me: the number of commercials being shown at each commercial break on most cable channels. Almost never less than seven and often as many as ten at each break! Why are we (who haven't cut the cable yet) paying so darn much for service and having to endure so many commercials?

And the number of commercials being aired seems to have diminished so I keep seeing the same commercials over and over and over again. It's worse than the repetitive posts I keep seeing on Facebook.
 
On another subject, if you're really into F1 racing, do not delay in getting thee a copy of the book famed F1 racer car designer Adrian Newey published last year.
 
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer

 

I just finished it and it's absolutely the best book I've ever read on the nuances of designing modern F1 cars, although it is as much his bio as anything else. Once I got into it, I simply could not put it down.

[gc4895]

The commercials were endless and they made no efforts whatsoever to coordinate race coverage with what was actually happening on the track. It was like the race was completely incidental to the commercial broadcast schedule. Yes, the commentators were awful. 

I really miss Hobbs and Matchett. I don't, honestly, miss Diffy one little bit. For me, the absence of Leigh was the sole positive. 

It's remarkable how ESPN has managed to utterly squash all perspective out of understanding and appreciating the nuances of Formula 1 racing. Cub Scout Pinewood Derby deserves better coverage than this billion dollar sport received over the weekend. Pathetic.

[Terry]

Horrible, mind-numbing, maddening...

[Randy Tragni]

I pretty much agree with what everyone has said. I knew it was going to be horrid when I turned on F1 grid and got 10 minutes of track noise with a view of an empty corner. Really exciting start to what was otherwise a pretty good race.

 

Also, went in to one commercial with Hamilton leading, then after the commercial Vettel's in the lead. What a mess.

 

Yes, I miss Hobbs, too.

[MarkH]

When it was announced ESPN was taking over USA F1 broadcasting I had a very sick feeling in my stomach. Then I looked into it and found they had no intention of doing anything more than using the world feed. At that point I knew it was the current corporate policy of "Cheaper is Better." When they said they were taking F1 in a new direction they meant it, but as we all agree it is the wrong direction.

 

We must keep in mind that our monthly payment for cable/satellite only covers the service, not the programming.

 

I was real nervous when F1 moved to NBC and dropped Varsha. Keeping Hobbs and Matchett was smart. The coverage was excellent except for not knowing what channel to turn on for the different coverages. A real pain for us old guys who still use VCRs. Overall few complaints with NBC's effort. Extreme disappointment with ESPN. Their apology really said they were sorry their pre-race show did not go off correctly. I think they might have missed the point that the whole of the broadcast was poor and cheaply done.

 

ALL TV broadcasters are selling the exact same product: you, the viewer.

 

When they contact the sponsors for money the only thing they have to offer in return is the number of viewers for a particular program. So you and I are the product ESPN is selling. The only way anything will change is if we, the product, make it clear to those sponsors that their money will not be able to buy the product unless the program meets a minimum standard.

 

So our frustration should be redirected and make those with the power to give us what we expect. Letters are more effective if they are in high enough numbers to bog down the office at the sponsor. It is best to address it to the marketing dept, bypassing customer relations, because marketing has the power and customer relations will send out form letters acting like they did something.

 

Emails can work but there really needs to be a boatload of them because they can just filter by subject line and delete without reading anything.

 

Perhaps I will post the letter I intend to send and those who wish can copy and use it if they agree with the content.

[kvanpelt]

I DVR all TV programs I care to watch.

 

For racing and other sporting events, I start watching the recording approximately one hour into the event, skip through the commercials and usually it's timed out so I'm viewing it live by the end of the event.

 

Local newscasts are the worst. Between all the commercials and the preview of the upcoming stories peddled before the commercials, I cut a 30 minute recording to less than 10 minutes. An NFL game can be watched, if you are still into that BS, in two hours!

[MarkH]

Upon further investigation it appears ESPN was almost gifted F1 broadcast rights. There was no bid from NBC because Liberty Media already announced they will be offering commercial free OTT (Over The Top) computer access to multiple language world broadcasts, in car cameras on demand and other media yet to be defined. Most everyone here I am sure is aware Liberty had these plans and the delayed launch of F1 TV may have been a contributing factor in the poor broadcast. I bet ESPN did not have enough time to coordinate anything of quality. This assumes of course quality may have been a goal.

 

I am not making excuses for ESPN. They do not deserve any defense for the sub-par "Telecast" but I suspect they really only intended to play the world feed and call it good on their part. Perhaps hoping to garner viewers who did not want to pay for F1 TV and pummel them with commercials that would not normally be seen by any audience at that hour of day. If you go to ESPN and watch the F1 news videos you will immediately be punished with some "Stick and Ball" sports videos on the F1 page. Pretty stupid IMHO. It seems their strategy is to gain more viewers from the F1 crowd to their "Real Sports Interests" of football, baseball and such. Nothing against those who also enjoy those sports but I find most F1 fans I know have little interest in anything but Motorsport.

Therefore it is my opinion a mail in campaign to the sponsors would only allow them to generate a number supporting a growth in their commercial views. It is pessimistic of course but that is the short of it.

 

Apparently Twitter has exerted some pressure on ESPN but as stated above the apologies are only for the lack of pre-races show.

 

I am not so sure F1 TV is really going to satisfy the USA fans. It appears that the OTT English feed will be the SKY broadcast that I personally feel was lacking information, energy at times and detailed analysis.  While I respect many of the former drivers SKY uses, their delivery can be pretty dry. I guess we will have to wait and see.

I think we as fans, especially those who have been watching for decades, will demand a high level of quality in commentators we did not see this past weekend. Liberty better wake up to the fact that not every F1 fan cares to be one through any more technology than DVR. They also better have a short learning curve understanding if you try to short cut the product people just will not buy it anymore.

I will try F1 TV when it is available but if it is more of the same with some fluff I will be unsubscribing quickly.

 

Benjamin Franklin: " The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"

[Half Fast]

ESPN should know that you can't randomly insert lengthy commercials into a broadcast that is designed to be commercial free.

 

Pro tip: If you are watching live a quick click over to the Spanish language station Unimas during commercials on ESPN can work. as they do not show commercials during the race. Hmm... why can't ESPN do that.

 

Cheers,

[Samiam]

Hmm why can't ESPN do that.

ESPN can't get Mexico to pay for it.

[Half Fast]

Who Hoo!

 

The Bahrain race was presented commercial free and ESPN2 did not screw up the pre-race show.

 

They still need more of post race analysis and budgeting only 2 hours for the race is simply not enough.

 

Cheers for progress

[MarkH]

Yes, commercial free sponsored exclusively by Mother's Polish. I will go out and buy more of their stuff, always liked it anyway. Going to drop them a note of appreciation as well.

 

I thought the race was very good and the presentation by Sky, while different than what we have been used to, was also good. Much better without all the bad timed commercials.

I still miss David and Steve. F1 just seems kind of empty right now without them.

 

Looking forward to China.....

[A. J. Hoyt]

It was a race worthy of my time - for the first three laps and the last 10.

 

I am even starting to get used to the "NFL kicker helmet chin guard" that they call the "Halo" over the cockpit, voted down by every team owner, as I read about it. It scares the crap out of me when tires go airborne in an open cockpit class of racing. The Indy Car race (on the same weekend) had a tire come free from the pit lane and almost make it onto the track during a green flag stint, according to their broadcasters accompanied by an image of it strolling away.

 

In the earlier F1 race, I still don't know the sequence of events that caused Hamilton to get passed for the lead by someone entering the pits during a "Virtual Safety Car" episode. Could someone who cares more about F1 than I do please explain it to me?

 

FF on DVR is required for F1.

 

AJ

[MarkH]

AJ

Melbourne: Hamilton was shuffled back during pit stop rotations. Vettle was leading when the VSC came out. Vettle had enough of a lead to pit and make it back out in front of Hamilton at the slower speeds of the VSC.

Kind of ironic the VSC is design to slow the field force them to maintain gaps effectively "Freezing the Field". Well I guess it also works if you have to pit with a large enough gap to the car behind.

[chaparrAL]

OK now, imagine not being able to watch it at all. Remember, like when we were kids? But then again that is when our heroes raced and died in the cars we now worship for their pure beauty.  

 I also say kudos to Mothers products who seem to have stepped up and bought a lot of commercial time.