Wimbledon and F1 "face the axe" in BBC cost cutting

[michael21]

Posted in the F1 thread, but I suspect others will want to know about Wimbledon http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/wimbledon-formula-one-bbc-cuts

BBC bosses have identified abandoning coverage of Formula One and Wimbledon as one way of saving money to help the broadcaster contend with the frozen licence fee settlement imposed last autumn.

Senior managers drawing up cost-saving options have alighted on the £40m-a-year motor racing deal and the long-running tennis coverage as ways in which the BBC could help achieve a £600m annual saving targeted for 2014.

Formula One, although helped by the popularity of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, is not peak-time programming, and as a result is viewed as a relatively expensive part of the sports schedule. Having been on ITV as recently as 2008, the sport is not seen as a mainstay of the BBC calendar.

Dropping Wimbledon, seen as a quintessentially BBC event, is also under consideration, although that would be a controversial move. The BBC has broadcast the event since 1937, and the close relationship between the All England Club and the broadcaster means the exact cost of the rights is barely known outside a handful of people.

"Wimbledon costs tens of millions, and is a very expensive contract, and costly to cover. No one is saying, definitely exit, but it is being looked at. Or perhaps, goes the thinking, this is a contract that could be shared with another broadcaster," said one well-placed BBC insider.

Although it says neither maybe dropped before 2014, the F1 contract may have a 'get out clause', if it does then the BBC may well utilise that in the same way ITV did back in 2008.

Seriously bad news this though, I'm not sure why both of those two, considering in the recent BBC Trust findings both were a 'HIT' in all categories.

[michael21]

why dont they get rid of cooking show and house show :hugesmile:

[arista]

why dont they get rid of cooking show and house show :hugesmile:



They did
Ready Steady Cook is gone.


The Tennis is not leaving BBC1HD & BBCHD
that contact is secure.

[Iceman]

Doesnt bother me if it goes from BBC, can watch on Setanta. (although it's highly unlikely its one of the most watched Grand Prix of the year.)

[Benjamin]

What?

Maybe they should scrap those sh*tty costume dramas they always do and some of the rubbish shows they have instead of the sports.

[arista]

What?

Maybe they should scrap those sh*tty costume dramas they always do and some of the rubbish shows they have instead of the sports.

Do you know
the BBC are Bloated.


Outcasts
was made with BBC Wales (Public money)
and BBCAmerica (Yank Commercial money)
It would be better if the BBC Stopped wasting my money I
am forced to give them.

They can have adds after each show to fund it
and all the Other Bloated BBC money sections would fund it.

[DrunkerThanMoses]

Good, fed up watching Wibledon and all they do is say how great our messiah andy murray is.... even if he is not playing.

[Wead]

Check out tennis ongoing and upcoming matches and information here

Wimbledon 2011 Schedule (http://www.ultraviewdirectory.com/Sports/wimbledon-tennis.php)

[michael21]

Check out tennis ongoing and upcoming matches and information here

Wimbledon 2011 Schedule (http://www.ultraviewdirectory.com/Sports/wimbledon-tennis.php)

Thanks that a good link :hugesmile:

[joeysteele]

If the BBC dropped Wimbledon and FI from its future schedules then the licence fee should be scrapped altogether, there's hardly much else worth watching on BBC.

It's all cookery programmes,auction shows, house buying and a multitude of repeats,the only good thing is when and I stress 'when' they do a sporting event or have a good film on there are no adverts breaks.

Its coverage of Andy Murray's semi-final match the other day was ridiculous,combining it with racing.

[michael21]

If the BBC dropped Wimbledon and FI from its future schedules then the licence fee should be scrapped altogether, there's hardly much else worth watching on BBC.

It's all cookery programmes,auction shows, house buying and a multitude of repeats,the only good thing is when and I stress 'when' they do a sporting event or have a good film on there are no adverts breaks.

Its coverage of Andy Murray's semi-final match the other day was ridiculous,combining it with racing.

It was on freeview ch301 as well with no racing :hugesmile:

[joeysteele]

Oh thanks,I should have flicked all through the channels then, I was only interested in the Tennis anyway. I will watch out for that in future.

[michael21]

Oh thanks,I should have flicked all through the channels then, I was only interested in the Tennis anyway. I will watch out for that in future.

Here a good link for you :hugesmile:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/5345480.stm

[Shaun]

ridiculous, Wimbledon is one of the biggest annual viewings. I can kinda understand F1 but axing Wimbledon would be absurd

[joeysteele]

It's likely just a threat from the BBC to make the Govt make the licence fee secure for more years again and also to increase it.

[michael21]

BBC to Axe F1?

Sunday Times Front Page:

http://twitpic.com/5dggsr

Been rumoured for a long while....

[King Gizzard]

Why don't they just cut **** like so you think you can dance? instead

[michael21]

Why don't they just cut **** like so you think you can dance? instead

you right i wish there would i dont want sky to get F1

[Scarlett.]

They best not axe F1

[Iceman]

ridiculous, Wimbledon is one of the biggest annual viewings. I can kinda understand F1 but axing Wimbledon would be absurd

The F1 race is one of their biggest pulls of the year...........you have 2 silly Brits thinking they can win the title when Vettel is 100% more superior.

[Iceman]

They best not axe F1

If they do I hope ITV get the rights next year without Jake.... he is honestly the worst TV presenter I have ever come across, fair enough if he actually had a clue about F1 but he really is the worlds biggest arselick, I honestly hope he dies sooner rather than later

[Novo]

The F1 race is one of their biggest pulls of the year...........you have 2 silly Brits thinking they can win the title when Vettel is 100% more superior.

Those two " Silly Brits " have won the title before :dance:

[Locke.]

No chance Wimbledon will be axed.

Wouldn't bother me if it was anyway, Sky Sports would pick it up

[Scarlett.]

If they do I hope ITV get the rights next year without Jake.... he is honestly the worst TV presenter I have ever come across, fair enough if he actually had a clue about F1 but he really is the worlds biggest arselick, I honestly hope he dies sooner rather than later

I wouldn't mind it if it did go back to ITV, only if they take away them damn ad breaks which always came up at the worst moments ever

[Iceman]

Those two " Silly Brits " have won the title before :dance:

Both of them are still 6 off the greatest... they can go fight all the **** they want, they will always be flash in the pans...... In F1 you Need to break records to be remembered...... Im happy Vettel is doing it cause he's German, poor Brits stand no chance. The time went and is gone for them. Always gonna be second or third best for the next Decade.

[Novo]

Both of them are still 6 off the greatest... they can go fight all the **** they want, they will always be flash in the pans...... In F1 you Need to break records to be remembered...... Im happy Vettel is doing it cause he's German, poor Brits stand no chance. The time went and is gone for them. Always gonna be second or third best for the next Decade.

Dynamics in F1 can change all the time so saying that they are going to be second and third for the next decade is a bold prediction.. how do you know Hamilton or Button won't sign for someone else? you simply don't know what's going to happen it's easy predicting things now the way they look but a lot can change at the end of the season. Hamilton and Button won pretty recently, 2008 and 2009.. wait a few more years before you can say they are a flash in the pan. and let's not forget British drivers have dominated this sport.


http://www.virginmedia.com/images/mike-hawthorn-300x400.jpg

[arista]

They best not axe F1



They will axe F1
or they have to close BBC4


This is Big Money Problems.

[michael21]

A good home for F1 would be challages as there can give it as mush time as its needs and it will still be on freeview

[michael21]

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/bbc/formula-1-boss-makes-free-to-air-vow/5028943.article

Formula 1 boss makes free-to-air vow

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has vowed that the sport will stay free-to-air after it emerged that the BBC could halt coverage to save money.

The Sunday Times reported that the BBC was considering dropping F1 as part of the Delivering Quality First initiative, but Ecclestone has said he would “do his best” to ensure continued coverage.

“We want Formula One to stay free to viewers,” Ecclestone told The Times. “That is 100%. The BBC has done a great job for us and we like their shows and the people obviously like it because so many are watching.”

He added: “They did warn me that they were facing problems but, so far, nothing more has been said. I hope they want to keep us because it is such a success and I will do my best to keep Formula One on the BBC.”

ITV broadcast F1 for 12 years before the BBC landed a five year deal in 2009.

That agreement is up for renewal in 2013, and Formula One Teams Association chairman and McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh also threw his weight behind the sport staying free to air.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “It’s crucial to the commercial model of Formula One that TV coverage should remain free-to-air, and therefore universally accessible, and therefore widely consumed and enjoyed by large numbers of viewers - and the BBC delivers that in the UK.”

F1 teams strike multiple lucrative sponsorship deals and reaching the widest possible TV audience has always been a key priority.

Whitmarsh said he “didn’t believe for a moment” that the BBC would seriously consider dropping the sport, and that to do so would be “very sad, and most unwise”

[michael21]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3646980/The-BBC-plans-to-dump-Formula-1-motor-racing-to-save-BBC4-channel.html

BBC scraps F1 to keep clog-dancing channel

THE BBC plans to dump Formula 1 to save BBC4 - home to shows such as Come Clog Dancing.
The Beeb - which signed a £300million five-year deal to air motor racing in 2009 - is desperate to save the high-brow channel.
Recent BBC4 shows have included one about a mass "flashmob" clog dance in Newcastle.
There is also Secret Life of the Motorway, Caravans: A British Love Affair, Still Folk Dancing... After All These Years and The Beauty of Maps.
The channel struggles to top audiences of more than a million, with most shows attracting just a few hundred thousand.
In contrast, F1 brings in decent viewing figures.
The Canadian Grand Prix drew more than eight million last week and there is normally between two and four million for each race.
But it works out at about £1 per viewer, making it the BBC's most costly show and an easy target for bean-counters.
The average cost of an hour of TV is just 7p per viewer.

Wooden ... but clog-dance TV safe
Scrapping F1 when the deal runs out in 2013 will cover the annual £54.3million budget of BBC4. The proposal will be put to the BBC Trust in the autumn.
An insider said: "Axing F1 could be very controversial. Viewers will be livid."

[seanraff07]

I'm not fussed about F1 but they better not axe Wimbledon.

[arista]

I'm not fussed about F1 but they better not axe Wimbledon.

No 100% Wimbledon is staying on BBC
The have even got Sony in for 3-D Broadcasts on the BBCHD ch
for the finals.

Its the Real Lazy Poster of this thread who does not Edit his Wrong Title.


F1 ,once the current contract ends , is going from the BBC
to ITV.

[Iceman]

I dont mind about either I can watch F1 on Setanta so thats fine with me.

[seanraff07]

No 100% Wimbledon is staying on BBC
The have even got Sony in for 3-D Broadcasts on the BBCHD ch
for the finals.

Its the Real Lazy Poster of this thread who does not Edit his Wrong Title.


F1 ,once the current contract ends , is going from the BBC
to ITV.

Ah, that's alright then.

[Patrick]

Was just about to comment 'As if they'd ******ing get rid of F1.'

And seen that.
Woah.

[arista]

Was just about to comment 'As if they'd ******ing get rid of F1.'

And seen that.
Woah.


In a couple of years after the contract ends
it goes to ITV.

Times have changed - Pat


The Bloated BBC can no longer afford it.
There only other option if they kept F1 is to close BBC4.
So F1 moves to ITV in a couple of years.

[michael21]

this is bad news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9550930.stm


The BBC and Sky Sports will broadcast Formula 1 in the UK between 2012 and 2018 under a new rights deal.
The BBC has been the exclusive broadcaster of F1 in the UK since 2009 but its contract with Formula One Management was due to expire after the 2013 season.
Sky Sports will show every race, qualifying session and practice live.
BBC Sport will broadcast half the races live, as well as the qualifying and practice sessions from those races.
Both companies will broadcast in high definition.
Races screened by the BBC will be live on the BBC Sport website for UK users.
The BBC will have highlights on TV, online and mobile for any race it is not showing live, and all races will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live.
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: "We are absolutely delighted that F1 will remain on the BBC.
"The sport has never been more popular with TV audiences at a 10-year high and the BBC has always stated its commitment to the big national sporting moments.
"With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers."
Races shown live on BBC TV will include the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Monaco GP and the concluding race of the season.
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: "This is fantastic news for F1 fans and Sky Sports will be the only place to follow every race live and in HD.
"We will give F1 the full Sky Sports treatment with a commitment to each race never seen before on UK television."
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone told BBC Sport: "It's super for F1. It will mean a lot more coverage for the sport.
"There'll be highlights as well as live coverage on two different networks now, so we get the best of both worlds."


:bawling::bawling::bawling: :bawling::bawling::bawling: :bawling::bawling::bawling:

[Marc]

Scrap the useless TV like cooking shows, dramas not Wimbledon. I will hunt and kill somebody if that goes

[michael21]

Scrap the useless TV like cooking shows, dramas not Wimbledon. I will hunt and kill somebody if that goes

:laugh3:

[Marc]

I'm not fussed about F1 but they better not axe Wimbledon.

This

[Niamh.]

Gavin will not be pleased :bored:

[Marc]

Get sky :wink:

[Niamh.]

Get sky :wink:

I don't want to pay for it, the only sports that Gav watches are F1 and darts(if that's a sport) and he watches darts on some other channel. I don't watch any sport really, so it'd be a waste to pay for it just for F1 :/

[michael21]

Gavin will not be pleased :bored:

but hes still got you :blush:

[Niamh.]

but hes still got you :blush:


awww :love:

[Marc]

Aw Michael suck upppp! LOL

Niamh just buy sky your life will be better because of it

[Novo]

but hes still got you :blush:

Poor guy

[Niamh.]

Aw Michael suck upppp! LOL

Niamh just buy sky your life will be better because of it

No :hmph: I don't need another bill in my life. Any series that I watch that I don't get on TV I watch online, probably would do even if I had the channels cos I can get more up to date episodes online

[michael21]

Aw Michael suck upppp! LOL

Niamh just buy sky your life will be better because of it

i can still watch F1 for free when its on sky some how ;)

also Niamh i watch darts last night on itv4 it was funee when that girl lose her show going upstairs :joker:

[Niamh.]

Poor guy

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/buckbeakbabie/gifs/flikoff.gif

[Novo]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/buckbeakbabie/gifs/flikoff.gif

6vxiQ9JCKvE

[Niamh.]

Really.

[joeysteele]

I cannot see the BBC dropping Wimbledon,that's not to say other Channels may make a better offer to screen it in the future.
F1 has its fans,I am not one of them but think the BBC should keep that too.

I don't have to pay for one yet, but the thing that needs scrapping as to the BBC is the pathetic antiquated tax that is the TV LIcence,when I leave home for good after Uni and have to buy one of those I will begrudge every pence of it.
It is ridiculous to have to pay a licence fee every year for to have a TV in your home, it's like something from the dark ages.

The political party that ever pledges to get rid of that tax will be certain to get my vote.

[Joelle.]

Not that I watch Wimbledon but never in a million years would they get rid of it.
F1 seems like a more likely possibility but why would they do that when they could get rid of **** like Saints & Scroungers, So You Think You CAn Dance, Bargain Hunt, Cash in the Attic etc etc.

Not Homes Under The Hammer though, they must keep that!

[michael21]

I dont think Iceman will like this news :shocked:

[Marc]

I dont think Iceman will like this news :shocked:

I dont mind about either I can watch F1 on Setanta so thats fine with me.

He's alright with it haha

[Iceman]

Exactly Marc! I have Setanta :love:

[Marc]

Haha that took a lot of effort on the iPhone :joker:

[michael21]

Exactly Marc! I have Setanta :love:

I dont :bawling::bawling::bawling:

[AJ.]

Not paying Murdoch £50/m to watch something less quality than I've been doing before for free..

[James]

Half the live races going off free-to-air is no good at all. :( Formula 1 is one of the few things I still actually watch on TV at the moment.

[King Gizzard]

Apparently BBCthree costs way more than F1 does as well...and that's pretty much pointless most of the tiem

There's going to be no breaks in it I heard..

Another sport for sky sports, wish theyd just concentrate on football :(

[Iceman]

Half the live races going off free-to-air is no good at all. :( Formula 1 is one of the few things I still actually watch on TV at the moment.

It's stupid for people in the UK..... as long as im not affected I dont mind. Even if I was I wouldnt get Sky just to watch F1, id stream it, no way would i give them my money EVER.

[michael21]

is Setanta free in Ireland? if it is then i will move to Ireland :hugesmile:

[Harry!]

The worst part of it will be there will be no more Carole presenting the weather from the Winboden courts on BBC Breakfast :bawling:

[Joelle.]

The worst part of it will be there will be no more Carole presenting the weather from the Winboden courts on BBC Breakfast :bawling:

:bawling: :bawling: :bawling:

[Marc]

The worst part of it will be there will be no more Carole presenting the weather from the Winboden courts on BBC Breakfast :bawling:

It wouldn't happen surely..