# BBC Cancels F1 Contract



## HomerJSimpson (Dec 21, 2015)

First they pull the plug on the Open and now pulling out of F1 early http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35149963

Seems they've no interest in sport at all anymore and I'm sure there could be savings made on other areas. If I as a gambling man, I'd say sooner rather than later they'll relinquish rights to Wimbledon and what little other sport they have left. And that includes Olympic coverage


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## Stuart_C (Dec 21, 2015)

Sad to see even less sport on the Beeb now, it makes me think Murdoch is pulling the strings


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 21, 2015)

HomerJSimpson said:



			First they pull the plug on the Open and now pulling out of F1 early http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35149963

Seems they've no interest in sport at all anymore and I'm sure there could be savings made on other areas. If I as a gambling man, I'd say sooner rather than later they'll relinquish rights to Wimbledon and what little other sport they have left. And that includes Olympic coverage
		
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Well we know where the pressure on the BBC funding is coming from and when they have to make cuts (as they do) someone is going to lose out and leave another group of disgruntled licence fee payers.


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## Fyldewhite (Dec 21, 2015)

I read today that BBC Sport have to make savings of Â£35m and this will make a significant contribution to that. It's a shame to lose it but Channel 4 are taking it up the contract I believe so it's still free to air on the same basis as it is now....OK, with adverts. Sky have the blanket coverage most fans would watch anyway so I don't really see who's missing out. Probably a good business decision tbh.


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## Siren (Dec 21, 2015)

C4 have confirmed they will show the entire race without breaks which is good. The BBC will be sport free before long, I think they will drop MOTD once that contract is up or they become privatised.


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## Robster59 (Dec 21, 2015)

The Tory government stance on the BBC is well known.  They are happy to starve it and run it into the ground so that one of their friends in the media can buy it. Funding is being pulled back and things like F1 demand high prices for live coverage.


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## MegaSteve (Dec 21, 2015)

Stuart_C said:



			Sad to see even less sport on the Beeb now, it makes me think Murdoch is pulling the strings

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With Osborne as an all too willing puppet...


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## SammmeBee (Dec 22, 2015)

Is F1 actually a sport?


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## Tongo (Dec 22, 2015)

Well if you pay gazillions just to show football highlights then something else has got to go.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

The BBC isn't a dedicated sports channel

It will pay for the sports that will bring in the most viewers - MOTD does that , same with Wimbledon and the Olympics etc. F1 it appears started losing its appeal a few years back


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## Tongo (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			The BBC isn't a dedicated sports channel

It will pay for the sports that will bring in the most viewers - MOTD does that , same with Wimbledon and the Olympics etc. F1 it appears started losing its appeal a few years back
		
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Viewer ratings is now just an excuse for them to easily bin whatever they don't want to cover. Funny bearing in mind they don't have to worry about advertisers or pay per view subscriptions which would justify such a stance.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

Tongo said:



			Viewer ratings is now just an excuse for them to easily bin whatever they don't want to cover. Funny bearing in mind they don't have to worry about advertisers or pay per view subscriptions which would justify such a stance.
		
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Why is it an excuse ?

They have to put on the programs the majority want and have to satisfy as many as possible 

If there isn't many people watching the F1 then why waste the millions ? 

They have to work to a budget and need to ensure that the money spent is put to the best use they can.


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 22, 2015)

And yet we,re forced to pay for the BBC.


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## Stuart_C (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			The BBC isn't a dedicated sports channel

It will pay for the sports that will bring in the most viewers - MOTD does that , same with Wimbledon and the Olympics etc. F1 it appears started losing its appeal a few years back
		
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Nobody said it was, but not everybody can afford Â£60+ per month for sky to watch sport. We've lost a huge amount of sport off BBC over the last few years yet our licence's still go up.

I'd guess the BBC have cut half of the sport they were showing 10yrs ago to what they are today.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

Stuart_C said:



			Nobody said it was, but not everybody can afford Â£60+ per month for sky to watch sport. We've lost a huge amount of sport off BBC over the last few years yet our licence's still go up.

I'd guess the BBC have cut half of the sport they were showing 10yrs ago to what they are today.
		
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The BBC offers lots of service to the whole country - the small license fee covers everything from telly to radio and tries to cater for everyone 

The BBC can't afford to bid against Sky for many of the sports because it's not cost effective for them.

They have lost lots of sport - they can't afford to keep them all , their budget has been slashed by the government and changes needed to be made. So they will put the money towards what the majority of the country want - so that means going by the ratings. 

If people want to watch sport now - we have to pay for it - that's the sports choice by offering up the rights to television companies.

There is still lots of sport across the terrestrial channels.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 22, 2015)

Robster59 said:



			The Tory government stance on the BBC is well known.  They are happy to starve it and run it into the ground so that one of their friends in the media can buy it. Funding is being pulled back and things like F1 demand high prices for live coverage.
		
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Strangely enough they have exactly the same attitude to Local Authority controlled schools. Starve them of money until you force them to become an academy so they get taken out of LA control.  It's as if they place their ideological dogmas above the good of the public or kids, and in the process losing many many good people with years of experience in that field.  Perish the thought...

Not a fan of F1 so won't effect me really but good to see it is remaining on free to view TV.  Said it before but although Ecclestone has his faults, he knows the value of getting as many people as possibly watching his sport and not just making it available on pay TV for a niche audience.  Now if only someone else thought that way.  I think they will try and hang onto MOTD and hopefully The Olympics, although I know they have lost the exclusive contract to show that from 2020 or something like that.

Unfortunately I think that it will only be when most sports are off the BBC that people will realise how well they televised them and how this has led to the popularity of that sport.  Seems a little unfair that having done this over many years that financially they can no longer compete.  And the guardians of most sports seem to prioritise short term financial gain, most of which ends up in the pockets of the top pros/agents/managers/hangers on at that sport, over the stable long term future.  The price of everything but the value of nothing as they say.


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## TheAntithesis (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Why is it an excuse ?

They have to put on the programs the majority want and have to satisfy as many as possible 

If there isn't many people watching the F1 then why waste the millions ? 

They have to work to a budget and need to ensure that the money spent is put to the best use they can.
		
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They should therefore drop Match of the Day (and F1) and concentrate on 6 Nations Rugby which gets higher viewing figures. Using this site and some random samples of weeks where F1 and Match of the Day are on viewing figures for both seem to be just under 4 million (higher for live football). 6 nations is between 4.5 and 7.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

TheAntithesis said:



			They should therefore drop Match of the Day (and F1) and concentrate on 6 Nations Rugby which gets higher viewing figures. Using this site and some random samples of weeks where F1 and Match of the Day are on viewing figures for both seem to be just under 4 million (higher for live football). 6 nations is between 4.5 and 7.
		
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Why can't they show both MOTD and 6 Nations ?


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## TheAntithesis (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Why can't they show both MOTD and 6 Nations ?
		
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Because as you said they can't afford sport. In addition you said they have to put on programmes the majority want. Which looks like Eastenders, Masterchef and
Pointless.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

TheAntithesis said:



			Because as you said they can't afford sport. In addition you said they have to put on programmes the majority want. Which looks like Eastenders, Masterchef and
Pointless.
		
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I never said they can't afford sports 

Said they can't afford to keep them all


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## TheAntithesis (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			I never said they can't afford sports 

Said they can't afford to keep them all 

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But they can afford to keep football costing Â£200m a year (in reality more, that's just the rights) when they need to save Â£35m a year?


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

TheAntithesis said:



			But they can afford to keep football costing Â£200m a year (in reality more, that's just the rights) when they need to save Â£35m a year?
		
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It's a popular program for them and unfortunately it's costs a lot of money 

If they got rid then the complaints would be a damn sight more than the complaints for losing golf and F1 

For a lot of people it's their only time to watch Prem football


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## Tashyboy (Dec 22, 2015)

Robster59 said:



			The Tory government stance on the BBC is well known.  They are happy to starve it and run it into the ground so that one of their friends in the media can buy it. Funding is being pulled back and things like F1 demand high prices for live coverage.
		
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Just been watching the BBC morning news and they interviewed Murray Walker, in essence he echoed what you just said. Not good at all. Don't get me started on the Tories and cut backs.


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## MegaSteve (Dec 22, 2015)

With the cost [Â£600M] of providing free TV licences to over 75s being shifted away from the DWP onto the Beeb it should be no surprise they are having to seek cutbacks in their program provision...


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## Rooter (Dec 22, 2015)

Let's be honest though, is it a great loss? F1 has been getting less and less entertaining for years. Hopefully they get some new sports content, lower league footy, rugby, boxing, hockey, cycling etc.


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## Crazyface (Dec 22, 2015)

IMO the BBC should have dropped the football and held on to F1. I don't watch either BTW.


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## Rooter (Dec 22, 2015)

Crazyface said:



			IMO the BBC should have dropped the football and held on to F1. I don't watch either BTW.
		
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I rarely watch either, but I would wager football is more popular than F1, so I don't understand your thinking. F1 is a minority sport, footy is arguably the nations favourite..


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 22, 2015)

Robster59 said:



			The Tory government stance on the BBC is well known.  They are happy to starve it and run it into the ground so that one of their friends in the media can buy it. Funding is being pulled back and things like F1 demand high prices for live coverage.
		
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That's the way it seems to be


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 22, 2015)

TheAntithesis said:



			They should therefore drop Match of the Day (and F1) and concentrate on 6 Nations Rugby which gets higher viewing figures. Using this site and some random samples of weeks where F1 and Match of the Day are on viewing figures for both seem to be just under 4 million (higher for live football). 6 nations is between 4.5 and 7.
		
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But you are not comparing like with like.  If you put a live England football game on against against a live 6 nations rugby match then I suspect the ratings would be at the very least equal, probably greater for the football. Or if you showed a highlights program of league rugby at 10 30 at night then the ratings would be a lot lower than the 6 nations.


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## Bunkermagnet (Dec 22, 2015)

I don't blame the BBC for dropping F1. Unfortunately political dogma is trying to destroy the BBC as it is, and by reducing it's funding reductions have to be made for it to survive. However on the other hand, F1 is continueing it's slide to boring beyond belief. I have always followed and watched F1, but there is no doubt the constant tinckering, changing of rules and lunacy idea's of Ecclestone (and Moseley) are striving to make F1 irrelevant in the modern World. I can see a time in the not too distant future when I give up on F1 (and other sports on Sky ), as apart from anything else the costs to view them are getting stupid in a value to money sense.


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 22, 2015)

For those that rely on terrestrial coverage to see any F1 live, its good to see C4 are looking to take this on, uninterrupted for the duration of the race. Think with golf going early followed by F1 it is only a matter of time before more and more sports go


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## MegaSteve (Dec 22, 2015)

Although unhappy at what this government are doing to our national broadcaster I am a lot more worried at to what they are doing to our other public services..


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## Tongo (Dec 22, 2015)

HomerJSimpson said:



			For those that rely on terrestrial coverage to see any F1 live, its good to see C4 are looking to take this on, uninterrupted for the duration of the race. Think with golf going early followed by F1 it is only a matter of time before more and more sports go
		
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And all we'll be left with is the most expensive hour of non live television ever. But its good value for money apparently.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 22, 2015)

Tongo said:



			And all we'll be left with is the most expensive hour of non live television ever. But its good value for money apparently.
		
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There is still a good deal amount of sport on the BBC 

Football 
Athletics
Horse Racing
Tennis
Darts
Olympics
Commonwealth
Cycling
Rugby - both codes
Skiing
Winter Olympics/Sports
Hockey
Snooker
Boxing
Equestrian 
Cricket
Swimming

Major summer tournaments and games


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			There is still a good deal amount of sport on the BBC 

Football 
Athletics
Horse Racing
Tennis
Darts
Olympics
Commonwealth
Cycling
Rugby - both codes
Skiing
Winter Olympics/Sports
Hockey
Snooker
Boxing
Equestrian 
Cricket
Swimming

Major summer tournaments and games
		
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Really? 

How much live football is there. How much live cricket is there on BBC TV. What live horse racing do they still have? They have limited rugby (both codes) and to be honest after that you are talking minority sports at best.


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 22, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			There is still a good deal amount of sport on the BBC 

Football 
Athletics
Horse Racing
Tennis
Darts
Olympics
Commonwealth
Cycling
Rugby - both codes
Skiing
Winter Olympics/Sports
Hockey
Snooker
Boxing
Equestrian 
Cricket
Swimming

Major summer tournaments and games
		
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Come on Phil,the Darts they show is pants,so is the Boxing. 
Skiing,Hockey,Equestian....amazing. 

Do you work for the BBC?


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## Bunkermagnet (Dec 22, 2015)

Don't forget the BBC also covers yacht racing.......


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## Smiffy (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			There is still a good deal amount of sport on the BBC 

Football 
Athletics
Horse Racing
Tennis
Darts
Olympics
Commonwealth
Cycling
Rugby - both codes
Skiing
Winter Olympics/Sports
Hockey
Snooker
Boxing
Equestrian 
Cricket
Swimming

Major summer tournaments and games
		
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Talk about scraping the barrel Phil.....

Ditch F1 but keep football because it is more popular and then try to justify it further by posting that pile of junk?

Skiing? Winter Olympics? Darts????? Swimming???? What swimming do we see on the BBC apart from when the Olympics come round?


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			Talk about scraping the barrel Phil.....

Ditch F1 but keep football because it is more popular and then try to justify it further by posting that pile of junk?

Skiing? Winter Olympics? Darts????? Swimming???? What swimming do we see on the BBC apart from when the Olympics come round?
		
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Sorry are they not sports then ? Or are they "junk" because you're not a fan ? - I think F1 is a pile of boring junk and glad they got rid 

They had the World Champs and Short Course and Euro's in Swimming ?


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## Smiffy (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Sorry are they not sports then ? Or are they "junk" because you're not a fan ?
		
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They are "sports" Phil, I'm not arguing that (well I would do darts, but I'm not going there). But I don't know how you can justify keeping football going because the viewing figures are higher than F1 but then follow it up with a list that shows sports that come round every 4 years. And Skiing? How often is that on?
You may find F1 boring, and if I'm honest I find it a bit that way now.
But we have a world champion in Lewis Hamilton (like it or not) and this year he is bidding to go into the record books.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Most if not all those sports happen every year and televised every year 

Skiing is on once a week the same as Football when the season is on

People cry and bleat about the lack of sport on BBC

I then post a list of sports the BBC do cover ( and missed a few out ) , people then dismiss the sports ?! 

What it shows is that the BBC will never be able to please everyone 

They have had their budget slashed yet are faced with sport governing bodies demands for more money and the BBC cant justify spending it.


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## Smiffy (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			People cry and bleat about the lack of sport on BBC
		
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I am not crying and bleating about the lack of sport on BBC.
I am annoyed that they have chosen to ditch a highly popular sport like F1.
The Olympics come round every 4 years (ok 2 if you alternate between the winter olympics) not every year.
Swimming? Horse racing? Darts? Skiing? 
There is no way that any of these sports are more popular than F1. Maybe horse racing, but you can watch that live down the bookies, because it's only the punters that want to watch that!!


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## Smiffy (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			I think F1 is a pile of boring junk and glad they got rid
		
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A Phil quote from the Strictly thread.....

*"Or maybe it's more about people selfish lack of intolerance towards other people's taste - very common these days"
*


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			I am not crying and bleating about the lack of sport on BBC.
I am annoyed that they have chosen to ditch a highly popular sport like F1.
The Olympics come round every 4 years (ok 2 if you alternate between the winter olympics) not every year.
Swimming? Horse racing? Darts? Skiing? 
There is no way that any of these sports are more popular than F1. Maybe horse racing, but you can watch that live down the bookies, because it's only the punters that want to watch that!!
		
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In 2014 6 mil watched Hamilton won the World Champ

In 2015 1.7 mil watched Hamilton won the world champ - hugely popular ? Maybe not Smiffy

*2015 was Formula 1â€™s lowest rated season in the UK since 2007, according to overnight viewing figures.*

https://f1broadcasting.wordpress.com/category/bbc-f1/

And it's still on terrestrial for people to watch ( or not as the numbers suggest ) 

In between the Olympics you have the various World Champs on the odd number years , Athletics , Rowing etc all on the BBC 

Then you have the commonwealth , World Cup , Euro's , multiple summer events every year 

If you want to blame someone then blame the government - they are the ones that are slashing the budget forcing the BBC to make cuts - they have had to cut channels and radio channels to get within budget


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## chrisd (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			In 2014 6 mil watched Hamilton won the World Champ

In 2015 1.7 mil watched Hamilton won the world champ - hugely popular ? Maybe not Smiffy

https://f1broadcasting.wordpress.com/category/bbc-f1/

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All F1 was being shown on Sky last year and only selected races, and highlights, on BBC so it's pretty inevitable that the viewing figures for BBC would go down as there were alternative viewing available.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

chrisd said:



			All F1 was being shown on Sky last year and only selected races, and highlights, on BBC so it's pretty inevitable that the viewing figures for BBC would go down as there were alternative viewing available.
		
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its been like that for a number of years since 2012.


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## Bunkermagnet (Dec 23, 2015)

If F1  still had it's "wow" factor, it would still be kept on BBC. F1 has been driving towards the meaningless corner for some years.


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 23, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			A Phil quote from the Strictly thread.....

*"Or maybe it's more about people selfish lack of intolerance towards other people's taste - very common these days"
*


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 awkward 
:rofl:


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			A Phil quote from the Strictly thread.....

*"Or maybe it's more about people selfish lack of intolerance towards other people's taste - very common these days"
*


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Tut tut Smiffy

It's a bit naughty isolating a single quote in a thread without adding the context of why the comment was made 

I believe it was in response to someone calling people "Idiots" ( and a few less friendlier words  ) because they were male and watching Strictly 

As opposed to myself giving an opinion on BBC deciding to remove F1 - now if I have called F1 fans boring and idiots etc then the quote you posted would have had some relevance.


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Most if not all those sports happen every year and televised every year 

Skiing is on once a week the same as Football when the season is on

People cry and bleat about the lack of sport on BBC

I then post a list of sports the BBC do cover ( and missed a few out ) , people then dismiss the sports ?! 

What it shows is that the BBC will never be able to please everyone 

They have had their budget slashed yet are faced with sport governing bodies demands for more money and the BBC cant justify spending it.
		
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But at what level are the sports you listed? 

I like watching Darts,I can't remember the last time I watched it in the BBC. 

Boxing-when was the last big fight on the BBC?


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			In 2014 6 mil watched Hamilton won the World Champ

In 2015 1.7 mil watched Hamilton won the world champ - hugely popular ? Maybe not Smiffy

*2015 was Formula 1â€™s lowest rated season in the UK since 2007, according to overnight viewing figures.*

https://f1broadcasting.wordpress.com/category/bbc-f1/

And it's still on terrestrial for people to watch ( or not as the numbers suggest ) 

In between the Olympics you have the various World Champs on the odd number years , Athletics , Rowing etc all on the BBC 

Then you have the commonwealth , World Cup , Euro's , multiple summer events every year 

*If you want to blame someone then blame the government *- *they are the ones that are slashing the budget forcing the BBC to make cuts* - they have had to cut channels and radio channels to get within budget
		
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But I thought that was Labours fault for leaving them in the mess?


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## Smiffy (Dec 23, 2015)

Pin-seeker said:



			But at what level are the sports you listed? 

I like watching Darts,I can't remember the last time I watched it in the BBC. 

Boxing-when was the last big fight on the BBC?
		
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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Hacker Khan said:



			But I thought that was Labours fault for leaving them in the mess?

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Pick any of them :thup:

The ones over spending or the ones making the cuts


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Bunkermagnet said:



			If F1  still had it's "wow" factor, it would still be kept on BBC. *F1 has been driving towards the meaningless corner for some years.*

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if only they did drive towards a meaningless corner in the race it would be a bit more exciting than watching which one of just two people from the same team will have the best pit strategy and therefore win.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Tut tut Smiffy

It's a bit naughty isolating a single quote in a thread without adding the context of why the comment was made 

I believe it was in response to someone calling people "Idiots" ( and a few less friendlier words  ) because they were male and watching Strictly 

As opposed to myself giving an opinion on BBC deciding to remove F1 - now if I have called F1 fans boring and idiots etc then the quote you posted would have had some relevance.
		
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Golf fans calling F1 fans boring idiots?  Rearrange these words, black pot kettle.....


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Hacker Khan said:



			Golf fans calling F1 fans boring idiots?  Rearrange these words, black pot kettle.....
		
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No one called F1 fans boring idiots


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			No one called F1 fans boring idiots
		
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Just admit that the list of sports you put up was laughable. 

The amount of sports (worth watching) on the BBC is poor.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			No one called F1 fans boring idiots
		
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Well I know someone who likes F1 and he's the dullest person I know.  Boring idiot......


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Hacker Khan said:



			Well I know someone who likes F1 and he's the dullest person I know.  Boring idiot......
		
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:rofl:

Well I know the odd few that like it

Certainly like to wear the shirts of the team they like


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			:rofl:

Well I know the odd few that like it

Certainly like to wear the shirts of the team they like
		
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No you're getting confused, that's Liverpool fans on holiday.....


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

Pin-seeker said:



			Just admit that the list of sports you put up was laughable. 

The amount of sports (worth watching) on the BBC is poor.
		
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Of course the fact they don't and financially can't show most of the major sports live now would mean that most people would find the sports they do show less interesting. I'd possibly not call them poor as personally I'd rather watch a badminton match or a bike road race than most football matches and even most 72 hole stroke play golf tournaments to be honest. But that's probably just me.  

I do think they come into their own at the summer Olympics as to me that is the greatest sporting event there is.  But again, that may be just me.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Hacker Khan said:



			Of course the fact they don't and financially can't show most of the major sports live now would mean that most people would find the sports they do show less interesting. I'd possibly not call them poor as personally I'd rather watch a badminton match or a bike road race than most football matches and even most 72 hole stroke play golf tournaments to be honest. But that's probably just me.  

I do think they come into their own at the summer Olympics as to me that is the greatest sporting event there is.  But again, that may be just me.
		
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It's not just you :thup:

The BBC show lots of sports main championships 

Atheltics
Football
Snooker
Boxing - the ABA
Swimming 

All the European and World Championships 

Hockey the had the European Champs and will show the World Cup

Winter Sports - the World Championships at various events 

The biggest Three Day Eventing - Badminton etc 

The Derby

Even indoor and outdoor Bowls 

Rugby Six Nations and League Challenge Cup 

And then there is the Olympics and Commonwealth Games which for me are brilliant to watch 

Plus many more 

They get dismissed as "poor" because they aren't football


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## bobmac (Dec 23, 2015)

With F1 going, where are the future Liverpool kids going to learn how to remove a set of wheels in 3 secs ?


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## Pin-seeker (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			It's not just you :thup:



They get dismissed as "poor" because they aren't football
		
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Really??


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## hovis (Dec 23, 2015)

bobmac said:



			With F1 going, where are the future Liverpool kids going to learn how to remove a set of wheels in 3 secs ?  

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Thats a  terrible thing to say


   I hear they can do it in 2


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## chrisd (Dec 23, 2015)

hovis said:



			Thats a  terrible thing to say


   I hear they can do it in 2
		
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And that's without a jack and air wheel wrench! :smirk:


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## JohnnyDee (Dec 23, 2015)

I haven't read all the posts but this saddens me. Not the F1 bit as I don't care for it as a sport. It's more about the death by 1000 cuts being inflicted on the Beeb by the Govt. that gets to me.

As an (ahem 50 something) I remember the Beeb's glory days and now they've passed - the final nail for me was the Open going which was doubly annoying that they folded a year early because of the colossal pressure on them to save money.

People often see the BBC as a TV network only but it's so much more. Its radio output alone is enough for me to be happy enough to pay the licence fee.

I have a full Sky package too and it costs me 10 times more than my TV licence. In terms of its value for money I think it's dire but as I like golf & HiD is addicted to films, then we're prepared to suck up the ever-increasing subs (for now but not sure for how much longer though)

I agree that ultimately the Beeb will bail on nearly all sport and it's sad that this will happen in the not too distant.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 23, 2015)

MegaSteve said:



			Although unhappy at what this government are doing to our national broadcaster I am a lot more worried at to what they are doing to our other public services..
		
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correct.  And NHS is teetering on the brink.  And if you don't think it is then just try speaking to anyone who works in the NHS and see what they say and what they tell you about their colleagues.  It is worrying that quite so many NHS staff want out.  

But whatever our gripes and worries about the BBC, NHS, schools and other public services - we get the government and policies we voted for.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			correct.  And NHS is teetering on the brink.  And if you don't think it is then just try speaking to anyone who works in the NHS and see what they say and what they tell you about their colleagues.  It is worrying that quite so many NHS staff want out.  

But whatever our gripes and worries about the BBC, NHS, schools and other public services - we get the government and policies we voted for.
		
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Just like a great deal of blame must be laid at the previous labour government for putting the country into the position it finds itself in :thup:


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Just like a great deal of blame must be laid at the previous labour government for putting the country into the position it finds itself in :thup:
		
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I don't think so.  Someperhpas


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			I don't think so.  Someperhpas
		
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Really ? You don't think Labour need to take a great deal of responsibility for the amount of debt the country found itself in ?!


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Really ? You don't think Labour need to take a great deal of responsibility for the amount of debt the country found itself in ?!
		
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Take it's share - debt is not a bad thing - most of us live quite OK with a fair bit - some a lot.  And do you remember the condition of the schools and hospitals back in the early 1990s?


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			Take it's share - debt is not a bad thing - most of us live quite OK with a fair bit - some a lot.  And do you remember the condition of the schools and hospitals back in the early 1990s?
		
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Most of us ?! Debt not a bad thjng ?!

Wow 

Sorry i know your labour through and through but we are in a period of austerity because of Labour


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## Kellfire (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Most of us ?! Debt not a bad thjng ?!

Wow
		
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It's called a mortgage. Or a car on hire purchase. Or a credit card.


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## bluewolf (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Really ? You don't think Labour need to take a great deal of responsibility for the amount of debt the country found itself in ?!
		
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Is our borrowing less now after a full term of the Conservatives? Genuine question as I've not looked for a while.


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## Kellfire (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Sorry i know your labour through and through but we are in a period of austerity because of Labour
		
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Too simple. We're in austerity because of generations of events not one period of parliament.


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Really ? You don't think Labour need to take a great deal of responsibility for the amount of debt the country found itself in ?!
		
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Not sure I see the relevance to the BBC pulling out. We've been debt before now and surely it's more about the corporation cutting its cloth accordingly. Look at the number of people it sends to olympics and world cups. I dont believe all of those roles and people would be strictly necessary to provide the same level of coverage we get.


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 23, 2015)

Kellfire said:



			Too simple. We're in austerity because of generations of events not one period of parliament.
		
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Yes prob a bit simple but not too far from the truth 

We over spent as country a great deal during labours term as well as the obvious selling of parts of the countries reserves 

The debt has increased over the years because it's not easy to take the turn back the other way - lots of cost cutting measures take time

But a lot of that blame IMO lies at the feet of the previous labour government. I


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## MegaSteve (Dec 23, 2015)

bluewolf said:



			Is our borrowing less now after a full term of the Conservatives? Genuine question as I've not looked for a while.
		
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14.2Bn last month...


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## Bunkermagnet (Dec 23, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Yes prob a bit simple but not too far from the truth 

We over spent as country a great deal during labours term as well as the obvious selling of parts of the countries reserves 

The debt has increased over the years because it's not easy to take the turn back the other way - lots of cost cutting measures take time

But a lot of that blame IMO lies at the feet of the previous labour government. I
		
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So who is responsible for the foriegn owned privatised utilities and other infrastructure elements that now all need to make big profits to keep their (again foriegn) share holders happy?


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 23, 2015)

I feel this thread is going slightly off topic   And anyway the sports administrators are just as much to blame as the government or BBC.  They can sell their rights for as much as they want and should balance the need to get their sport in the public consciousness with the short term riches a TV contract can generate, that mostly ends up in the pockets of the elite pros at the top level.  Pays your price, takes your chances.


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## harpo_72 (Dec 23, 2015)

Looking at it in the cold light, F1 is dying, it's boring, imagination has been regulated out. PR control driver comments and engineers are edited ... Testing was an opportunity for the public to interact in a relaxed atmosphere with drivers and teams. That stopped and everything became less touchable .... 

That at natural way of the world regarding politics is the tories run down services and labour spends to restore them ... Make every government pay to maintain vital services and ring fence assets that are publicly owned ( if the tories have not flogged it all off ) .. Then let's see what happens. 

Oh and austerity is due to the banks, seriously selling debt on and offering credit to people who cannot afford it is pretty stupid ....dunno how we blame a government who were criticised for restricting banking practice, it's clear the banks aren't capable of being self governed.


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