Originally Posted by packages:
“Anyone thinking the F1 Channel will close in 2019 too so that all people who signed up to Sky in 2012 (and got F1 free) will have to get the full sports package? The press release is worded in a particular way which makes me believe this is what they will do.”
Closing the channel isn't necessary to make it so you have to have the full Sky Sports package to watch, customers who didn't have the HD pack before the cut off date have to get Sky Sports to watch it.
Originally Posted by popeye13:
“As for closing the Sky F1 channel - Nope!
Look at the press release, where Brundle makes a point of why he joined Sky Sports - The work on a dedicated F1 channel and the fact is, having the F1 channels makes life easier to find where the coverage is, its not pressed for time because another live event such as a rugby game or football is on next!
And i don't see ads being put into the races either. I think how they have it now is what they'll stick to!
But holy ****!!!!”
Brundle is hardly the most reliable person when it comes to his supposed reasoning though, he did claim one of the reasons he went to Sky Sports was because he wanted to commentate on all of the races live, which of course he would have done had he remained with the BBC anyway.
Others may have different opinions, but I don't for one second think Brundle would give up the Sky pay packet.
Originally Posted by eladkse:
“Sky have far too much going on at race weekends when you factor in programming like GP2/3. It would mean a *lot* of channel hopping if there wasn't a dedicated channel like SSF1.
That's not to say we don't have that situation in other sports, but the constant shuffling would be significantly more pronounced for F1 and its support programme due to the quantity across a weekend.”
I can't see the support race coverage lasting if Sky Sports F1 is binned, it makes sense for them to show it on the channel currently, it is essentially filler material on a channel that otherwise would be showing a repeat (of a repeat) or the preview loop.