Liberty Media

[tommy2k8]

How much of an effect do people think Liberty Media will (or may if I am wrong) have on F1? Will they be able to overturn this Sky exclusivity deal?

[The Black Knight]

How much of an effect do people think Liberty Media will (or may if I am wrong) have on F1? Will they be able to overturn this Sky exclusivity deal?

They won't turn over the exclusivity deal that Sky have at the moment and it's unlikely that F1 will be back on free to air in the future. I think their impact will be good. I wouldn't be surprised of we see a modified championship format where they introduce an equivalent of the Super Bowl to F1. And, to be frank, I think F1 needs new owners like them to spice it up. Come 2020 I think there'll be some big changes in the sport once the Memoranda of Understanding runs out which is badly needed.

Hopefully Bernie Ecclestone will be gone from the sport. While he has done an amazing job in ways, he has been a complete disaster in other ways but I do think F1 needs fresh blood at the helm, it has been the same for far too long now.

I'm excited about the new owners, I think or at least hope that they will do an amazing job with F1.

[Jag_Warrior]

I'm cautiously optimistic. My hope is that the new owners will focus on growing the global presence of the sport and will make it more fan/customer friendly. But I'd prefer that they not tinker with the things that are not broken. And if they begin transitioning someone like Zak Brown into a deal making and leadership role, all the better. I've yet to hear a name come up that compares to him (not Horner, not Wolff and most certainly not Monisha Kaltenborn).

But the biggest question on my mind has been whether (or when) F1 will get moved to one of Liberty/Discovery's channels here in the U.S. If that allows me to finally move to a skinny bundle, an a la carte option or cut the cord altogether, then I'd be largely OK with that. Other than F1, I just don't watch that much television anymore. Access to (and the cost to access) the F1 broadcasts is almost as important to me as the quality of the broadcasts.

I don't think that the money men from CVC have done anything positive for F1 (the sport, not the business), so I can only hope that Malone, having something of a fan's eye, will. I hope...

[AndyL]

But the biggest question on my mind has been whether (or when) F1 will get moved to one of Liberty/Discovery's channels here in the U.S. If that allows me to finally move to a skinny bundle, an a la carte option or cut the cord altogether, then I'd be largely OK with that. Other than F1, I just don't watch that much television anymore. Access to (and the cost to access) the F1 broadcasts is almost as important to me as the quality of the broadcasts.

What's the relationship between Liberty Media and Discovery Communications? I checked Wikipedia but it wasn't much help.

I wouldn't mind seeing F1 on Eurosport, but they'd need another channel as they already have too much content. It sucks when they push British Superbikes coverage onto crappy standard-def Quest.

[Jag_Warrior]

Liberty Media and Liberty Global are controlled by John Malone - he's the Chairman of the Board of both companies. I believe there's a third Liberty asset that's in a tracking stock now, that holds some sports assets. But I'm not entirely up on that corporate structure. Discovery Communications is now the publicly owned company that Liberty used to own 50% of. Malone is still on the Board of Directors there too. Liberty and Discovery have done a number of joint ventures over the years since Discovery was spun off.

As an American, although I'm not dissatisfied with NBCSports coverage of F1, it's funny to see the most technologically driven motorsport (F1) being topped by the least technologically driven when it comes to ontrack coverage: NASCAR. IMO, the current F1 offering (from the world feed) isn't that much ahead of where CART was in the 90's.

[Nitrodaze]

How much of an effect do people think Liberty Media will (or may if I am wrong) have on F1? Will they be able to overturn this Sky exclusivity deal?

From where l am standing, Liberty Media looks very much in the mold of Sky. Profit may be the driving force in the future dynamics of the formula. I would be quite surprised to see any improvement on free to air television offering. But l expect that there would be refreshing changes to personnel and aspects of the sport to make it more globally appealing.

The future of the formula depends largely on how the relationship of the new owners and the FIA shapes out. Inevitably, the new owners would want to tinker with various aspect of the sport. Hence, the relationships between the new owners and the teams is also significant. It would come down to who they choose to replace Bernie and how well that person commands the respect of the sport. If that individual have some historical experience of F1, then the chance of these relationships working out would be much greater. If it is some individual without some direct experience of f1, then l can see difficulties ahead.

As with anything, change can be a very difficult thing for most.

[The Black Knight]

From where l am standing, Liberty Media looks very much in the mold of Sky. Profit may be the driving force in the future dynamics of the formula. I would be quite surprised to see any improvement on free to air television offering. But l expect that there would be refreshing changes to personnel and aspects of the sport to make it more globally appealing.

The future of the formula depends largely on how the relationship of the new owners and the FIA shapes out. Inevitably, the new owners would want to tinker with various aspect of the sport. Hence, the relationships between the new owners and the teams is also significant. It would come down to who they choose to replace Bernie and how well that person commands the respect of the sport. If that individual have some historical experience of F1, then the chance of these relationships working out would be much greater. If it is some individual without some direct experience of f1, then l can see difficulties ahead.

As with anything, change can be a very difficult thing for most.

As it stands Bernie has been asked to stay on for another 3 years once the new owners take over. I can see that being his last three years in F1 though as the new owners get to grip with F1 and its politics. These are smart guys that are buying F1 and I think they already have plans in place but need to complete these plans without destroying the DNA of F1. I'm sure they recognize the complicated politics and thus the reason Bernie is staying at the helm. After the three years is up, however, I do expect to see someone new at the helm. Whether it is someone already involved in the sport or someone external that will learn from Bernie over the coming years remains to be seen.

Having someone external would be hugely beneficial in ways. They wouldn't carry any baggage toward any teams and be completely neutral. This could carry a lot of weight in itself. Putting someone like Christian Horner in Bernie's place, with his history in F1, might not be a great idea from that perspective.

[Nitrodaze]

Having someone external would be hugely beneficial in ways. They wouldn't carry any baggage toward any teams and be completely neutral. This could carry a lot of weight in itself. Putting someone like Christian Horner in Bernie's place, with his history in F1, might not be a great idea from that perspective.

The mentoring idea of having new blood into Bernies position looks credible on face value. Three years may be enough to break that individual into the F1 culture that dates back over eighty years. I suspect the teams and the FIA would do their best to welcome this new input to the sport. However, the current challenges are not going to evaporate with the change of ownership. The test is how they approach it and what sort of reactions they conjure up. There are clearly going to be very interesting and entertaining politics ahead. I am curious how it would shape out. But the signs suggest that it would be promising.

I think that there are very credible candidates within the F1 world that could do the job and assure the protection of the F1 DNA as you put it. For instance, Speedbowl racing is not F1. Admittedly, it use to be. There are still remnants of oval tracks at Monza for instance. Also, l concede that current F1 tracks only offer a partial view of the race to attending spectators. The real problem is the performance gap between the teams. Reducing the chances that one team can run away with the championship without proper challenges from other teams is what needs to be addressed. F1 is not only a war of speed but also a war of technological ingenuity.

Candidates that come to mind include Ross Brawn, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost to name a few. These chaps are astute leaders and would make great promoters of the sport.

Bernies longevity in his position stems from not only his ingenuity as a deal maker but also his deep connection with the formula. He was a team principle if you need reminding. I think realistic success would be assure with having someone with that level of connection to the sport to steer its future.

[AAReagles]

Who's says Americans are not much involved in F1?! :D :bounce:

Okay bad joke, sorry.....



As an American, although I'm not dissatisfied with NBCSports coverage of F1, it's funny to see the most technologically driven motorsport (F1) being topped by the least technologically driven when it comes to ontrack coverage: NASCAR. IMO, the current F1 offering (from the world feed) isn't that much ahead of where CART was in the 90's.



I don't watch much of the tube anymore either, except during NFL season. I cut the cord about 4 years ago, and last year, oddly enough discovered that UniMás (Spanish language channel owned by Univision Communications) is the best I've ever seen - only because the broadcast of the races are virtually commercial-free. Only about three or four breaks during the entire race. I need to brush up more on my Spanish though. :(

Anyways, I hope this is a good deal for the sport. It will be interesting to see how long Bernie lasts before he's sacked.

[The Black Knight]

The mentoring idea of having new blood into Bernies position looks credible on face value. Three years may be enough to break that individual into the F1 culture that dates back over eighty years. I suspect the teams and the FIA would do their best to welcome this new input to the sport. However, the current challenges are not going to evaporate with the change of ownership. The test is how they approach it and what sort of reactions they conjure up. There are clearly going to be very interesting and entertaining politics ahead. I am curious how it would shape out. But the signs suggest that it would be promising.

I think that there are very credible candidates within the F1 world that could do the job and assure the protection of the F1 DNA as you put it. For instance, Speedbowl racing is not F1. Admittedly, it use to be. There are still remnants of oval tracks at Monza for instance. Also, l concede that current F1 tracks only offer a partial view of the race to attending spectators. The real problem is the performance gap between the teams. Reducing the chances that one team can run away with the championship without proper challenges from other teams is what needs to be addressed. F1 is not only a war of speed but also a war of technological ingenuity.

Candidates that come to mind include Ross Brawn, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost to name a few. These chaps are astute leaders and would make great promoters of the sport.

Bernies longevity in his position stems from not only his ingenuity as a deal maker but also his deep connection with the formula. He was a team principle if you need reminding. I think realistic success would be assure with having someone with that level of connection to the sport to steer its future.

I am aware of Bernie's history in the sport. I actually think F1 needs a leader from outside its inner circles. I think it has come to a point now where the teams need to be told with a firm hand, this is the way it's going to be, take it or leave it. The big guns have too much invested in the sport to simply walk away right now, although it is possible they might do it, so it has to be treated in a firm but fair (or appearing fair) way.

Among the things that needs to change is spectators access to drivers at race weekends. The only driver that really makes an effort at race weekends to mingle with fans is Lewis Hamilton and he doesn't interact with the fans every race weekend. All drivers needs to have fan time and the fans need that as, right now, they come, they go and that's it. That needs to change and the pitwall has to become less isolated. I'm one of the lucky ones that can get a pit pass to events when I go to a F1 race. This isn't the same for everyone. Most people don't ever get the chance.

So there are huge amounts that can and need changing, and I do think Liberty Media are the right boys for this kind of transition. If don't correctly, they could make F1 a global phenomenon. And, you know what, I don't think they'll have too much resistance from the teams. More exposure and media coverage make for more money. No team will say no to money and it could very well benefit the likes of Sauber and Manor greatly, which would be fantastic, in my opinion. It just has to be done right.

[Rollo]

the current F1 offering (from the world feed) isn't that much ahead of where CART was in the 90's.

The free-to-air feed in Australia is worse than where it was in 1984.

Hence the reason why I found a streaming service... that steals the Sky feed.

[Nitrodaze]

So there are huge amounts that can and need changing, and I do think Liberty Media are the right boys for this kind of transition. If don't correctly, they could make F1 a global phenomenon. And, you know what, I don't think they'll have too much resistance from the teams. More exposure and media coverage make for more money. No team will say no to money and it could very well benefit the likes of Sauber and Manor greatly, which would be fantastic, in my opinion. It just has to be done right.

I agree they have the opportunity to make the distribution of money between the teams more fairer. They may in the process dispose of the unfair concord agreement. The three individuals that l mentioned are not in the inner circle of F1. Certainly not in Bernie's inner circle. I mentioned these chaps because they have been team principles or senior team managements. Two out of the three were actual racing drivers. Hence they can relate more effectively with the teams and the FIA using their experience of the F1 culture.

I think a dictatorship style would exacerbate an already fraught relationship between the promoters and the teams. If you think Ferrari, Mercedes, Mclaren or Redbull would put up with a "take it or lump it" attitude from Bernies replacement, then you have a nasty surprise in stock. Even Bernie in all his adept skill of manipulation, know that is a definite no no. If he thought for a moment that it could be done that way, l bet my last quid that he would have done it. By the way, he tried and it did not get very far.

Liberty Media is taking over at a time when things are very delicately poised in F1 at the moment. There is the EU breathing down the neck of the current promoter. There is the power tussle between the manufacturing teams and the promoters. There is also the drivers seeking to get involved in the process of decision making. Fans are getting dissatisfied with the rules of the sport. Mercedes unchallenged dominance is not offering the level of entertainment to sustain fan excitement and interest. The worst thing the new promoter can do is to be dictatorial in their approach. They would quickly find unbelievable resistance from all parts of the F1 paddock.

[N. Jones]

How much of an effect do people think Liberty Media will (or may if I am wrong) have on F1? Will they be able to overturn this Sky exclusivity deal?

None. With bernie still there he and LM still make millions while screwing over the product.

[Jag_Warrior]

I don't watch much of the tube anymore either, except during NFL season. I cut the cord about 4 years ago, and last year, oddly enough discovered that UniMás (Spanish language channel owned by Univision Communications) is the best I've ever seen - only because the broadcast of the races are virtually commercial-free. Only about three or four breaks during the entire race. I need to brush up more on my Spanish though. :(

Anyways, I hope this is a good deal for the sport. It will be interesting to see how long Bernie lasts before he's sacked.

Man, that's my dream! I envy you. I want a divorce from DirecTV so bad I can taste it. That's about a $90/month savings right there. I bought a Roku box a couple of years ago, and with that, I've found that I can receive most everything that I want to see... except for F1. I hate TV now (especially the reality TV crap that has filled most channels these days). I use the Roku to access NBCSports to watch extra F1 footage (FP1, FP3 and interviews) and GP2, but I have to have a cable/satellite subscription to get that. I use the Tivo on DirecTV to watch F1 races. But because I have a season pass set up, I've noticed a Spanish language offering that also shows up. I think that's the UniMás that you're talking about.

I would love to cut off DirecTV and be able to buy F1 races and the weekend sessions a la carte through Roku or an AppleTV. And think about how much money F1 leaves on the table by not offering F1 seasons of years past on DVD or Blu-ray. There are certain seasons that I would pay for, just so that I could build a library of my favorite seasons. The F1 Decade show that used to be on Speed was OK. I'd go for something as basic as that. But I'd rather have ALL the races, and some additional content would be wonderful... like a special feature that included nothing but onboards. As much of a nickel-sniffer as Bernie is, you'd think that he would have thought of that. But no, he's spent his time locking down F1 content, worrying about selling Rolexes to 90 year olds and keeping the content hidden away. Sure, you can find some stuff on YouTube (til Bernie's money thugs discover it), but why not bring it out of the shadows???!!!

One thing is for sure, with some U.S. 'Muricans now involved, I figure that a lot of things that weren't being monetized before, will be pretty soon. Overall, I think that will be more cost effective for many of us. And for other people (especially in those places where lack of free-over-air coverage has meant a severe decrease in viewership), I hope that the Liberty people find a decent balance. Unlike Bernie, I think they understand the value of eyeballs. At least for consumer oriented companies, sponsor exposure value is a key metric.

[AAReagles]

I am aware of Bernie's history in the sport. I actually think F1 needs a leader from outside its inner circles. I think it has come to a point now where the teams need to be told with a firm hand, this is the way it's going to be, take it or leave it. The big guns have too much invested in the sport to simply walk away right now, although it is possible they might do it, so it has to be treated in a firm but fair (or appearing fair) way.

Among the things that needs to change is spectators access to drivers at race weekends. The only driver that really makes an effort at race weekends to mingle with fans is Lewis Hamilton and he doesn't interact with the fans every race weekend. All drivers needs to have fan time and the fans need that as, right now, they come, they go and that's it. That needs to change and the pitwall has to become less isolated. I'm one of the lucky ones that can get a pit pass to events when I go to a F1 race. This isn't the same for everyone. Most people don't ever get the chance.

So there are huge amounts that can and need changing, and I do think Liberty Media are the right boys for this kind of transition. If don't correctly, they could make F1 a global phenomenon. And, you know what, I don't think they'll have too much resistance from the teams. More exposure and media coverage make for more money. No team will say no to money and it could very well benefit the likes of Sauber and Manor greatly, which would be fantastic, in my opinion. It just has to be done right.

Well said.

[AAReagles]

I would love to cut off DirecTV and be able to buy F1 races and the weekend sessions a la carte through Roku or an AppleTV. And think about how much money F1 leaves on the table by not offering F1 seasons of years past on DVD or Blu-ray. There are certain seasons that I would pay for, just so that I could build a library of my favorite seasons. The F1 Decade show that used to be on Speed was OK. I'd go for something as basic as that. But I'd rather have ALL the races, and some additional content would be wonderful... like a special feature that included nothing but onboards. As much of a nickel-sniffer as Bernie is, you'd think that he would have thought of that. But no.... Sure, you can find some stuff on YouTube (til Bernie's money thugs discover it), but why not bring it out of the shadows???!!!

..... Overall, I think that will be more cost effective for many of us. And for other people (especially in those places where lack of free-over-air coverage has meant a severe decrease in viewership), I hope that the Liberty people find a decent balance. Unlike Bernie, I think they understand the value of eyeballs. At least for consumer oriented companies, sponsor exposure value is a key metric.

YouTube races (especially the "Natural Sounds" recorded events) are my favs. Love the whole races of 73' French GP, 71' Italian GP, etc... etc... being available. Not to mention Indy 500 during the respectable pre-IRL era. I always fall back to sentimental indulgence with 1960's/70's/80's racing. I'm not happy (or haven't been I should say), with the current state of the OWR in F1 or here in the states due to politics, butchering of venues and of course, the inevitable compromise of driver skills being displayed as a result of advance technology. So I really don't watch much live events anymore with notable exceptions to Indianapolis, Monaco, Silverstone, Spa & Monza.

I do still have interest in the sport as to how it will handle the challenges of environmental-friendly regulations, events becoming pimped out from the more traditional holy grounds (France w/out a GP is absurd) and now, thank god, with new ownership. I figure it can't get worse, unless of course it continues to be driven into the ground so much that people won't have enough interest in F1 to sustain its existence.

[Bezza]

I'm interested to see how Liberty approach F1 and change things for the better. What I am worried about is the introduction of "gimmicks" - in my mind they are multiple races over the weekend, reverse grids, points for overtaking etc - these are all not fixing any problem - they are creating false excitement. In my mind, DRS is part of this issue - as it is "false" overtaking.

If you want more overtaking, great - but it should be natural, quality driving. Overtaking is supposed to be difficult thats why we love the great moves of the past.

So I'd hope they bring F1 into the modern arena, would be nice to have a second GP in the USA and some more European races again but capped at 20 races. NO SECOND RACES!!!! Imagine, 40 races a year... that would be terrible. F1 is not the BTCC, so I really hope they veto that idea early on - it goes completely against the history of F1 and would be an unnecessary change.

-----

Distribution of money to make more teams competitive is important, as well as rules on cars meaning that they can follow and overtake easier without artificial aids. Quite simple when you put it like that! We don't want falsely created exciting races, penalizing drivers/teams who have done well just for the sake of it.

[Starter]

If you want more overtaking, great - but it should be natural, quality driving. Overtaking is supposed to be difficult thats why we love the great moves of the past.
You want more and natural overtaking? Easy. Ban carbon rotors and pads and go back to steel rotors. Problem fixed.

[Rollo]

You want more and natural overtaking? Easy. Ban carbon rotors and pads and go back to steel rotors. Problem fixed.

Ban wings.


I bet that following distances are further in Formula 4 than they were in Formula Ford when the cars had no wings.

[Jag_Warrior]

Zak Brown, the man who I've brought up numerous times as the best replacement for Bernie Ecclestone, is now flying high on the radar. He just stepped down as CEO of his marketing company, so it seems that he's poised to take a major role in the coming F1 restructure. He's got a keen sense of the racing landscape and is behind quite a few of the bigger sponsorship deals in F1 (and many other motorsports series). While he may not bump Bernie out of the big chair immediately, I do think that the major deal making will eventually fall to him, as Liberty takes control of the sport. And IMO, this is a good thing. Brown is just as sharp as Bernie and he doesn't tend to put people off (for no good reason), as Bernie often does. With his business acumen and knowledge of new media opportunities, I'm feeling good about the future of the sport.

[Jag_Warrior]

More good news is trickling out about the Liberty Media purchase. This one is especially appealing to me (and I'm sure many others):

http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/11/09/liberty-media-want-f1-streaming-service/
(http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/11/09/liberty-media-want-f1-streaming-service/)
Liberty Media are keen to introduce a direct-to-consumer web based streaming service featuring Formula 1 races and news once the the John Malone-controlled company acquires the sport. Liberty CEO Greg Maffei told analysts during the company’s quarterly earnings call that they are “very excited about the idea” of a Formula 1 streaming service which “makes a lot of sense for them and us.”

He acknowledged that it might take time as there are “things to be worked through” to clarify the rights that are available from the Bernie Ecclestone’s deals that Formula 1 and its teams have with broadcasters.


In my mind's eye, I can finally see the day when that DirecTV satellite dish leaves my yard! :bounce:

[Nitrodaze]

More good news is trickling out about the Liberty Media purchase. This one is especially appealing to me (and I'm sure many others):

http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/11/09/liberty-media-want-f1-streaming-service/
(http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/11/09/liberty-media-want-f1-streaming-service/)
Liberty Media are keen to introduce a direct-to-consumer web based streaming service featuring Formula 1 races and news once the the John Malone-controlled company acquires the sport. Liberty CEO Greg Maffei told analysts during the company’s quarterly earnings call that they are “very excited about the idea” of a Formula 1 streaming service which “makes a lot of sense for them and us.”

He acknowledged that it might take time as there are “things to be worked through” to clarify the rights that are available from the Bernie Ecclestone’s deals that Formula 1 and its teams have with broadcasters.


In my mind's eye, I can finally see the day when that DirecTV satellite dish leaves my yard! :bounce:
I wonder what Sky thinks of that. I can see a war of words brewing.

[AndyL]

I expect when they clarify the rights that are left after Bernie's deals, it will turn out to be bugger all. More likely this will be something that comes in as existing broadcast contracts lapse.
Maybe they will get away with geo-blocking the service to avoid encroaching on remaining broadcast contracts in certain regions, but given how easy it is to proxy around that, the broadcasters will surely find it unsatisfactory.

[Sulland]

What is your verdict on Liberty Media so far?

[truefan72]

What is your verdict on Liberty Media so far?

pretty good IMO
the real test will come in 2020 when they hopefully restructure the entire pay system and end these legacy payments and huge imbalance.