More details on F1’s streaming service emerge

Editor

Formula 1’s commercial boss Sean Bratches has said their in-house streaming service is on schedule to be released ahead of the 2018 season.

Details have been pretty scarce since Liberty revealed that they would be launching their own product in order to open up a new revenue stream away from television deals.

Existing deals in place with some countries, such as the UK and Sky Sports for example, means the new service will not be available for all to begin with.

But Bratches has given an insight into how the overall model will work.

“The relaunch of our digital platform is planned,” Bratches told Auto Motor und Sport.

“Today it only costs us money,. Fans cannot download exclusive content. However, we will introduce a direct streaming offer to the fans both live content and non-live content.

“Fans will then get access to data directly from the cars.

“One will be freely available, while the other, for serious fans, is behind a pay barrier.

“Free TV means reach, but the money is in pay TV.

“Ideally, 25 to 30 per cent of the races should be on free TV and the rest behind a pay wall. It works in France and other countries, but there are countries where we should not move to this model yet.”

In a recent report on the growth of Formula 1, banking giant Morgan Stanley have forecasted that the pay-version of the streaming service would cost the equivalent of £6.99 a month.