Battle of the Broadcasters: Sky Sports F1 vs BBC F1

Source: motorsport.com

2009 was a good year for British Formula 1 fans; not only did it see the ascendance of yet another British driver to the illustrious hall of champions, but it also marked the end of an era dominated by ITV’s somewhat underwhelming coverage of the sport.  Following the conclusion of a five-year deal the BBC obtained exclusive rights to broadcast Formula 1, which proved immensely satisfying for those of us who preferred watching races to adverts for car insurance. The team spearheaded by Jake Humphrey and co. proceeded to move far beyond the standards set by ITV, introducing a perfect blend of professionalism and banter that captivated the viewing audience and redefined their expectations of how the sport should be covered. However, thanks to an unwelcome licence fee freeze and ensuing cost-cutting campaign, the BBC was forced to share broadcast rights with Sky, which promised to dedicate an entire channel to covering the sport with a commitment never before seen on UK television. And so, since the beginning of 2012 fans in the UK have been able to choose between two very different ways of experiencing Formula 1. But, the question is: which one delivers the experience best?

The viewing experience

Part of the reason that the BBC secured exclusive rights to broadcast Formula 1 in 2009 was that it had a number of innovative ideas intended to liven up coverage and expand the sport’s UK fan base; indeed, in its first year it introduced the idea of broadcasting live video coverage of F1 on the internet, and also made use of interactive TV by offering an onboard camera view, the post-race ‘Forum’ and rolling highlights on its ‘Red Button’ facility. Since then the level of coverage that they offer has gone off into space, introducing neat services like the brilliant ‘Driver Tracker’ (which offers viewers the opportunity to follow the progress of every single driver in real-time), multiple on-board cameras and even a pit-lane feed. What’s more, the BBC made their coverage of the 2013 F1 season available on their new BBC Sport smartphone app, bringing together its live and on-demand video coverage along with news, features and stats. All this is extremely impressive for a free-to-view service, and demonstrates the BBC’s willingness to use modern technology in ways that ITV never endeavoured to explore.

However, all this technological magnificence seems to pale in comparison to the host of features offered by the Sky Sports F1 channel. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sky Sports F1 offers everything that the BBC does and more; its ‘Sky Race Control’ interactive service, for instance, not only has a cool name and even more feeds than the BBC’s, but is also available on multiple platforms, which means you can experience the thrill of an on-board camera on your tablet, PC and Mac. However, the most impressive feature of Sky’s coverage by a country mile is the quality of its television feed. As tedious as the endless promotions of “incredible 5.1 audio” and “stunning high definition” are to listen to, they do make a superb double act and combine to make sitting down on your sofa more of an event than it should be. Indeed, if Sky goes ahead with its proposals to broadcast Formula 1 in 3-D it almost won’t be worth going to see the races live. As unfailingly excellent as the BBC’s services are, they cannot match Sky’s for innovation and the level of sensational experience they provide.

Sky 1, BBC 0

The presentation

In my view the current line-up of pundits at the BBC works extremely well, as each one is able to offer the viewer a very different perspective of events; with ex-driver David Coulthard, former team owner Eddie Jordan and his brilliant technical director Gary Anderson, the team can provide detailed and role-specific analysis of any development that comes their way, which ultimately results in thoroughly colourful and diverse analysis. Ben Edwards’ commentary style is highly effective, combining sharp observations with a level of excitement that makes watching a bunch of cars going round a track a fantastically entertaining experience, even if you can’t always make out exactly what he’s saying. Star mention has to go to lead presenter Suzi Perry, who has successfully managed to fill and outgrow the fairly substantial shoes left by Jake Humphrey. Thanks to her vast experience in the world of motorsport presentation, Perry is able to deliver a level of technical insight that seemed to be beyond her otherwise brilliant predecessor, but couched in the same sort of light-hearted, jocular manner that made the BBC’s coverage such a big hit in the first place. However, she is let down at times by her slightly nervous disposition, which has a noticeable effect on her interviews in particular. It is a great shame, as it means that she often can’t use her brilliant knowledge of the sport to full effect.

Source: motorsport.com

Sky’s presenters are a highly professional bunch and combine to deliver some very slick coverage. Leading the team is former rugby union presenter Simon Lazenby, who has managed to ease relatively comfortably into the world of Formula 1 after two seasons presenting the sport. Despite being prone to the odd controversial clanger (Monaco 2012 springs immediately to mind), he seems to be far more confident and composed than Perry, which helps to offset his limited technical knowledge. Expert pundits Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert more than make up for this, however, as they are always on hand to chip in with coherent explanations and insightful analysis when Lazenby’s reserves run dry. Where Sky’s analysis really excels is in its use of the ‘Skypad’ facility, which provides a highly digestible breakdown of all the most complex and exciting parts of the on-track action. In the hands of another expert analyst in the form of Anthony Davidson, the Skypad adds a significant amount of value to post-race discussion and gives the viewer a much clearer understanding of the race’s most important developments. Whilst the BBC’s post-race analysis is brilliant, I feel that it could do with something like this to help direct the pundits, as they are often left with only a couple of ten-second replays and expected to cover all the bases. This is a problem that they need to address, as it means that Sky is nudging ahead in post-race analysis.

The race commentary is an area where Sky is not ahead at the moment. That’s not to say that the combination of David Croft and Martin Brundle is bad by any means, but it’s fairly disappointing if you want the race to sound exciting. In comparison with the brilliantly-berserk commentary provided by the BBC it feels pretty flat, and doesn’t contain the sort of chummy banter needed to engage anyone who isn’t a Formula 1 bore. This highlights a wider problem with Sky’s presenting team as a whole: they’re a bit boring. Nowhere is this more apparent than in their extensive 90-minute build-up, in which they attempt to replicate the sort of fun-filled adventures characteristic of the BBC’s coverage. This would be fine if the presenters could provide the sort of entertainment engendered by the tremendous trio of Perry, Jordan and Coulthard, but they can’t. The problem is that there is no tangible chemistry between them all, which makes any attempt on their part to make the programme entertaining slightly awkward to watch. This wooden working relationship puts Sky’s presentation on the back foot, and helps to make the BBC’s format look far more appealing.

Sky 1, BBC 1

The verdict

It’s quite clear that the UK’s Formula 1 broadcasters offer viewers very different ways of experiencing the sport. Sky is fantastic for the viewer who wants to indulge in a Formula 1 experience that combines technological innovation and extensive analysis, and will therefore appeal most to the hardcore race fan. The BBC on the other hand seems to cover all the bases, combining technology, expertise and light-hearted entertainment to create a package that appeals to a wide variety of people. The reception that this approach received back in 2009 demonstrated what a dramatic improvement over ITV it was, and provided Sky with the formula for success. Whilst Sky may have nailed its tech and analysis, it has failed to incorporate this with the all-important entertainment factor, which continues to make the BBC such a big hit with the fans. As a result, I believe that the BBC is still the king of the hill.

BBC wins