F1 2020 on NowTV. What do we want?

[Anonymous User]

What do we want to see from NowTV F1 in 2020 ?

I'd want a stand alone HD app with live and catch up at a maximum of £10 per month. 

[Anonymous User]

You don't just get the F1 channel - You essentially get 11 Sky Sports channels for 9 months for £190.

I totally agree with the previous statements, F1 is really the only sport I care about - £190 for the season was really the limit for me. If it's over £200 this time around I'll seriously consider finding other ways to watch it.

The cost of watching the sport at £150 (£16.66/month for 9 months) was fairly good value - That crept up to £21.11/month last year. Considering I watch 5-6 hours a month (quali and race) it starts to look poor value when I use Netflix for about 20+ hours a month and it costs £10/month with a much bigger selection.

[Anonymous User]

Eh? You get all the channels under that deal?

Assuming from the list you don't watch, that you're just after the footie? There was a similar 'season ticket' for the prem last year - @£190 for 9 months  - but you got all the channels. If it was available, given that you're not interested in anything else, if there was the option of 9 months of just Sky premier League for £100 - that wouldn't be a better option for you?

[Anonymous User]

Yep, for the last 2 years I got the F1 pass - it allowed me to watch any of the Sky Sports Channels on NowTV.

It'll be a development reason why it's like that. Easier to hack it and charge a one-off payment, and then give the subscriber a 9 month "Free-trial" before the start to get billed the usual £34/month - than it is to get the developers to create a bespoke plan that just gives people access to one channel.

...could also be that if people see the value of having access to all those channels, they might be more likely to continue paying the higher monthly fee.

[Anonymous User]

was a reply to to the previous poster (the same one you responded to, just took me a bit longer) 😉 

[starman73]

The point is you don't get individual subscriptions to individual sports. F1 is just another "sport". Why should it have a separate pass? And if it does why not Golf, Cricket, Fighting, Ping Pong, Netball etc.  How many passes would you have? 

I think F1 gets a good deal. A 24/7 channel and you can watch a few of the races on Sky One. You can even get the £50 3 month sports passes from Currys when they are on sale.

Far better value than paying £10 for a single GAA game.  I would gladly pay £150 a season to watch GAA on a 24/7 channel. In fact I pay 70 euro for GAAGO, expect for the Sky exclusive games.

The idea of separate passes for separate sports won't necessarily mean savings. Sky do it and it's about £5/month less than getting all the channels. (£23 vs. £18) though you have to have 18 month contract for all sports.

[starman73]

The crux of the matter is this.  Without the millions of football subscribers the whole business model for Sky does not work.  F1 tried PPV and what happened...

Take-up for the service, charged at £12 per race, was low with as little as 9,000 viewers subscribing to see some races. To increase the flagging take-up, F1 Digital+ ran a promotion where one could get the final six races of the season for only £50 compared with paying £72.  The service was never financially viable and was terminated at the end of the 2002 season 

Six races for £50!  Now you get 22 for less than £200 and a 24/7 channel.  

You want a standalone F1 channel, but would you if it cost more?

[Anonymous User]

In 2002 hardly anyone had broadband and F1 was free in any case in the UK on ITV....... the digital world was very different 18 years ago. This year I simply ain't paying for Sky unless I get a dedicated cheaper channel with on demand content......its 2020 for heavens sake, Sky needs to think more Netflix / Amazon.

[Anonymous User]

And no not the footie lol - this thread is about F1. We just want access to the F1 channel.

Give me access to JUST that for £10/month and I'll continue subscribing throughout the year

[starman73]

 if there was the option of 9 months of just Sky premier League for £100 - that wouldn't be a better option for you?

It would be a better option, but it's not going to happen.  Also I have to get Amazon and BT Sport for football as well.

I don't know if there are any numbers on Sky Sports subscribers across all platforms, but for the sake of argument let's say it is 5 million.  I guesstimate the vast majority subscribe primarily for football.  If the football was removed I guess well over 4 million would cancel.  If F1 was removed, i doubt it would be as many as 100,000.    

IMHO, if all you like is F1 then its great to have a 24/7 channel and all the races in one place.

Follow GAA and you need a couple of subscriptions.  Follow football and it can be 3 or 4.

If I could get all the football for £200/annum I would be delighted.

[Anonymous User]

@starman73 Don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with the analysis of the business model etc.... but I think there will come a point where folks who have a 'niche' interest in sports (i.e. the F1) just don't see it worth while subscribing to everything just to get the F1. At the end of it all, I will watch perhaps 6-8 hours of the channel 20(ish) times per year. I know the channel is there 24/7, but 90%+ is repeats and mostly filler. I think if you're following the football, you're getting 00's if not 000's of hours of interest for your money. If you're a 'sports fan' in general, then without a doubt it is a bargain.

I don't know if NowTV release the subscriber numbers, but I'll bet there was a massive drop in F1 passes in 2019 as opposed to 2018, and I'd wager there will be another drop if a similar price increase comes along. 

I don't imagine there will be an F1 channel only pass - if that was so important then there's always Sky and the single channel subscription @£18 but on a contract, which works out at £162 for the 9 months (but you have to sign up for 18 months I think? And have a dish installed. And a box. And hope it doesn't rain too hard).

All things considered, I don't expect to be thrilled with the offer, but at the same time, Sky have to consider if it's worth getting some money out of more potential F1 subscribers for some access vs getting more money out of less people for all the access - I don't know where that tipping point would be though? After all, you can get a VPN for pennies per month, and there's still plenty of FTA channels - or even subscribing to F1TV as options. Or, just watch Channel 4 in the evening for nowt