The new owners of Formula 1, Liberty Media, have announced a massive overhaul of their traditional media broadcasting with a dedicated streaming service in the works. As well as broadcasting every race on the calendar, this platform will also provide insights into life behind the scenes on top of other related F1 footage that promises to be of interest to fans.
“We have an obligation to our fans, quite candidly, to ensure that they are able to access our content in any means they want,” says F1 commercial chief, Sean Bratches. “We are trying to create content that lives outside the Grand Prix weekends, which has been almost non-existent from digital or linear standpoints.”
There were initial rumours they would partner with an established platforms like Netflix or Amazon for its live-streaming service, but it has now been confirmed that the service will be run completely in-house. Additionally, this online service will only be available where it will not conflict with pre-existing television deals contractually granted guaranteed exclusivity. One such area where live-streaming is unlikely to be offered is the UK, with Sky signed to a multi-year exclusive agreement.
“Our objective is to engage with the Netflix audience of the world… and create content that fans can consume, which is compelling and tells different stories about what is going on in F1.”
The service is set to make its official launch in 2018.
