Formula 1

No plans for more free-to-air F1 coverage for 2020

1 Mins read
Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd.

Formula 1 has said that there will be no more races added to the existing free-to-air coverage of the 2020 season, despite fans not being allowed to attend races because of coronavirus restrictions.

As governments worldwide still try to contain the outbreak, and prevent a spike in the number of cases, the first part of this year’s season will run behind closed doors.

Despite other sports broadcasting events live on free-to-air TV, due to governments still wishing to provide some sort of live entertainment to the public, F1 has decided to keep to their usual plans.

In the UK, this means that live coverage of the season will be shown exclusively on Sky, with highlights from qualifying and the race shown on Channel 4. The British Grand Prix, however, will still be shown live on Channel 4.

With two back-to-back events due to be held at Silverstone, F1 has said that only one of the races will be live on Channel 4. The other race, called the “F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix“, would be shown live exclusively on Sky.

F1 spoke about the possibility of more live races being shown on free channels in a Q&A on the official website, stating: “F1 has existing contracts in place for broadcast and it is right we honour those commitments with our long-term partners.

“Silverstone will host two events, with one of those events available live as Free-to-air (FTA) within the UK. Each market situation is different and has comprehensive highlight packages to complement the live broadcast of the races.”

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F1 reporter for The Checkered Flag. Also a second year Journalism student at Robert Gordon University. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at @findlaygrant5.
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