Focus on F1: BBC VS SKY

For the second season in a row, both Sky and the BBC are providing coverage of Formula One. Each broadcaster and channel provide coverage of every F1 weekend, whether it be in the form of live action or highlights after the events have unfolded. 
  Debate has arisen about which channel provides the best coverage and opinions are divided between the two channels in the UK. Both providers have seen changes and new faces since they first starting broadcasting, the biggest of these between the 2012 and 2013 season.
   Sky Sports are now into their second season of broadcasting, whereas the BBC are now in their 5th season of covering the sport since returning after a 12 year absence. Clearly, the BBC team have more experience in broadcasting live F1 and have been able to build up their audience over a longer period of time.
  One aspect of the coverage I believe to be better on Sky is the fact that they are able to provide live coverage for all sessions during each weekend. This includes the three practise sessions, qualifying and the race. The BBC however, can only show half of the races live throughout the season, which does include qualifying and practise sessions as well. For the remaining races, the BBC provide a highlights program after the race has finished. Although these are highlights, they are quite extensive and you find that you get to see the majority of the race and all of the main talking points. Obviously one disadvantage of highlights is that you may find out the results of the race before you are able to watch the highlights and you don't get the satisfaction of watching it live, but you are able to avoid missing out altogether. The races that are covered live by the BBC however are spread across the season and so you get a good mixture of live and highlighted, and you know that you are always going to be able to watch the British and last race of the season live because of the contract agreement. 
  Sky Sports have dedicated one of their channels to F1, named Sky Sports F1 and this is the channel where all their broadcasting happens. A good idea for a race weekend, but I find that they struggle to find content to fill the gaps when there isn't live coverage. If I watch the channel 9 times of out 10 it is because they are showing live content. They regularly show repeats of previous races or random practise sessions throughout the season. Admittedly, I think the interviews they show with F1 greats is good, but there is only so many times you can watch the same interview. I enjoy watching the classic races they also show, but these are not exactly regular occurrences on the channel. More often than not, 'Your Home of Formula One' is shown on the channel and I avoid this at all costs. 
  In comparison, the BBC do not have a dedicated channel, but in all honesty I don't think that it is necessary as in the case of the live coverage, they have a forum on the red button for additional reaction after each race and this has a much more relaxed atmosphere and gives viewers an insight into the sport. 
    Another major disadvantage of the Sky coverage of F1 is the amount of adverts during the program. Luckily the race is uninterrupted coverage, but I find the adverts during pre-action or post-action unbearable. Adverts are not found on the BBC coverage and this is a major advantage of the coverage. 
    Apart from the cost of a TV license in the UK and buying the television, the BBC coverage of F1 is free to watch in the UK. For a free channel, the team put in a lot of effort to provide in depth and comprehensive coverage of each racing weekend and it really shows through the screen. 
  In comparison the cost of having the Sky coverage can be rather expensive. Firstly aside from the TV license and television needed to view, you also need to have a Sky box and subscription for a standard price per month and then you need to further subscribe to their sports channels. You cannot simply subscribe to one channel though, you have to have the whole package for a substantial fee per month added onto the standard subscription. Is it worth the extra money to be able to watch all the races live? If you can bear the adverts and the coverage team then yes, but to make sure I am getting the most out of my subscription I make sure I watch the other channels as well such as football matches and their sports news channel.
  Moving onto the coverage team for both channels, both have seen changes in their line-ups. In 2012 the BBC lost Ted Kravitz, Anthony Davidson, Natalie Pinkham, David Croft and Martin Brundle to Sky. These were big losses to the BBC and they subsequently made up a broadcasting team of Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard, Lee Mckenzie, Ben Edwards and Gary Anderson who put their heart and soul into bringing the world of F1 to viewers. The on screen friendship between Humphrey, Coulthard and Jordan appealed to the audiences and so when Humphrey announced he would be leaving at the end of 2013, it was going to inevitably be another big loss. Humphrey's replacement Suzy Perry is currently halfway through her first season presenting F1 and honestly is nothing on Humphrey. He made the job look so easy and Perry's attempts at the almost on screen flirting with her co-workers make me as a viewer feel uncomfortable and I don't feel as though the program flows as well as it used to. I do think the BBC have a good range of technical and experienced expertise in their coverage team though by having a technical expert in Anderson, an ex team owner in Jordan and an ex driver in Coulthard. 
  In all honesty, the coverage team of Sky is not all that much better in my own opinion. Some people on the channel sometimes look as though they do not even want to be there, some are more concerned with criticising drivers at every given opportunity and I just feel as though there isn't the passion in some areas. However, the Sky coverage has improved so much from the first season and so they could improve more and more as the seasons go on. 
  The two pairings of commentators are good at both channels. I enjoy listening to the coverage of both Coulthard and Edwards and Croft and Brundle and do not think there is much to choose between them. Both are entertaining and give their honest opinions on the events happening during the races and qualifying.    
   A final advantage to the Sky coverage is that all the live action is available on Sky Go. This means that if you have the sports subscription you can watch the race or qualifying on a device which is connected to a wi-fi connection, so you don't have to be at home to watch it. However, this is only available on two devices. 
  Overall each channel has its advantages and disadvantages and it really comes down to personal choice as to which one you prefer. It may be the adverts or the live coverage or the coverage team which makes you prefer one over the other and I think this is why the opinions are so divided.
  For me, I no longer prefer one coverage over the other. I make the most of the best parts of the coverage from both channels. If the BBC are showing a race live, I will watch their coverage and I will watch Sky for the remaining races. If I've particularly enjoyed a certain race I will also watch the BBC highlights. I much prefer the Sky coverage of practise sessions and will watch these whenever I can and I will watch podium and post race opinions on the channel that I've watched the race on. However, since the departure of Humphrey I no longer watch the pre-race/qualifying build up on either of the channels. Instead of turning my tv on one hour before the session starts to watch interviews and features, I now only turn on to watch the session which is a bit of a shame...



   

Jake Humphrey: The Inside Track Review

When Jake Humphrey announced that he would be writing his own book on his experiences of presenting Formula One coverage on the BBC, I knew immediately that this would be a book that I would purchase.
  Fortunately, I received the book called 'The Inside Track' as a Christmas present in 2012 and I was really excited to read it. However, because of commitments with Sixth Form I wanted to wait until it was over so that I could guiltlessly enjoy the book. So in July I finally had the time to sit down and read it, and I was not disappointed. 

 

Whilst I was reading the book, it was almost as though you could imagine Jake himself telling the many stories and experiences shared. You could really hear his voice whilst you were reading and so much of his personality that viewers of the BBC coverage grew to love was evident throughout.
   On page 16 Humphrey writes "It's the sport that never takes it foot off the pedal, and whether you're driving the car, making decisions from the pit wall, cheering in the stands or glued to the TV, F1 has something for everyone." I found that like the statement made, this book also has something for every fan of F1. Even if you are relatively new to the sport, Jake retells and describes events and aspects of Formula One in a way that is easy to understand, even if you do not know everything there is to know about testing and developing a new part for a Formula One car or how the safety of the sport has evolved over time. Jake also shows his deep understanding of many aspects of the sport, such as the detailing in how a team works and how the car works and this illustrates his genuine love of the sport.
  For those who have followed Formula One for a long time, this book gives you the opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments in the sports recent and past history, such as the way that the 2012 season started with a record breaking 7 different winners in as many races and the moment that both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton won the World Driver's Championship in 2009 and 2008.  So even if you are a 'F1 fanatic' and don't necessarily learn anything new from this book, you are reminded of some of Formula One's greatest moments!
  Jake Humphrey also gives us access to a world of Formula One that us fans never usually experience. He describes what it was like moments before going live on his first ever live broadcast as presenter for the BBC and even how he got to the job in the first place. From reading this book, I've learnt about many things that I wouldn't have learnt about otherwise and you can really tell that he has passion and love for what he is writing about, much like the people reading. 

If you're looking for an interesting read on how one sport has influenced someones life, then look no further than this book. Humphrey even explains his decisions for leaving the BBC and his plans for the future as well as casting his opinions on the safety of F1, the expansion of the sport and Lewis Hamilton's departure from McLaren. I have really enjoyed reading this book and could have easily read a hundred more pages. 

'The Inside Track' is available from many retailers and is also available to purchase on line.