Fox Sports Australia has confirmed it will broadcast every session of the 2015 Formula One season as the pay television channel further bolsters its motorsport portfolio.
Network Ten, which has had exclusive rights to the championship since 2006, will simulcast 10 races live, including the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The remainder will be shown as one-hour highlight packages on Monday nights.
Foxtel and Network Ten struck a similar agreement for coverage of the 2015 V8 Supercars coverage.
The deal, which had been rumoured for some time, has enabled Fox Sports to come to an affiliate agreement with Rupert Murdoch stablemate Sky Sports UK to simulcast its award-winning Formula One coverage and commentary.
Fox Sports CEO Patrick Delany heralded the deal as a boon to Formula One viewers.
“The new partnership means Fox Sports will broadcast F1 how it is meant to be, with every race, every qualifying and every practice live and in high definition, making sure our subscribers won’t miss a second of the action.”
Delany’s opposite number at Network Ten, Hamish McLennan, said he was pleased that Ten will continue covering the world’s biggest motorsport category into a second decade.
“Formula One is one of the great global sports, and we are delighted to be able to extend network Ten’s long and successful relationship with Formula One Management.
The new deal is a great step forward for F1 in Australia and will ensure bigger and better coverage for motorsport fans.”
Australians wanting to watch the entire Formula One season live will be forced to pay at least $50 a month to subscribe to Foxtel’s sport package. Pay TV currently reaches between 25 and 30 per cent of Australian households.
The pay TV-free to air combined model brings Australian F1 coverage into line with an increasing number of European nations, particularly the United Kingdom, where coverage is shared in a similar fashion between Sky Sports and the BBC. France, Italy, and Germany have all negotiated similar deals.
Such arrangements, however, have been met with mixed reactions from F1 teams as reduced access to viewers on the pay television platform hinders their ability to earn money through sponsorship.
Moreover the United Kingdom, generally a leader in coverage in viewership for Formula One, has seen audiences shrink since coverage moved to a pay television-dominated model in 2012.
2015 Australian Broadcast Calendar for Formula One
| Rnd | Grand prix | Date | Broadcaster |
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix | 13 – 15 March | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 2 | Malaysian Grand Prix | 27– 29 March | Fox Sports |
| 3 | Chinese Grand Prix | 10 – 12 April | Fox Sports |
| 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | 17 – 19 April | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 5 | Spanish Grand Prix | 8 – 10 May | Fox Sports |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | 22 – 24 May | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | 5 – 7 June | Fox Sports |
| 8 | Austrian Grand Prix | 19 – 21 June | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 9 | British Grand Prix | 3 – 5 June | Fox Sports |
| 10 | German Grand Prix* | 17 – 19 June | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 11 | Hungarian Grand Prix | 24 – 26 June | Fox Sports |
| 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | 21 – 23 August | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 13 | Italian Grand Prix | 4 – 6 September | Fox Sports |
| 14 | Singapore Grand Prix | 18 – 20 September | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 15 | Japanese Grand Prix | 25 – 27 September | Fox Sports |
| 16 | Russian Grand Prix | 9 – 11 October | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 17 | United State Grand Prix | 23 – 25 October | Fox Sports |
| 18 | Mexican Grand Prix | 30 October – 1 November | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
| 19 | Brazilian Grand Prix | 13 – 15 November | Fox Sports |
| 20 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | 27 – 29 November | Fox Sports and Network Ten |
Bob A
Guest
I don't have pay TV and as a retiree I won't be getting it. I have watched Formula One and Touring car racing for as long as I can remember. When these sports die I hope someone remembers what these people have done.
Yolanda
Guest
Not impressed. I am a student and cannot afford Pay Tv yet, until I get a decent paying job. Please bring back to Channel 10, my father is in England and we love to chat about the Qualifying Laps and stuff. Not a happy F1 fan.
unamedsauce
Guest
What "big event motorsport" ?? What "live and free" ??? Why did supercars ever think going to TEN was a good idea for their sport. I understand the costs involved for the rights, and advertisers think that they're spreading across multi formats etc. But losing viewers rather than gaining more interest in the sports can't be a good business model for advertisers, TEN or the sports themselves. To top it off there's that waste of space that is Mark Howard on Moto GP. Bring on more Rat Hunters, MASH or f'n fishing shows !!! No Fox for me, mainly out of principle and to a lesser extent price. Shame on TEN and FOM. Hope the advertisers bail out on FOX as no-one will be able to afford their products after paying for their TV and after watching the ratings drop. Might book myself into a private hospital on race nights paying from the private insurance i have to have !! : )
Tony Wright
Guest
Well hello Foxtel and TEN, not every F1 diehard can afford pay TV! You suits wouldn't understand what financial hardship is only how to look after your own gold lined pockets although I don't entirely blame the networks as I smell something sinister involving a former London car salesman by the name of Bernie Ecclestone! As we know Bernie's not terribly customer friendly and doesn't give a rats about the fans. I feel sorry for Dan Riciardo as he is goin to lose a large Aussie fan base simply because we can't follow him on "free to air". Hamish McClennan (who I am sure is an ex Tarmac rally competitor) you are a disgrace to Aussie motorsport! I too have no reason to continue with TEN as I have lost my Motorsport entertainment for the year!
eddy
Guest
To the 3 people who watched the old reruns of mash when the F1 should have been on, hope you enjoyed it.Just watched their highlights show. It was crap, Not the samewithout MartinBrundle.I guess thats its for me and F1 now. No point watching half the races and the commentary was rubbish anyway. Channel 10 " The home of motorsport " YOU ARE A DISGRACE I guess the MotoGP is next. The sooner the V8s go back to 7 and the F1 back to 9 the better.
Paul
Guest
The only programme I ever watch on Ten/One is the Grand Prix. The coverage used to be the best, with entertaining and insightful commentary from Martin Brundle and the team around him. Family in the UK had told me how bad their coverage had got, with Sky sports winning the rights and free-to-air only getting a shitty highlights package. Well it looks like we are going the same way. And I refuse to pay for coverage that has been taken from free-to-air, and support the company that did it. The highlights package is shit. Not even worth watching. Shame on you ten "the home of motorsport". Just pull out if that's all you can do
Julia Crawford
Guest
I am disgusted that viewers were not advised of this change by channel 10, either at the end of the 2014 year or after the Melbourne race. Why wernt they up front about it? I love the motor racing, but even if I could afford $50 a month to pay for TV, I wouldnt. All sport should be free to air! What a joke!
Michael
Guest
The Foxtel equation .. Hope you can get / afford Foxtel and like to pay for re-runs you watched as a child for free ... Minimum $600 p/yr if you want to watch Formula 1 for the next 5 years ( probably forever ) connect to just 1 TV in your house ... make sure it is in a place you can watch at all hours ( for F1 ) so you don't disturb the family ! another $300 p/yr unless you want to decide from which TV to you have Foxtel wired. record each race and watch later ... hence pay to watch delayed when you are home. Pay to watch ads ? I don't know .. I don't have Foxtel and not likely to get it. The Free to Air option .. watch 1/2 the races via a delayed 1 hour ( about 42mins minus the ads ) 'package' after you know the result - useless watch from any TV in your house or anywhere you might be at the time ... put up an antenna , connect as many TV's as you like ... priceless Result ... Foxtel arrangements and business practices are about as ancient as Rupert , and are destroying sport and Free to air TV in AUST. I was an F1 fan for 35 years .... but see no point in following anymore. I wonder why Channel 10 is broke ? ..... hmmm
Neil
Guest
In regards to Formula One moves to pay TV in 2015 I find this disgusting money grab their are many people out there who cant afford pay TV and I am one of them I have been following F1 for 40+ years and am devastated at this. The popularity of the sport will now not be the same no wonder 10 is going bad with decisions like this.. Disgusted
pervertt
Guest
Very poor move for the sport. F-1 has a global based audience and sponsors will not be happy if there are fewer eyeballs watching. Yes, I can afford Foxtel but refuse to buy any of their products on principle.
Peter
Guest
Channel Ten just doesn't get it. They have the rights to a show that millions of Australians watch and they shoot them selves in the foot by selling half of it to pay TV. It is quite obvious to anyone with half a brain why Ten is last in the ratings and up for sale. They are not in contact with the viewing public, live in cocoons and have absolutely no idea of the viewing audience. I thought there might be some hope for the station when Gina bought in but it seems I was wrong. They had the best Breakfast show of all the channels and canned it before even one year was up. Channel TEN you just don't get it.
Michael Musial
Guest
It's very sad that you have to pay to watch the Formula 1 on TV. I hope you people out there loss a lot of customers how love to watch the sport. It's always about the money! !!
ben
Guest
Very disappointed ten, very disappointed. You have ruined the season, cheers for that.
Not Happy
Guest
The only sport I watch, and Foxtel have stolen it from free-to-air. 'A boon for Formula 1 viewers', if you're willing to shell out $25 per race. The Australian media constantly deride the viewing public for it's reputation of illegally downloading content. Like this is really going to help that situation. Congratulation Rupert, you have reduced the size of your Australian audience.
Eddy
Guest
10 The home of motorsport : If you can afford it.
Quentin
Guest
Its all about money simple as that. 10s share price has gone down the gurgler, their content these days is a joke. The F1 rights were there to sell, bad luck racing fans pay up or you only get half the races. That will probably change to zero in the future. If they really did give a damn about the fans who cant afford pay tv they would replay the races not aired live later in the week.
Iain Robilliard
Guest
The sellout of Formula One to Foxtel is the single most abysmal TV related decision I have encountered. Worse, the sellout has been covered up: not a mention in the popular press. I will not be buying a subscription to Foxtel. I will watch the few F1 races that are still Free to Air, but I will despise with a passion those as yet unidentified money grubbing jackasses who made this decision.
Grant
Guest
This a poor decision for avid F1 fans as it disadvantages people from enjoying this great sport free to air. Unfortunately selling out to fox will only diminish supporter base. Pleased to see ten still have a foot in the door. A sad day for F1 though.
Tony Harman
Guest
Just typical of '10' and its 'Rusty' Approach They've just ruined my year
John Welfare
Guest
So it has come down to whether you have the money to be able to watch F1 on pay tv. I have been an F1 Supporter for many, many years and as a pensioner now, there is no way I can afford to pay the money to watch my McLaren team race. I hope for the sake of this sport, another channel get the viewing rights and it comes back to free -to-air, or this sport is going to lose a lot of the faithful supporters who have been there for all the years like me. I am also very disappointed that this year, the British race is only shown on Foxtel. Shame on you Channel 10 for deserting the F1 faithful.