Formula One goes OTT with F1 TV streaming service in Europe and US
Formula One has launched its own bespoke streaming service, selling directly to consumers in two dozen markets.
F1 app for the 'hardest core fans'
The service, costing around $8-$12 a month, will be available in Germany, France, the US, Mexico, Belgium, Austria, Hungary and much of Latin America. A launch date for the UK has not been set.
It will “keep existing audiences hooked and attract new fans to the world of F1 too,” according to Mehul Kapadia, a managing director at Tata Communications, which will help deliver the service.
Kapadia made the bold statement that “F1 is the first global sport to adopt such an ambitious mobile strategy” despite UFC, WWE and the NFL getting OTT services running across the globe first.
He added: “A single global OTT video platform, with multiple live feeds and hundreds of hours of past highlights, gives fans the power to create their own unique, immersive motorsports experiences.”
The service will be available over desktop, web and over mobile and TV apps, with the live experience bundled with real-time data feeds, radio commentary, highlights and archive footage. A less expensive offering will be bundled without the live broadcast.
Practice, qualifying and races, press conferences, pre and post-race interviews and more will feature, supplemented with the FIA Formula 2 Championship, GP3 Series and Porsche Supercup.
Frank Arthofer, director of digital and new business at Formula 1, added: “With the launch of F1 TV, we are beginning on the journey to build a cornerstone of our digital transformation. F1 TV subscription products are clearly and centrally aimed at our hardest core fans, and we are firm believers that while we are bringing a new audience to the sport, we must always remain focused on delivering products and experiences that serve the most avid F1 fans.”
Arthofer concluded: “We look to provide these fans with the best available service to watch live Grands Prix and provide them with the best sports OTT customer experience in the world. Our team and our partners are singularly focused on delivering on that vision: not just for launch but over the long-term. Live streaming video is an exciting space changing almost daily.”
F1 first mooted a proprietary OTT service last summer following its acquisition by Liberty Media.