F1 TV in beta testing, release scheduled for March 22
If Formula 1 has decided to launch its own streaming service, as previously announced, it inevitably raises many questions among fans, particularly about its implementation.
“I never felt so close to being a pilot,” jokes the new digital director of Formula 1, Frank Arthofer, during the presentation of F1 TV last month.
This product will come in two different packages as announced. F1 TV Pro, which will be the premium product, will be available in about 40 countries at launch and will include the first Formula 1 broadcasting system that does not require a subscription to a TV package or a free channel. 24 broadcast channels will be available, with a channel dedicated to the race broadcast as before, commented in different languages such as English, French, German, and Spanish. 20 other channels will be used to follow the onboard camera of each driver: allowing you to track your favorite driver throughout the race, whether it’s Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, or Marcus Ericsson. It is the first time that an individual sport will have a dedicated camera for all its participants, always available during the race. One final channel will likely be linked to real-time data, while the last two are still in development and will not be available at launch.
Launch would likely take place on March 22, which is Thursday, after the last phase of beta testing if everything goes as planned. This is the day before the first free practice session of the Australian Grand Prix. It’s highly likely that the service will experience its first surge in demand on this day when fans want to sign up. Regarding subscription prices, they will range from $8 to $12 per month, or $100 per year. These amounts will be converted into local currencies. In France, this is significantly more accessible than the Canal+ subscription if you’re only watching Formula 1 in this package.
F1 TV Pro will also offer an archive bank, dating back to 1981: « Much of the content has never been revealed before, and all races, either in full or just the highlights, should eventually be available. » continues Arthofer. However, the development speed of this tool – 6 months – has not allowed all planned features to be included: at launch, F1 TV Pro will only be available on computers and will initially not have compatibility with tools like ChromeCast or AirPlay. But: « They are included in the development plan, I would say that availability in two months is a good estimate ». The same goes for a mobile or TV app, which will come in the coming months.
Given the technical complexity, particularly the dual viewing (2 cameras displayed in real-time on the same screen), it’s quite normal to find these functions only on computers at first, especially since the F1 TV team wanted to make their service available to the largest audience for the first Grand Prix of the season.
A simplified service, F1 Access will also be available, containing race replays, archives, and some existing products, such as the content of the current F1 tracking app, as well as a radio stream following the race, for a price of 2 to 3 dollars per month, or $20 per year.
