For its return as an F1 broadcaster, ESPN experienced a very challenging debut. However, the economic model adopted by the American broadcaster is to take the content produced directly by FOM entirely, without sending journalists on-site.<\/p>\n
However, technical problems prevented it from broadcasting the pre-race program as it appeared on screens without any sound. This led ESPN to issue a statement of apology to the American public: \u00ab We sincerely apologize to Formula 1 fans for the technical issues that prevented them from watching the first 20 minutes of the Australian Grand Prix pre-race program. We are sorry that our first F1 broadcast did not go as smoothly as planned, but we are taking the necessary measures to prevent this from happening in the future. \u00bb<\/p>\n
But beyond its technical problems, the issue with the chosen business model is that ESPN adopts the commentary from the Sky team. Since Sky is a paid channel, it does not plan any commercial breaks during the race. Conversely, ESPN does not escape this tradition. As no specific commentator is scheduled, this has caused some confusion among viewers because one of its commercial breaks occurred at the restart after the safety car, triggered by Romain Grosjean’s retirement.<\/p>\n
All these difficulties should facilitate the expansion of F1 TV in the American market when the streaming service is finally made public by Liberty Media. Which might have been the goal of reaching a discounted deal with ESPN…<\/p>\n