Hamilton blasts F1's 'terrible' Pay TV move

Lewis Hamilton says that Formula 1's continued disappearance off free-to-air television is terrible for the business of Formula 1, as the five-time world champion's native UK prepares for a 2019 season where free coverage of F1 will be almost entirely wiped out.

Only the British Grand Prix will be available on terrestrial television in 2019 after a deal was struck between Channel 4 and Sky Sports which saw the latter give up a crumb of their exclusive stranglehold on F1 rights which is currently slated to last until 2024.

Sky have gradually taken over F1 coverage in the UK since acquiring the rights in 2012, while other countries such as Italy and Germany have also seen the competition go behind pay-walls.

The move in the UK is expected to see viewing figures plummet, despite a cheaper deal being offered to F1 fans by Sky.

Hamilton was informed that just 1.2 million people had watched his fifth world title triumph, compared to the 8.9 million that had seen his first, when ITV held the rights, and the reigning champion expressed immediate disapproval.

The final phase of testing. We need to take a deep breath, carefully analyse and strategise next steps. I have the best team to do this. We are up against the best competition F1 has seen in years! So buckle up because sh@$ is about to get real! ???????? @MercedesAMGF1 ???? @GadgetsBoy pic.twitter.com/tK8LAr7AU5 — Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) March 1, 2019

"I didn't know those numbers. It sounds terrible from a business point of view," he said.

"I'm not sure why people are switching off. I don't have the answer to that exactly."

When it was pointed out to Hamilton that F1's departure from free-to-air TV was a factor, he added: "Yeah, well, that's definitely not cool.

"I remember growing up and turning on BBC and watching it all free. It was awesome.

"I don't currently understand the pay TV situation. It's not my job to come up with the answers for that.

"But I do understand, because it's bloody expensive nowadays, with everything you have in your home, all your insurance, all the things that you do end up paying.

"And on top of that you got to pay for TV, and a TV license. It's just ridiculous."

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