Long-time British F1 broadcaster at risk of losing rights

After more than 30 years as the UK's exclusive rights holder for F1 on the radio, the BBC are facing a challenge to maintain that status.

The challenge, as it so often does when it comes to the BBC's sports radio rights, is coming from Talksport, as the commercial station looks to steal away more and more flagship events from the national broadcaster.

Cricket fans have seen England's overseas tours increasingly heading to Talksport, including the upcoming tour of South Africa this winter, and The Telegraph report that F1 is among the sports being prioritised for a move.

5Live, the BBC's sports station, has recently announced that it will be scaling down its commissioning as part of a broader cost-cutting move across the corporation, opening a space for a station like Talksport to take advantage.

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F1 a 'brilliant' set of radio rights

Head of Talksport Liam Fisher told the newspaper: “Football still is our bread and butter... but we’ve definitely looked to extend it on the basic understanding that, even if football is your first, second and third sport, you are probably into something else as well.

“So our strategy has been to pick off the events where we believe there is an audience potential that sits well with what we’re providing... we’ll cherry pick what we think are the key sports and events that we think you might be interested in.”

On the F1 coverage specifically, of which Harry Benjamin is the lead voice on the BBC, Fisher said: “It’s another brilliant set of rights. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t actively exploring whether there’s an opportunity.

"We think the audience goes quite well with the Talksport audience. We think there’s an opportunity for us to deliver really good amplification for it as well.”

How would Talksport F1 coverage differ from the BBC?

Asked about Talksport's different approach to the BBC around the sports they're trying to break into, he said: “To your sponsors, particularly with someone like the ECB [English Cricket Board], we can amplify your sponsors and give them more coverage than they’re likely to get in certain other places.

“Secondly it’s that ‘always on’ aspect. From a BBC 5 Live point of view, [in F1] they’re mainly going to be around the races, the qualifying. They’re not going to give you loads of coverage into the breakfast show all week.

"Obviously what we would look to do is a proper 360 [degree coverage]... also outside of the race weekends and season. We can turn up the noise on your sport at other times of the day, in other parts of the year as well.”

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