Say goodbye to free F1: Carey promises more TV paywalls

If you watch F1 in a territory where the sport is free-to-air, that could be about to come to an end, as Liberty Media CEO Chase Carey has promised that more and more countries will move onto pay-to-view TV models.

A number of key countries for the sport, such as the UK, have secured significant subscription deals in recent years, with Sky Sports paying upwards of £200m per year to provide exclusive live coverage, with only Silverstone available on the free Channel 4.

But the viewing figures have collapsed as a result, denying a new generation of fans the opportunity to watch events live.

Liberty's F1 TV online platform has also been a disaster so far, with numerous technical glitches leading to a swathe of refunds being issued.

Yet despite this, Carey confirmed in a recent investors call that the company not only has plans to return access to free-to-air, but in fact is looking to expand the subscriptions deals they can amass on a global scale.

He said: "We will continue to move towards pay platforms because that is the way the world is going."

Carey also confirmed that the 2020 calendar is likely to be announced within the next few weeks.

Vietnam and Netherlands have already been confirmed, with Mexico having renewed this week. It is likely that Germany, which was operating at a significant loss, will drop off the circuit for next year.

But that would still mean an unprecedented 22 races, and Liberty don't plan on stopping there, with Carey adding: "We expect the number of races over the next few years to increase a bit.”

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