F1 returns to Sky Deutschland
February 12, 2019
By Colin Mann
Premier single-seater race series Formula 1 has announced a new two-year agreement with Sky Deutschland that will see Sky broadcast all Grand Prix weekends live across satellite, cable, IPTV, web and mobile in Germany and Austria, along with German-language rights in Switzerland, for 2019 and 2020.
As a result, subscribers with the Sky Sport Pack can watch all the track action live on linear TV, or via the streaming platform Sky Go, whenever and wherever they want. In addition, Formula 1 fans who do not yet have a Sky subscription can also follow the sport live on the streaming service, Sky Ticket.
As in the previous seasons which saw Sky broadcast the entire race weekend without advertising interruptions, Sky will now offer additional perspectives and information on another channel. Sky Q customers will also have the opportunity to watch all 21 Formula 1 Grands Prix this season in Ultra HD on Sky Sport UHD.
“It’s great to be working together again with Sky, helping them to enhance and elevate their broadcast offering of the sport,” said Ian Holmes, Formula 1’s Director of Media Rights. “The breadth of their coverage over the years has always impressed us and I am sure their subscribers will once again be looking forward to Sky’s comprehensive coverage of the sport.”
“The complete Grand Prix weekends live, no advertising interruptions throughout the race and broadcasts in Ultra HD for Sky Q customers – with this great package we will once again offer the best coverage of Formula 1 on German television, starting with the new season,” said Dr. Holger Ensslin, Managing Director Legal, Regulatory & Distribution, Sky Deutschland. “By taking this step, we are listening to the wishes of many of our customers who missed our way of broadcasting Formula 1 last year.”
Alongside Sky, fans in Germany will be able to watch Formula 1 free to air on RTL and also on F1 TV, which is available in 48 countries, including the US, Mexico and France, as well as in many territories in South America and Eastern Europe.
The move comes as a number of Grand Prix race promoters have expressed concern that an increasing amount of territories are only showing live race coverage on pay-TV.