McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has urged the BBC to rebid for Formula One when its five-year deal expires in 2013, hitting out at what he claims are “significant inaccuracies” in a Sunday newspaper report alleging the corporation is poised to axe the sport as part of its cost-saving drive.
Talking heads: Jake Humphrey (left), David Coulthard (centre) and Eddie Jordan in action for the BBC Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Whitmarsh added that it was “crucial” to Formula One’s commercial model that the sport remain on free-to-air television.
The Sunday Times suggested yesterday that the BBC was facing a straight choice between dropping BBC4, one of its digital channels, or its coverage of Formula One, which the newspaper alleged will cost the corporation £300 million over its five-year deal.
However, Whitmarsh, also the chairman of the Formula One Teams Association, said the teams’ independently commissioned data showed the BBC coverage was reaching an ever wider demographic and rejected the newspaper’s claim that “most races attract only between two and four million viewers”.
It is understood that the average BBC viewership so far this year is 4.8 million with the last race in Canada, won by Briton Jenson Button on the final lap, attaining a peak audience of 8.3 million.
“Formula One insiders have been surprised by the recent newspaper reports, since they contain significant statistical inaccuracies,” Whitmarsh told The Daily Telegraph last night. “In terms of average viewership, peak viewership and average share of viewership – the three key indices for TV executives – more people are watching Formula One this year than last year or indeed than in recent previous years.
Credit: The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk)
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