Foxtel and Fox Sports reportedly "scored a major coup by securing exclusive broadcast rights" to Formula 1 from Ten Network, according to Darren Davidson of THE AUSTRALIAN. It is understood the pay-TV operator "will air the entire current season" from Sunday, with every race, qualifying and practice session to be shown live and in HD. Ten "has only retained the rights to the Australian Grand Prix, which will be simulcast by Foxtel as an ad-free broadcast." Iconic races -- including the Monaco Grand Prix and British Grand Prix at Silverstone -- "will only be available to watch on Foxtel." Under the existing arrangements, signed in '15, Ten had exclusive rights to 10 out of 21 races, "but the broadcaster is dropping the contract to slice costs from its programming budget." It comes as News Corp. and Telstra "pursue plans to combine Foxtel and Fox Sports into a sports and entertainment pay-TV player ahead of a stock market float" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/29).
'DRIVE FOR THE CURE': F1 announced a partnership with breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen to raise funds and drive global awareness of the fight against breast cancer. This year's U.S. Grand Prix coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the sport and Susan G. Komen will include on- and off-track initiatives in their "Drive for the Cure" program (F1).
STRONG FINISH: The final Malaysian Grand Prix drew 110,604 spectators, an increase of 31.9% over last year. The numbers included 16,813 on Friday (a 17.9% increase from '16), 37,776 on Saturday (66.9% increase) and 56,015 on Sunday (19.3% increase). This included 88,483 Malaysian spectators, up 21.3% from '16, with 22,121 int'l spectators (102.5% increase). It was the largest three-day crowd since the '13 race drew 123,400 (F1).
