Formula 1 is launching a new TV streaming product that it said "will put fans in control of their race viewing experience, letting them watch from their favorite driver's perspective or tracking battles for position," according to Douglas Busvine of REUTERS. F1 TV, which was launched on Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress, will give access to cameras mounted on the cars of 20 drivers as well as the traditional broadcast feed, with viewers able to "split the screens of their mobile device or smart TV." F1 Head of Digital Frank Arthofer said, "You can go head-to-head with Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel as they battle for second place -- and actually go side-by-side and look at the view from each of their cars." F1 will offer the service live in countries including Mexico, France, Germany, the U.S., Turkey, Belgium, Hungary and Austria -- starting with the opening grand prix next month in Melbourne (REUTERS, 2/27). THE DRUM's John McCarthy reported the services will cost "around $8-$12 a month." It will "keep existing audiences hooked and attract new fans to the world of F1 too," according to Mehul Kapadia, a managing director at Tata Communications, which will help deliver the service. The service will be available over desktop, web and mobile and TV apps, with the live experience bundled with real-time data feeds, radio commentary, highlights and archive footage. A less expensive offering will be bundled without the live broadcast. Practice, qualifying, races, press conferences, pre- and post-race interviews and more will be featured, "supplemented with the FIA Formula 2 Championship, GP3 Series and Porsche Supercup" (THE DRUM, 2/27). MOTORSPORT's Jonathan Noble reported with former Fox Sports President David Hill "having been drafted in late last year to oversee a change to the way F1 is broadcast," Liberty believes that there will be a "very different look and feel to the way fans watching the sport will experience it." F1 Managing Dir, Commercial Operations Sean Bratches said, "We will totally revitalize the way F1 is produced. We are going to close the apertures, focus intently on the racing, and lower the [positioning of the] cameras -- because the lower the camera the higher the realism of the speed is" (MOTORSPORT, 2/27).
