Formula 1 has made it official that F1 TV will launch in India ahead of the 2023 campaign, as the digital platform becomes available to more and more regions.
As already reported by SportzPower, the development comes as there were no takers among the Big 3 of Indian sports broadcasting for the next cycle of F1 media rights in this market. It bears noting that it was as far back as October 2022 that this website had been given to understand that it was more than likely that F1 coverage in India would be restricted to F1 TV.
What is also relevant to note is that for the last rights cycle, Star Sports acquired rights for 7 years in 2014 and it ended a year early in 2021. Then they extended the contract until the end of the 2022 season.
In 2022, F1 completed deals in multiple countries for the upcoming seasons but NOT for India. And it certainly comes as no big surprise for SportzPower. In the end analysis, the math just didn’t square up. Star Sports was coughing up $13 million (Rs 90 crore) PER YEAR for the F1 rights. And their revenues? All of Rs 2 crores is what this website is given to understand.
Coming back to F1TV in India, all 23 race weekends, including practice sessions, qualifying sessions, races and F1 Sprint events, will be broadcast by the service – with F1 TV Pro available for $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year following a free seven-day trial.
Access also includes live telemetry, all 20 driver onboard cameras and team radio channels, as well as in-depth pre- and post-race analysis and an extensive content library containing more than 2,000 hours of archive footage.
Several new features have been introduced on the platform for 2023, including the ability for fans to continue watching any content that has been paused across any device; the option to watch races live or from the start; and a search function.
F1 TV offers fans comprehensive coverage of the sport across every race weekend
Fans across India will also be able to watch Formula 2 and Formula 3, and Porsche Supercup, with Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini representing the country in F2.
Ian Holmes, director of Media Rights and Content Creation at Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to launch F1 TV for our fans in India. With Formula 1’s growing global footprint, it is vital that our fans all around the world can watch and enjoy the drama and excitement of Formula 1.
“With access to live race footage, expert commentary, onboard camera and team radios, F1 TV will provide fans with a best-in-class service to follow the upcoming Formula 1 season.”
F1 teams will hit the track together for the first time this year during pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 23-25, followed by the opening round of 2023 at the same Sakhir venue a week later.
Related report
With no takers for TV, OTT rights, F1 TV debuts in India
