One of the first moves made by Bernie Ecclestone after acquiring Formula 1's commercial rights (initially for 15 years, but inexplicably extended by an FIA administration then headed by his chum, Max Mosley) was to establish what was known as F1 Digital+ - a state-of-art broadcast service offering a variety of channels and options that enabled viewers to effectively become their own TV directors.
The service was offered on subscription via existing broadcasters and, after a slow start in 1996 and even slower death in 2002, was canned. Initially budgeted to cost around $35m, Ecclestone is estimated to have lost $100m before eventually pulling the plug. That $100m would be worth around $150m (£125m) today - a fortune at a time when he owed the FIA double that for the purchase of rights he had not yet sold on.
It is little wonder that Bernie had an abject aversion to change and new-fangled technologies after that experiment. He had failed to realise that at least half of F1's billion-strong TV audience - or so he had the world believe at the time - was made up of couch potatoes seeking cheap thrills after devouring their beefy and beery Sunday dinners. For proof look no further than F1's plummeting ratings after pay-TV was forced upon the masses.
To continue reading this feature, subscribe to Autosport Plus today.
Expert opinion. Technical insight. Unbeatable analysis. Subscribe today for unlimited access to the world's best motorsport journalism.Subscribe to Autosport Plus
- Completely ad-free environment.
- Access Autosport Plus - the best motorsport analysis, insight and opinion.
- No monthly news limit.
- Explore Forix, the world's most comprehensive motorsport stats database.
- Find out more about Autosport Plus
Are you an Autosport magazine subscriber? Activate your online account
