Sky Plan Week-Long GP Coverage In F1 Overdrive

Following their huge-money deal to prise a majority of the rights away from previous UK holder BBC, Sky Sports seem to be planning to dedicate plenty of coverage to their new acquisition of Formula 1 motor racing, as they revealed their race weekend plans are effectively lasting for a week at a time.

This broadcasting effort will be led by a dedicated new channel (Sky Sports F1 HD), but will be supplemented by the Sky Sports News channel, who have confirmed their plans to provide subscribers with ‘the ultimate news service’ to the pinnacle of world motorsport.

Backed by an endless level of funding, Sky will maintain a presence at each Grand Prix (mainly through the News and F1 channels) for no less than 6 days per race, almost double the coverage span offered by previous broadcasters of the events.

It has also been revealed recently that the Sky Sports F1 HD channel (the network’s first station dedicated entirely to a single sport) will premiere on 9 March on Sky channel #408, just over a week before their first race broadcast (the 2012 Australian GP), with every practice, qualifying, and race session being shown by the dedicated channel through to 2018.

The Sky Sports News segment of the network’s coverage will be offered as a ‘back-up’ to the main channel’s with hired F1 news presenters Rachel Brookes & Craig Slater set to offer live on-site headlines, analysis, and behind-the-scenes footage. This coverage will be in effect for all 20 of 2012′s Grand Prix in the F1 season, with on-site coverage beginning the Tuesday prior to the race with extensive build-up and most likely ending on the Sunday evening with headlines and reaction from the race itself.

News highlights and live coverage is expected to also be offered to users ‘on-the-go’, via a recently-launched ‘Sky Sports News’ app for iPad, which features an F1-only section.

Andy Cairns, executive director at Sky Sports News, said of the plans for coverage on his channel: “This is the ultimate news service for F1. Our reporters will be trackside and in the Sky Sports News HD studio ensuring viewers are always up to date with what’s happening on and off the track. And viewers with iPads will be able to follow our F1 coverage wherever they happen to be via the new Sky Sports News app which features on-demand video, the latest news and interviews, data as well as Sky Sports News itself.”

In addition to extensive additional race coverage, Sky Sports News are reportedly going to keep themselves busy in the off-season by showing preparatory action from all 12 teams, with features, testing, and car/driver launches thought to be amongst the items that could be covered. It could become a level of in-depth coverage that would rival some of the most extensive in the world (such as for America’s major professional sports leagues), but will high detail help those involved in F1 have a good relationship with their newest broadcasting partner?

Crazy Matt Cazzy into all things hi-tech, gizmos and gadgets. If its just out, i want it. Loves watching tv on every device ever invented that can handle it

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