Media accommodates sport: An insight into the lucrative world of F1

Media accommodates sport: An insight into the lucrative world of F1

Theodoros Kondominas

MA Media Arts (Mass Communications)

University of Luton 2005 Supervised by: Garry Whannel

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Acknowledgements: During the completion of this project there were a number of people that provided me with help both morally and practically for which I would like to express my gratitude. I would also like to thank the University of Luton and its staff for their support during the last months and last but not least I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor Garry Whannel for his excellent guidance throughout the project.

Finally I would like to thank my parents for their moral and financial support as it would have been impossible to get this far without their caring. Furthermore my closer friends: Christos Tsintikidis, Alkis Manoussis, Panos Tsigris, John Vidalis, Dimitris Zounis, Kostas Baltas, Alex Maounis, Kimonas Rigas, Ina Kovacec and Amarylis Koufandonis.

This work has been dedicated in memory of my late uncle Costas Kondominas.

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Keywords: Formula 1, Sport, Media, Sponsorship, FIA, Bernie Ecclestone

Abstract: The content of this project provides an insight into the sport of Formula 1. The study examines the sport of F1 from a media perspective. The main focus point is to investigate the influence that the media hold within the sport. The study is separated into different topics where each one will examine issues such as: business related aspects, key players within the sport, the importance of sponsorship within the sport, a case study from a negative incident. It will also undertake a practical analysis of the sports broadcasting over time through the analysis of tapes as old as 1982 till the present day.

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Contents: 1. Introduction…………………………………………….p5 2. Background Information……………………………....p7 3. Literature Review……………………………………....p10 4. F1 Business……………………………………………...p16 5. Bernie Ecclestone Media Entrepreneur………………p23 6. The Media and Sponsorship…………………………...p31 7. US FIAsco……………………………………………….p37 8. Tape Review…………………………………………….p43 9. Conclusions……………………………………………..p54 10. References………………………………………………p57 11. Appendixes……………………………………………...p59 12. Research Journal……………………………………….p64

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1. Introduction It is interesting how a sport that most of us will never be able to actively participate in, has become so popular throughout the entire globe. The very lucrative world of Formula 1 is a much-closed circle for individuals with extreme talent and great financial prosperity and yet it somehow manages to appeal to a much wider public. The sport of Formula 1 undoubtedly has a special relation with the media and it is believed that it is because of this relation that the sport has become extremely popular. Hence the study will undertake an investigation in order to establish the sports relation with the media and to address its unique characteristics.

This project is an insight into the sport of Formula 1. Initially the reader will be let in, on important information concerning the sport and its history in order to greatly understand the main concepts that will be discussed later on in the study. Furthermore, although the nature of the study is to examine the sport from a media perspective, it is believed that there are several business related characteristics within the sport that hold great importance in relation to the media and thus special attention is given to several business related topics.

What is more, the study will investigate Bernie Ecclestone, a man that is considered responsible for the sport´s global success. Mr. Ecclestone holds immense power in the sports administration/logistics and the investigation will produce insights that will help the reader to understand how the sport of Formula 1 came to be and what is more how it managed to become so successful.

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Moreover, the project will include a recent case study from the 2005 season that unfolded throughout the completion of this work. It is believed to be the perfect example to show how things can go wrong resulting to negative publicity on the sport and its image.

Finally, a thorough investigation on the F1 broadcastings over the years will try to present how the sport broadcasting evolved over time. An analysis on a number of VHS tapes from past year reviews (1982-2003) will examine the major changes that have taken place in the sports broadcasting. The analysis will help the reader to draw upon conclusions concerning the relation that exists between F1 and the media as well as their influence and contribution in the sport’s tremendous progress.

All the efforts from the study are aiming to determine the degree of dependence of this particular sport in relation to the media, as well as how the sport has managed to become the second most popular sport in the world after football, especially when most of us have only experienced the sport through our televisions.

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2. Background Information Before trying to analyse the current situation in the sport of Formula 1, it is important to become acquainted with some of the key players and important historical information about the sport.

Formula One Formula One, frequently abbreviated as F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the most prestigious of the single-seat/open-wheel formula auto racing. It is a worldwide sport, involving an annual World Drivers Championship and a World Constructors Championship, and is the most expensive sport in the world, as yearly team budgets average hundreds of millions of US dollars. It is based around a series of races (19 in 2005), known as Grand Prix (GP), on racetracks or closed-off street circuits. The sport has traditionally been centred in Europe, which undoubtedly remains its leading market, but races have also been held in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. New races in Bahrain and China, as well as in Turkey that was introduced for the first time in 2005, and others under discussion for Mexico, India, Russia and South Africa have reinforced the sport's "worldwide" image. The sport is regulated by the FIA, (FĂŠdĂŠration Internationale de l'Automobile), and is generally promoted and controlled by Bernie Ecclestone.

Historically, the Formula One series evolved from the European Grand Prix motor racing of the 1920s and 1930s. A number of European racing organizations laid out the first rules for a World Championship before World War II, but due to the suspension of

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racing during the war, the drivers championship was not formalised until 1947, and first run in 1950; a championship for constructors followed in 1958.

The FIA The FĂŠdĂŠration Internationale de l'Automobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motorcar users. Headquartered at 8, Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, it comprises 207 national member organisations from 122 countries worldwide. Its current president is Max Mosley. For the general public the FIA is mostly known as the governing body for certain major motor racing events. The FIA is generally known by its French name and acronym, even in English-speaking countries, but is occasionally rendered as "International Automobile Federation

Bernie Ecclestone Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born October 28, 1930), commonly known as Bernie, is the president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, and as he owns extremely high percentage shares in the various companies which run the sport he is generally considered the primary authority in Formula One racing. His control over the sport was the outcomes of his pioneering the sale of television rights in the late 1970s, resulting to a great extend to a rather sufficient funding of the sports financial needs.

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Ferrari Dominance The Ferrari team is the oldest out of all teams still participating in the sport.

Although Ferrari has not always been amongst the top contenders, they have always had the benefit of having economic prosperity and a very strong bargaining power within the sport. Rightfully claiming the title as the most historical team in F1 racing they have exercised their power to influence the environment and create more favourable conditions for their team whilst making enemies on and off the circuits. It is said that the team is greatly tied with the sports administration and more specifically Bernie Ecclestone.

During the last years, the sport has witnessed Ferrari’s domination, both in the drivers (driving for Ferrari Michael Schumacher 5 consecutive world championships) and the constructors as they have been winning the title since 1999. Whilst Ferrari have been extremely successful in this last decade they have been blamed for making the sport rather dull as the other teams failed to match their racing pace. However it is personally believed that this Ferrari domination can be seen as beneficial for the sport. One can compare this domination of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari with the NBA team Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. Jordan’s domination with the Chicago Bulls throughout the 90’s managed to spread the NBA across numerous TV screens. Similarly, this time another Michael with his exceptional driving ability, managed to lure millions of fans around the world that previously did not follow the sport so closely. Michael Schumacher can be also praised and recognised for his unique achievement to retain those fans so close to the sport as he inspired them to love it so much that their loyalty will stay long after he is retired.

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3. Literature Review The research performed for the completion of this part of the project, required substantial amount of reading on the topic of Media Sports. As the chosen subject required a close insight into the sport of Formula 1 and its relation to the media industry, considerable research was essential in developing background knowledge. The literature review will initially examine the topic of Sports Media as a general field of media studies. Special focus will be directed on other related topics also.

Sport & Media “The vast popularity of sport became an economic resource in its own right which can be readily harnessed by external economic interests. For this reason, the economy of sport in the twentieth century has developed in such a way that it is no longer reliant on a direct monetary exchange between spectator and exhibitor. Yet sport not only is of economic significance, but also has political and cultural dimensions” (Rowe 1999)

Before looking further of how media sports are made and interpreted, it is necessary to introduce the historical and sociological relationship between the sports and the media. These two area fields have historically derived separately and it is not until recently that they have experienced this very strong bond. Over the past century, the boundaries between the two institutions have become ‘mutually indispensable’ to an extent that ‘one is literally unthinkable without the other’. It is very hard to imagine sport without the coverage from the media, as spectators have come to demand the replay of a debatable offside and Ronaldinho’s magical talent would not be exposed around the

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world without the media. Thus the question rises as to how the two institutions became embedded so closely. In search for an answer, it is important to consider the great changes that have refashioned the structure and tempo in today’s modern societies.

Capitalism and industrialism as general concepts in combination with the up-lift of mass consumption and the change in leisure trends (Rowe 1999) are some areas that may shed light concerning the unity between sport and media.

Sport or physical play “is an embodied experience, demanding movement, the corporeal manipulation of time and space and often the hard clash of bodies against other bodies or against immobile hard surfaces� (Rowe 1999).

The spectatorship of athletes performing against other athletes has existed since very primitive times. Historically, crowds would form up to watch men (or women) competing against each other in a struggle to determine the winner. Media coverage of sporting events has existed for a long time as well, mainly through newspapers and magazines, but the restriction of spectators to physically transport themselves to the venues of particular events limited the potential for expansion of the sport / media industry. The development of audiovisual technologies relieved spectators of the necessity to travel and revealed a vast untapped audience, which already existed (Rowe 1999). The listeners and viewers where captured as audiences through the potential of live coverage from the comfort of their own home. Furthermore, spectators did not have to pay directly (i.e. ticket fee) but only through the accompanied charges for watching sport on television (electricity, electronic equipment, and possibly a licence). On the other hand, another party (advertising business) would pay the media to broadcast a

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certain sporting event and in return they would have a chance to send a commercial message to audiences. It is evident that televised sporting coverage started to serve economic purposes even from its early days. Furthermore it is suggested by Rowe (1999) that televised coverage of sporting events serves political and cultural dimensions as well.

Undoubtedly, all the evidence indicates that the bonds between sport and media are powered to serve higher purposes. As with any televised product, its purpose is to capture large audiences and in return enable advertisers to promote their ideas and products. As the spectacle of televised sport becomes better and more interesting for the viewer it manages to attract further attention. The size of the audience always determines the exposure advertisers get. Take for example the number of spectators for a global sporting event like the Olympic Games or the World Cup in football. Televised spectatorship is at its highest during these events as the eyes of millions of people around the globe tune in to watch the best athletes competing against each other. This indicates that globalisation within sports is evident, an issue that will be discussed in more detail.

The later has also direct impact to our analysis, as it is believed that the existence of F1 depends on the TV coverage, thus the publicity it receives.

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Globalisation & Sport

“The globalisation of sport is of course only part of a much broader process of globalisation, firstly of markets, trade and labour and secondly of culture” (Whannel 1992)

The globalisation of sport is only part of the broader process of globalisation.

Having produced global products and services, companies seek for ways to globally promote them. “This has produced a world media system, an international sport system and, in the last 20 years, the emergence on a global scale of the phenomenon Stephen Aris (1990) has named ‘sportbiz’” (Whannel 1992). Research has shown that this globalisation on sports emerged with the formation of international governing bodies (e.g. FIFA) in the beginning of the twentieth century. The growth of global sport competition allowed sport clothing and manufacturing firms to become global, thus penetrate and exploit more markets than ever before. It is during this time that companies like Adidas, Puma and Nike emerged and managed to gain substantial bargaining power, as far as the staging of global sporting events is concerned.

When referring to global events, the best examples to think of are the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup. These two sporting occasions have transformed into a global television spectacle and serve more purposes than what the ancient Greeks might have hoped for. As a result they have become the target of many multinational organisations, which are eager to find new creative ways in order to satisfy their need for

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global exposure. In 1996, it was the centenary of the modern Olympic Games. Although the Greeks had every ethical right to request that the staging of Games should return to their birthplace, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) favoured Atlanta and the US to stage the games. Having the backing from Olympic sponsor Coca Cola, the US bid managed to persuade the governing body to rule in their favour. Coca cola is undoubtedly a global organisation and being located in the city of Atlanta it seemed as if it was the best place for them to host the Games.

All the above strongly indicate that globalisation and sport are closely linked.

What is more, it is believed that Formula 1 racing falls under the same category and is in fact considered a global sport. Only considering that each race is performed in a different country around the world qualifies the sport as being global.

Furthermore, globalisation in sports has also emerged similar styles in the way that events are televised. This applies to almost every sport, as there is a tendency for the creation of new styles of coverage known as global standards.

Sport Sponsorship “In the 1960s an unholy alliance was developing. Sport was helping to make television and television was helping to make sport� (Mark McCormack quoted in Whannel 1992 pp 67).

Having clearly established that sport broadcasting acts as an intermediary between the advertised business and the spectators; advertisers have crafted a lot of new creative ways of promoting their ideas and products whilst televising of sport takes place. Having

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realised that free time in-between the action is clearly not enough for conventional advertising; sponsorship was their new ideal approach of overcoming the problem. Sport sponsorship boomed throughout the 1960’s and has had a transforming effect on televised sport. Sponsorship hosts far more benefits than just exposure through the media. If a certain brand sponsors an athlete or an entire team (sponsorship comes in the form of money funds), the brand name can be associated with the success of that athlete/team enjoys within a sport. There are different forms of sponsorship. The most popular scenario is that an athlete’s outfit will embody a company logo, and similarly an athlete’s success is embodied with the brand.

Sponsorship in F1 is considered an important element to the sport. This is evident as cars and driver outfits are overwhelmed with different company logos. Contrary to other sports it is essential for F1 teams to be sponsored, as the sport itself requires huge operational costs. This also became evident as other sports turned to the concept of sponsorship in the 60’s, where as F1 required the support of sponsorship right from its very beginning. It is also believed that the issue of sponsorship is closely linked with that of globalisation as many at times, the sponsored logos are from global firms.

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4. F1 and Business This part of the study will investigate the business aspects that are related to the sport of F1. It is thought to be a very important part, as it will reveal information about the magnitude of the business, number of spectators and the budgets that are involved.

Nonetheless, all the results will be examined from a media perspective and its meaning towards the media world.

Every year come spring; many spectators around the world turn their eyes on the unique spectacle of Formula 1 racing. An access of 600m people around the planet will become spectators over a period of the next 8 months. Every grand prix manages an average spectatorship of around 350m in the 19-race grand prix calendar from March to October1.

The sport however faces a number of problems. Arguments over tobacco advertisements, the introduction of new venues around the world, existing circuits tightly holding on to their precious slots and accusations over monopoly power considering the vast amounts of money involved are some of the key issues that have been disturbing the sports reputation.

Great concern has also been placed over the financial gap that exists between the teams that line up on the grid. Although similar gaps in economic prosperity exist in other sports, F1’s economic inequality moves to a new level.

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Source: http://www.renault.com/docs/atlas_gb/2003/motor_sport_leisure_gb.pdf

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Ferrari, winners of the constructor’s championship for the last 6 years have really dominated the sport and at times the have made the spectacle boring. They operate on an annual budget between £163m and £217m whilst the weaker of the teams Minardi owned

by Paul Stoddart are attempting to compete with a budget of £21m. The existing difference in budgets signifies the importance of the economic power in the sport, as weak teams usually finish 1-2 laps behind each GP´s winning car. Some of the other larger teams are forced to make alliances with car manufacturers for the supply of the engines. For instance McLaren gets their engines from Mercedes, which can clearly make a significant contribution in the annual budget of the team.

It has often been suggested by the media that footballers receive 'obscene' sums of money. Ruud Van Nistelrooy player of Manchester United FC has been reputed to be earning £4.6m annually when Michael Schumacher is reported to be earning £26.5m. A middle-ranking driver like David Coulthard (DC) is reported to be making £7m and a driver at the lower end of the scale is making around £1.5m. However, it may be argued that driver salaries are appropriate and fair as they are in constant danger of suffering serious injury or even death2.

The costs of maintaining the teams are also extremely high. Every racing season the teams will use around 900 tyres each around £1,500. A gearbox costs around £65,000 and one is used for every race. The engine the most expensive part of the automobile costs around £180,000 and approximately 20 engines are used over the full period. These figures are from the pricing catalogue for Jaguar, a team that is no longer competing in 2

Source: http://www.bized.ac.uk/current/mind/2003_4/080304.htm

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F1; however they are a good benchmark for us to understand the money that is involved in the sport. A winning team like Ferrari or McLaren may have a higher priced catalogue for its car parts or may even change these parts at a grater frequency. APPENDIX 1 shows a complete breakdown of the costs for a Jaguar car (2004). Undeniably, each team disregarding their strength spends vast amounts of money every year3.

All of the money that is being spent and all the activities around F1 that are taking place, centre on one man, Bernie Ecclestone. Head of the Formula 1 Empire, Bernie owns the commercial and marketing rights of the sport and as a result imposes tremendous bargaining power. This bargaining power was exercised on the Silverstone organisers in 2002 (British GP) for the improvement of the facilities and access to the circuit as they faced to loose out and not be included on the calendar in the following year. Bernie’s plans for F1 include floating F1 on the stock exchange, which as a result made the EU conduct an investigation on the legality of his rights and the extent of his monopoly. The investigation also looked at the legality over the rights to use the F1 brand, the granting of races at new circuits, the involvement of Ecclestone in other motor sports and the potential conflicts of interest that may arise with Ecclestone's involvement with the sports governing body the FIA. Bernie is investigated further in a latter part of the study, as he is believed to be the key holder when it comes to F1 issues.

Supplement to the heat caused by Bernie, F1 faces the threat of several teams to leave the sport in Europe in order to avoid the problems caused by the tobacco advertising ban imposed by the EU. Many teams raise funds through tobacco sponsorship 3

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2004/02/29/smmoss29.xml

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and the new legislation forces the teams to rethink their position in Europe. Despite the sports massive popularity, it faces a number of business related challenges that need to be resolved in order to ensure its future and to retain the interest of those who closely follow proceedings both ‘on and off the track’.

Although there are many business and economic related aspects to F1, five topics have been selected to address the matter, as it is believed that these topics are very closely linked with the nature of this study from a media perspective.

Monopoly Power It is amazing how only two people can exercise so much power over the sport. Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley are behind every operation and have been accused of controlling the sport. Monopoly charges against Bernie initiated an investigation by the EU in the late nineties, as much of the GP season takes place in Europe. The investigation examined whether Bernie was potentially in breach of antitrust laws to serve commercial purposes.

Sponsorship/Advertising The increasing costs for operations have made sponsorship funds an essential form of income for the teams. Vodafone spends £25 m annually for sponsoring the Ferrari team.

However a problem occurs when sponsorship comes from tobacco organisations.

Traditionally F1 teams’ main sponsors were tobacco manufacturers. Something seen as ironic as the sport emphasises on fitness and health. The first problems with tobacco

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sponsorships were faced since the 1990 movement of the EU to ban tobacco advertising throughout Europe. As many teams had tobacco organisations as their main sponsors it is apparent that the problem

was becoming serious as far as races in Europe were

concerned.

Distribution of Wealth Aside the resources and funds that the teams receive through sponsorship and advertising, additional funds (prize money) are raised from competing in the championship that unfolds over 8 months. The position achieved by any team at the end of the season corresponds to an entitled prize. Teams are also entitled to receive a prize according to their position at the end of each race. These funds are distributed under the FIA’s jurisdiction. Needless to say, the team that wins the championship will receive the highest paying prize.

Traditionally, this system for distribution of prize money would include the first six positions. As of 2003, the points system has changed and now the first eight positions are entitled to prizes. This change over the rules concerning score points was imposed by the FIA, the governing body and it is believed to have been brought on for two main reasons. The first reason is thought to be that the new points system would make the championship more competitive. Furthermore, in an era mostly dominated by the Ferrari’s the new point scheme would allow the other teams to keep in touch with the leaders. The two different points systems can be examined in APPENDIX 2.

The second reason for this points change is considered to be a plan for a more equal distribution of wealth, especially amongst the weaker teams. With the enforcement of this new scheme, the weaker teams would have a better chance of scoring points

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against the “big boys� as weaker teams have a better chance of finishing 8 th rather than 6th. As a result, the funds received from the prizes would increase and wealth could be distributed in a more fair way.

Globalisation The sport of F1 is rightfully considered to be a global sport as it is staged in many parts of the word, the drivers and the teams originate also from various parts of the world and the brands involved in the sponsorship of the sport are indeed global. It is important to point out several strategies adopted by the FIA in their efforts to make the sport entirely global.

In these last few years, the FIA has introduced new races on the F1 calendar. In there aim to make it a truly global sport, races in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Bahrain, and the latest addition of a race in Turkey (Istanbul) have sought to cover areas in the world that did not participate in the F1 circus. This move to new countries is a result of the tobacco advertising ban in Europe but is also an effort to bring more spectators and open new markets.

In their efforts to bring new players and new markets into play, the governing body is very smart at choosing strategies that will enable as many people possible to become interested in the sport. Another example of this can be seen in the decision of the Jordan team to employ the Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan. Although it is almost certain that the team could employ a different driver (e.g. European) it is personally believed that their decision serves deeper plans and purposes. As India´s huge market could gradually become addicted to F1 now that that they have something to cheer for,

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more global organisations could breach the Indian market. In the same sense it shouldn’t be long before we see a Chinese driver in one of the cars following 2004 induction of the Chinese GP. Nevertheless, these are only speculations and there is no hard evidence to support it. However, in a sport that is global and constantly seeks new markets to emerge it is only logical to make these assumptions.

Media Economics It is commonly known that television has very low replication costs. Similarly, F1 and its broadcasting rights can be replicated at very little costs by the producers and distributed to many countries around the globe. The broadcasting of a single race, may involve high costs, but once it is done then the image can be sold many times for nearly no additional costs.

Having revised the relevant Business related aspects to F1 we will take a closer look into the man that is believed to be behind all the ropes and strings that govern the sport, Bernie Ecclestone.

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5. Bernie Ecclestone Media Entrepreneur Bernie Ecclestone is undoubtedly the king of motor sport racing. Bernie is the most influential and significant figure of motor sport racing, thus he has deservedly become known as ‘The Formula 1 tycoon’. Born in 1930 in Ipswich, England he left school at a rather young age (16) to fully devote himself to automobile racing, his greatest passion. After having a short career as a driver until 1951, he returned to the racetrack in 1957, this time as an F1 team manager (team Connaught).

In the season of 1972 he acquired the Bradham team, which earned him two world championships a decade later. Although Bernie proved to be a very successful F1 team owner his brilliance is a result over the control of Grand Prix media rights, which he so cleverly acquired. During the 1980’s as president of Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) he undertook a risky financial investment. A risk that very successfully paid off as media rights over the broadcasting of the sport slowly but surely built up, drawing sponsors and profits. In 1996 he created a company Formula One Management that started to sell F1 broadcasting rights to the International Automobile Association. Bernie Ecclestone has an estimated fortune of just under £2 billion making him wealthier than the Queen4.

Having briefly introduced the man behind F1, it is necessary to investigate exactly how did Mr. Ecclestone manage to get him self into such a powerful position. In the early

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Source: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/celebrities/bios/236.html “Celebrities in Switzerland: Bernie Ecclestone”

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years, when Bernie bought the Bradham team (1971) he entered a business that was in the hands of wealthy amateurs, rich businessmen and minor nobles who loved motor sport racing, but had minor interests in operating the logistics that the sport required. This lack of professionalism within the sport was evident, as circuits and cars were dangerous, and drivers suffered serious injuries or even lost their lives. The broadcasting of the sport through various TV networks was limited, as national networks would broadcast only their national grand prix race and maybe a famous grand prix, such as Monaco’s.

Bernie quickly realised that most of his fellow team owners were engineers or former drivers, and that the implications over administration and politics of the sport were of no concern to them. What is more, existing team owners were happy to be excused from any organisational responsibilities and concentrate on racing. As he developed a growing knowledge in dealing with race organisers on behalf of all the teams he became responsible in handling the complicated logistics of moving the “F1 Circus” around the world. Ecclestone became president of FOCA in the mid-1970s.

It is important to stress the significance of what Bernie very cunningly realised at a very early date. Bernie’s vision was to bring in another level of professionalism into the sport. In order to achieve that, it was essential for F1 to have “all the television rights in one basket”5. In a lengthy procedure throughout the eighties, Bernie gradually acquired the TV rights for all races. Consequently, control over the rights for the entire season enabled an agreement with Broadcasters to show the entire championship. Full coverage of the entire season meant that multinational firms could use F1 as a portal to promote them selves globally. It provided opportunities for larger investments, as the bundle of 5

Source: http://www.atlasf1.com/99/mal/preview/okeefe.html “Formula Bernie"

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TV rights that Bernie held, guaranteed multinational exposure at a time when the first firms started turning global.

In a time when the costs of running F1 were rising, both FOCA and FIA wished to gain control over the sport. Subsequently, control over the TV rights meant control over the sport. A clash in interests resulted in a compromise between Mr. Ecclestone and Mr. Mosley (currently FIA president) on one side and FIA on the other. This compromise was reached in 1980 and is known as the Concorde Agreement. The agreement split F1’s revenues between the interested parties FIA and FOCA. The agreement also established FIA as the official governing body of F1 as a sport, having complete control over rulemaking and owner of all commercial rights, including TV and radio broadcasting.

However, broadcasting rights of the sport were leased to FOCA exclusively for the next four years. At this time Mr. Ecclestone was responsible for managing the rights on behalf of FOCA. In part, the agreement was enforced to bring a hint of professionalism to the sport.

It guaranteed that all the teams under the agreement would participate in every race. This in turn meant that the broadcasters could expect certain standards from the sport. Bernie was quick to spot out the potential for profit by bringing more money into the sport. In 1982 he signed an agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). “The EBU is an umbrella organisation for public-service broadcasters in Europe” 6. Under the agreement, European public broadcasters would now show the entire season of grand prix racing contrasting the previous unofficial coverage. This was a turning point for the teams’ management and operations concerning sponsorships. At the time, sponsorship 6

Source: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes”

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had become a critical element in team finances and the price a sponsor pays for exposure is directly linked with the number of TV viewers. “TV coverage oils the wheels of F1” 7.

Sponsorship issues within the F1 sport are analysed in a latter chapter of the study.

During the 1980’s, F1 had secured a more stable income from TV broadcasting.

In 1985 Bernie renewed FOCA’s agreement with EBU for another five years. However the same agreement was not renewed in 1990 when Bernie saw an opportunity for further profits. As a result, “in 1990 F1 became the first major global team sport to break an agreement with EBU”8. Bernie was once again quick to foresee the opportunity for higher bids over the rights, caused by the growth of commercial channels around Europe at the time. Moreover, media research on the profiles of F1 viewers showed an increasing interest from advertisers, thus TV channels wishing to broadcast the sport could afford to pay more. At this time F1 broadcasting in the UK switched from BBC (the public broadcaster) to ITV (commercial channel) a scenario that was repeated in European countries throughout the 90’s. Bernie also took on the role as FIA’s vice-president in 1987.

In 1992 a new Concorde agreement ensured the leasing of the rights to FOCA from FIA until 1996. However, FOCA made a trust agreement with Bernie and his key trading company Formula One Promotions and Administration (FOPA), to manage the rights. Until now all the evidence shows that Bernie was a key player in all the major governing bodies of F1. They all trusted him to do the job right and to acquire large sums

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Source: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes” Source: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes”

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of profit. This next session is devoted in explaining the flow of funds in F1 and shedding an insight on Bernie’s roles throughout the mechanism.

The flow of funds was split up in 2 streams, fees paid by broadcasters, and fees paid by race promoters (see diagram below). TV revenues were split 47% to the F1 teams; 30% to the FIA; and 23% to FOPA. On the other hand promoters’ fees were kept

by FOPA, which in turn was responsible for paying pay prize money to the teams, up till now paid by the promoters. For Bernie’s part, this deal was a significant opportunity; the larger the fees, the more money for him and the teams.

Source: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes” Promoters in charge of staging a grand prix unquestionably bear some of the costs and financial risks involved. The cost for maintaining or renting a track, advertising, FIA fees, safety personnel etc. simply rely on ticket sales, fees from concession holders, and

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some corporate hospitality. Furthermore, they must surrender any media rights they have to Bernie and agree to restrictions on promoting other types of races9.

By the early 1990s Bernie, feeling that he could be more productive, took on the role of the promoter at several circuits. Bernie has been responsible for the promotion of the Belgian grand prix at Spa for the past decade. As the rights holder, FOCA’s name was on all contracts with TV companies and promoters. So for those races that he promoted until 1996, Bernie was at the same time promoter, president of FOCA as well as president of FOPA. This meant he would receive earnings in every step of the flow of funds. All this success is a produce consequence of the bargaining power from the TV rights.

A series of new agreements and introduction of more governing bodies takes place over the next few years. The complexity and legal aspects of the matter are not vital in this study. However it is worth mentioning that all new agreements and companies that emerged have all one person in common, Bernie Ecclestone. Several private companies emerged under new agreements and Bernie very lucratively has been suspected in being behind all of them. Setting aside the complex legal aspects of the matter, Bernie has acquired the rights of anyone that may have a relation with F1 making him invulnerable.

To demonstrate how strong Bernie’s position in F1 really is; it is worth mentioning a legal battle that Bernie had with the European Community (EC). The EC believed that the TV broadcasting rights system that Bernie had so thoroughly crafted was a monopoly that disregarded the laws of the European Union. In 1997 the EC began investigating Bernie’s monopoly. Lawyers and accountants from the EC were asked to examine the 9

Source: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes”

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legality of the rights and to conduct an investigation into the private companies they believed that Bernie was involved with10. Almost a decade later the EC finally stopped the case against Bernie. The decision to stop the case may have been a result of two factors. The first factor is that Bernie’s sole control over the broadcasting rights is unbreakable. The second is the danger that if the EC ruled against Bernie and he decided to carry on through his threats, most of Europe could become a Formula One Free Zone.

Such actions would have tremendous economic implications around Europe.

This investigation into the man that it is believed to be the pumping heart of F1 has produced many insights for the study. Initially, Bernie should be commended for his ability to organise and bring professionalism into the sport. His foresight, that a single body should control grand prix television rights enabled big investments for the sport and gained great popularity around the world. Having sole control over the rights Bernie has lured any presented situation in his favour. Being behind all governing bodies of the sport as well as several private companies he manages to earn immense profits. Bernie’s position is so strong that even the EC, a European governing body did not manage to win the case against him.

However, in 2001 Bernie sold 50% of his media rights to EM TV, a German media company, for $1.8 billion. This may have been the result of Bernie’s old age (75), and his lack of energy to run things. This change in power may negatively affect Grand Prix racing as a fight over who takes charge now that Bernie may fade out from the forefront. The perfect example of this is the 2005 US GP at Indianapolis. Aside the

10

Source: http://www.atlasf1.com/99/mal/preview/okeefe.html “Formula Bernie"

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technical issue with the cars it seemed as if there was a fight over who was in charge.

This issue is closely investigated in a latter part of the study.

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6. The Media and Sponsorship When talking about a sport like Formula 1, the role of the media and sponsorship are crucial for the sports existence. Due to the enormous funds involved for the teams operations, it is vital that most of these funds are drawn from sponsorship and media rights. Bernie Ecclestone is in charge for handing over a percentage of the media rights to every team. However the value of the rights is only a small percentage of the incoming funds, as most of them is generated through sponsorship.

Sponsorship has always played a crucial part in the sport. Contrary to other sports F1 has relied on sponsorship since the beginning, as is the case in most motor sports.

Considering that up to 85% of team funds come from sponsorship (the rest comes from TV revenue and prize money through F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone's FOM) it is useful to analyse further the roles and values of sponsorship for the sport.

The televised broadcasting of the sport has generously contributed to the sports popularity, as viewing figures have gradually increased over the years. As the F1 ‘circus’ moves around the globe it is natural to assume that the companies behind the sponsors are multinational corporations if not global. With sponsorship expenditure exceeding $3Bn annually, some 200 corporations are involved in the sport. It is fair to assume that these firms are the most active of the multinationals. However, recent years have seen the appearance of smaller firms as they strive to become multinationals. It is thought that through F1 sponsorship the awareness of consumers is raised and it is easier for these firms to break into new markets.

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As with most sports, sponsorship in F1 comes in different sizes and forms.

Research has shown that there are three categories of sponsorship.

TRADE LINK-UPS - $1-3m

This is the smallest of the categories and it involves companies that are less interested in having their names in prominent positions on the car than in being able to associate themselves with the image of a team. They are usually suppliers for the industry, either high-tech or engineering and have small spaces in parts of the car that are less highly visible, like the side of the rear wing, or the wing mirrors.

CO-SPONSOR - $3-15m

The second category of sponsors wants the status of being linked with a sport that projects a high-tech, ultra-modern image. These are usually engineering and technology companies. Others are more interested in the exposure and hospitality benefits that F1 can provide. Again, the amount they pay depends on exposure and location on the car and the status of the team.

TITLE SPONSOR- $15-50m

For this sort of money, a company would have its brand included in the official title of

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the team i.e. McLaren Mercedes and be positioned on all the highest-profile parts of the car which get most TV exposure. A company like West or Marlboro might pay up to $50m to have this sort of link with McLaren or Ferrari, whereas a middle ranking team could expect less than half that, and a smaller team a quarter. APPENDIX 3 has a detailed image on the position each different size sponsors holds on an F1 car.

Furthermore, sponsors can either support a team or even a driver. Supporting a driver includes benefits like personal appearances, and some control over the image rights. Whilst researching on the topic of sponsorship in F1, a relevant advert was found promoting the sponsorship of driver Giancarlo Fisichella currently part of the Renault team. The advert was found through a web site and it targets potential sponsors that want to enter the sport. The advert was published by a marketing company (Stableford Marketing). The entire advert can be seen in APPENDIX 4 and it was downloaded from the company’s web site.

The link between the media and sponsorship is apparent as sponsors expect to get most exposure during the races. Considering the sports increasing popularity over the past years sponsorship values have increased and account for much of the team funds.

However the importance of the televised rights must not be forgotten as the same values would be worth much less if it weren’t for Bernie Ecclestone. For a sport that relies on being broadcasted, Bernie once again is the gatekeeper when it comes to sponsorship.

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Tobacco Advertising Bans Bernie Ecclestone is facing a constant problem over the last years. Many of the Title Sponsors in F1 are tobacco companies. Tobacco advertising has had a tradition in F1 but has lately questioned the sports existence. The decision by the E.U. to ban all tobacco advertisement and sponsorship in Europe has made F1 organisers weary and has questioned the future of F1 in Europe. All efforts from Bernie and Mosley to allow tobacco advertising in the sport have come to an end. As half of the GP calendar takes place in Europe tobacco sponsors continue to finance teams but receive exposure only half of the time. When a race is taking place in Europe, the cars and the drivers are compelled to remove the tobacco adverts from the car or anywhere else. This issue has been unfolding for a number of years as European venues of the sport gradually started putting these bans and have created tension within the sport. In the picture below the difference is evident where the tobacco bans are enforced in most of the European

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circuits.

However, it is personally believed that the issue will be resolved in the years to come. Giant telecommunication companies like Vodafone and Telefonica are already sponsoring top teams like Ferrari and Renault and it is believed that the rest will follow down a similar path. The best way out of this is to find new sponsors that do not interfere with the law and that can enjoy full benefits. Finding sponsors to replace the tobacco firms is going to be a difficult task but not impossible. Once the issue is resolved,

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tensions amongst contenders and organizers will be diluted and the future of the sport will become more secure.

Any company that invests in F1 expects to receive a certain amount of exposure.

The winning teams and drivers are shown more often than those at the back of the pack.

Keeping that in mind, those responsible of broadcasting must create some sort of equality in the airtime that each team receives in order to keep all sponsors satisfied. The following part of the study will examine the broadcasting of Grand Prix’s over time and will try to identify certain tactics that have been employed over the years.

GP Broadcasting Schedules

Another issue that is worth mentioning is that of the scheduling that takes place.

Every GP consists of more than just the race. In 2005 the FIA decided that the championship would consist of 19 races. Each race is always carried out on a Sunday but also consists of other sessions such as the qualifying for the race that are carried out on Saturday and the pre-qualifying that takes place on Friday. Although the race is the peak of the weekend, the other sessions have become extremely important and are followed closely by those interested in the sport. In the past, the broadcasting of the qualifiers was not available to the public. However, the promoters realised that by broadcasting the qualifying sessions the sponsors would get more airtime and consequently more exposure to viewers. Hence it has been established that the qualifying session is now broadcasted, as it is a win-win situation for both the viewers and the sponsors. The scheduled

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broadcasting times for the 2005 French GP at Magny Coure can be found in APPENDIX 5 and a comparison can be made between the British broadcasting from ITV and the Greek equivalent ALPHA.

7. US FIAsco On Sunday 19th of June 2005, F1 sport suffered a hit below the belt. The US farce grand prix will go down in history as one of the sports greatest disasters. It all began during free practice when Ralph Schumacher (Brother Michael) driving a Toyota car smashed onto a wall of the circuit’s fastest corner. Investigation into the accident revealed that it was caused after failure of the tyres to uphold the raging expectations that

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this particular corner required. Toyota is one of the seven out of ten teams that use Michelin tyres on their cars. Consequently, Michelin had to run further tests on their tyres and decide if they were safe to run for Sunday’s race.

Michelin gave out a report for all its teams that their tyres could not endure the entire race (73 laps). Michelin reports stated that tyres could become vulnerable after the 10th lap and that for safety reasons teams should not participate in the race with the existing tyres. It is important to note that FIA regulations for 2005, compromise cars to use only one set of tyres for the entire weekend. Having expressed the uncertainty over the tyres, a decision had to be made to ensure the race would take place keeping in mind the safety of the drivers. Michelin’s report came out on Saturday, which meant that the official bodies had plenty of time to come up with a solution.

The decision about what would happen broke out into a political fight over two camps. On the one side all the Michelin teams demanded FIA regulations to be adjusted in order to come up with a solution that would ensure the safety of the drivers as they claimed it was their prime concern. On the other side, the FIA, the race organisers and Ferrari the only opposing team, felt that Bridgestone runners, the other tyre manufacture, should not suffer on the expense of Michelin’s mistake. Michelin and its teams demanded the track to be changed and a chicane to be built in order to reduce the speed of the corner. Furthermore, they suggested to fly in new tyres that could survive the race or even for the race to take place and but not count in terms of championship points. The FIA’s response was negative to all solutions offered by the Michelin camp as they felt it

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was unfair for the teams running on Bridgestone tyres. The FIA’s solution was for the teams to slow down on the particular corner, or drive through the pit stops in every lap. In any case Michelin hopes for results against Bridgestone runners would have been shuttered.

Unable to come up with a solution to satisfy both camps, drivers had to line up for the race not knowing what was going to happen. Both camps hoped that the opposition would yield and that a solution would be found. Unfortunately, all twenty cars began the formation lap, during which Michelin runners were called in the pits at the end of it. As a result, out of the twenty cars scheduled to participate in the race only six lined up for the start. The race took place as scheduled and the disgraceful spectacle is an all-time low for the sport. A few fans present at the circuit lost their temper and started throwing objects on the racetrack, whilst others expressed their disappointment to the cameras. This scenario had never occurred, in the history of the sport and it raises certain issues that are critical for this study.

The entire sport is faced with multi-million dollar lawsuits, consequence of the farce race at Indianapolis. Spectators have begun legal actions against the FIA, Michelin and race organisers trying to find some justice over what they missed out on. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway management is considering ordering a lawsuit against Bernie Ecclestone’s FOM and cancellation of the contract for the 2006 race. Organisers might sue Bernie over the cost of staging the GP, which comes up to $13.5m. The FIA in its most recent decision has penalised Michelin and the seven teams that did not

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participate in the race to compensate the 160,000 spectators present at Indianapolis. The cost of compensation is estimated at around $16m. Furthermore, TV networks that hold the broadcasting rights, purchased from Ecclestone are demanding some sort of compensation as well11. Setting aside the issues for compensation that need to be addressed by the governing body (FIA), this incident has questioned the integrity of a sport that involves remarkable finances, major sponsorship contracts, and worldwide exposure. The consequences of this incident will cast a shadow over the sports future in the years to come.

Categorically, Michelin is responsible for creating this mess, as they failed to provide their cars with suitable tyres. However, once it became clear that the problem with the tyres needed to be overcome, the FIA was obliged to come up with a solution and put on a show for all the spectators and the sport. This incident should have been avoided at any expense (obviously not the driver’s lives) as the problems that arise now make the incident seem like the tip of the iceberg.

In a time when the sports future is looked at as vulnerable, this incident has definitely shook the waters and has questioned the sports future existence in the US. Similar situations have been avoided in the past as the key man in F1 Bernie Ecclestone, always managed to take charge of any given situation and come up with a solution.

Damon Hill (former driver and world champion) appeared on Jeremy Clarkson TV show “Top Gear� a few days after the race and confessed that Ecclestone had taken control

11

Source: http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=48683

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over similar situations in the past and came through for the sport. However, the 2005 US GP failed, as no man took control over the situation and the debacle was not avoided.

The implications of this mess seem to continue, as F1’s future in the US is clearly uncertain. At a time when discussions over a second US GP (in Las Vegas) where beginning to built up the frustration caused by the fiasco still remains. Furthermore, Michelin’s future within the sport is also questionable. When Ecclestone was asked to comment on the issue concerning the future of F1 in the US as well as the future of Michelin, moments before the race begun, he replied: “Not good, on both counts.”

Another issue that arises from this incident is closely linked with sponsorships and the damage caused to their reputation because of this. Furthermore, a handful of sponsors that appear on F1 cars are American organisations and this incident will question their involvement in F1 in the years to come. Teams would suffer large negative economic implications if US sponsors are to withdraw from the sport. Many tobacco organisations like Philip Morris are the main sponsors in several teams and with existing heat from the tobacco bans in Europe, this incident may force them to look at F1 as a dead end.

Most of the people from inside the F1 circle have openly expressed their disgust over the issue. Everyone admits that the incident was caused by Michelin and their incompetence to supply the teams with the correct tyres. As David Coulthard mentioned, "The bottom line is that Michelin screwed up, but after that the FIA had in their hands the

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ability to make sure that a race took place". The general opinion is that FIA had the responsibility to take charge of the situation. This simply confirms that the strong man of F1, Bernie Ecclestone is not so strong anymore and raises the question of what is to happen if a similar situation arises in the future. Is Bernie’s role so critical in running the F1 circus and cannot be replaced? Or was this simply an opportunity for several teams to express their opposition against the FIA and Bernie? In any case, self-interest and stubbornness ruled over innovation and compromise and resulted in a farce for fans around the globe.

As events are still unfolding over the incident, the FIA have imposed a fine on all the teams that did not participate that is equivalent to the cost of organising the US Grand Prix (approximately $16m). The fine that will be shared by the forfeiting teams will be announced on the 14th of September whilst Michelin have agreed to compensate the 120,000 fans as they acknowledge that it was their fault that a normal race did not take place.

Nonetheless, the important outcome from this incident is that the sport is fragile and more incidents of this type will bring down the image and could cause spectators to loose interest. Bernie’s authority did not come through for the sport this time and the debacle that unfolded has questioned the sport future in the great American market. The enormous amount of work that has been put to build up the sports image can be easily damaged over one single incident, which goes to show how fragile the sport is.

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8. Tape Review The project has also undertaken a practical research approach by analysing several year review tapes (F1 season reviews) in order to identify several broadcasting elements that have developed over the years. It was regarded that the analysis of 5 tapes involving 4-year intervals would be sufficient for the research. Thus the most recent review is from the 2003 season. Although the 1999 season was initially ordered, there were some problems and it was impossible to get hold of. Thus the year reviews that

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were used for analysis are the seasons of 2003, 1995, 1991 and 1982. The 1982 season review was the oldest of the reviews available and it will act as a good starting point.

Moreover, I have personally witnessed most of the GP broadcastings since 1997 and thus I have developed some personal theories concerning the broadcastings, which I will express in this section of the project.

All of the tapes that are reviewed are published by “DUKE Marketing LTD� and thus the comparisons made are reasonable in terms of fairness. The comparison will examine the structure of the review, the visuals, the sound, technical resources and finally the narrative. It is important to stress that a comparison over the actual weekend broadcasting would have been preferred, however it was impossible to get hold of such footage and thus a compromise of analysing the reviews was made.

1982 Year Review The 1982 season is believed to be a turning point in the history of F1 racing. The tape imidiately goes to the first circuit right before the race begins. A problem had occurred and the drivers were not willing to race in the GP. In one of the first shots of the tape one can witness Bernie Ecclestone taking control of the situation. The narator Clive James refers to Bernie

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as “Mr. Fix It� and there is a shot of him talking in someones ear, something Bernie is very accustomed to. The 1982 year was the final year of the turbo vs cosworth rivalry and it was the last year that Bernie was in charge of the Brandham team. What is also worth mentioning is that during the season Bernie's team introduced the first scheduled pits stop. This was something very revolutionarry for F1 as this meant that cars could go faster and also bring more exitement into the sport. It is personally believed that the strategy of pit stops hold another great importance. When a car comes into the pits it receives more air time from the cameras. As a result the sponsors get also more exposure as the car stops for new tyres and more fuel.

The year review moves from race to race in a chronological order. Each race is briefly introduced, mostly concerning the location and then it moves straight into the action of the race. There is no mention to the qualifying sessions that took place before the race. During the race, there are limited camera angles incharge of the coverage and many times you have a single camera covering up to 3 corners of the track. There are no onboard shots from inside the cars and there is absolutely no on-screen displays showing time differences between the racers. The comentators have to explain much of the action.

The narrative of the review unfolds as each race progresses, although the cover of the VHS tape gives away who the winner wil be. However, the 1982 championship was decided on the final race and thus the narrative made the review somewhat suspensfull.

For the record, the drivers championship was won by Keke Rosberg in a Williams car and the constructors championship whent to Ferrari. What is also important and worth mentioning is that Gilles Vilneuve, father of Jaque, lost his life in an accident during the 1982 season, he was one of the sports greatest leggents.

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1991 Year Review The 1991 season will go down as one of the most spectacular seasons in the history of F1 racing. There are many changes compared to the 1982 review as technological advances have had a great impact on the sport.

The tape starts off showing a sequence of images from the season building up the audience of what is to be expected during the season. The review is titled “Nearly Mansel� and hints the outcome of the season. Nevertheless, the narrative builds the suspense as the 1991 season was also decided on the final race of the calendar. The championship is unfolded in chronological order from one race to the next. In the beginning of the review, the viewer is exposed to the season having a full introduction into the teams and the drivers that will participate. There are many interviews with team bosses and drivers and there is much better built up of what is to be expected than the 1982 review.

Before every race, there is a short introduction about the circuit and the location and there is a fine review of the Saturday qualifications that determine the grid for Sunday’s race. During the race, we see the introduction of onboard shots (however onboard shots may have been introduced in the previous years but this was the first time we witnessed them in the tapes analysed) as well as ground shots. The track is very well covered and cameras cover adequately each section of the circuit. Pit stops are now normality and very frequently the viewer can watch the cars coming in the pits for new tyres and fuel. At the end of each race the viewer is shown the race results through visual aids as well as the championship standings. Furthermore an interview with the winning

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driver can be seen at the end of each race. Interviews with drivers and team personnel are greatly covered throughout the review.

Another important aspect the derived from the analysis is that tobacco advertising dominates the entire sport. All teams were sponsored by tobacco firms (no bans in 1991) and this can easily be observed. The narrative builds up suspense between two drivers, Nigel Mansel and Ayrton Senna. In the end Ayrton is the drivers champion and McLaren are the winners in the constructors’ championship. The difference in broadcasting from one tape to the next is evident. There is much better coverage and the entire package is more professional. The standard of the sports broadcasting has moved into a new era.

1995 Year Review The 1995 season was a rather dull season for the sport. Michael Schumacher completely dominated and won 9 out of 17 races from the F1 calendar. The year review could do little in terms of building up suspense through the narrative, as there was a single contender for the championship this time around. Thus the viewer is presented with the outcome around the 4th race and then focus is given on Michael Schumacher’s immaculate driving ability, as well as his achievement of 9 GP wins in a single championship. Nonetheless, the review starts off, with a very long introduction into the season and what is to be expected. There

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is coverage of the new cars introduced by the teams for the 1995 season and the press conferences that took place before the start of the season. There is also a detailed description about the new regulation changes that took place that year, as well as a demonstration of safety tests that each team needed to pass in order to qualify for racing in the season.

The review follows the standard chronological order found on the previous tapes as well. Each race and circuit is briefly introduced and there is also a brief mention to the qualifiers. This time the producers have included many onboard camera shots in order to add drama, as the championship was a foregone conclusion. Pit stops are again shown even more frequently than in the previous years. Furthermore, viewers are also presented with visual aids during the race. There are visuals that display the time margins between the cars as well as the classification throughout the race. Interviews have also become a common feature throughout the review.

In comparison to the previous ones, the 1995 review was poor as it lacked in excitement throughout most of the season. This had a great impact on the narrative of the review and the producers tried to substitute the excitement with impressive onboard shots, extensive team reviews (mostly in the introduction) and detailed interviews from the drivers. This review is a good example to demonstrate the importance of drama within sport broadcasting. Drama is the most important element in successful sport broadcasting and is something that cannot be guaranteed. It is the most important ingredient for success.

2003 Year Review

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This review was the most successful review out of the ones analysed. The review begins by giving a brief introduction into the new regulations concerning the new points scheme described in a previous chapter as well as a new qualification session. In the 2003 season the qualifying sessions experienced a great change. Each driver would only be permitted a single ‘flying lap’ on Saturday that would determine his grid position for Sunday’s race.

This change is personally thought to be employed in order to serve better exposure for sponsors. By 2003 the qualifying sessions had built up a large enough audience that it allowed the organisers to broadcast them. In the old style of qualifying the cars were permitted to complete a number of laps in the time period of 1 hour. The broadcasting of this type of qualifying was even more chaotic than the actual race. This new form of qualifying or what is called ‘single lap qualifying’ is performed in a much more structured way and is friendlier in terms of broadcasting. Each car would be permitted to have a single ‘flying lap’ without any other cars on the circuit. This new structure allowed all the eyes of the spectators to be only on the car that was on the circuit. As a result the sponsors of the car would receive better exposure.

Aside the new qualification regulations, this year’s review was very exciting. The championship that unfolded was closely determined between 3 contenders: Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikonnen and Juan Pablo Montoya. Once more, the championship was decided at the final race, which enabled the narrative to build up suspense for the viewer.

The format of the review was similar to the previous tapes and followed a chronological order. There are many onboard shots that add to the excitement as well as

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extensive coverage from cars coming in the pits. Furthermore, visual aids are extensively used throughout the race, which enabled the viewers to follow the race more closely.

All four tapes that were used for the analysis, demonstrated changes that have occurred over the years on the sports broadcasting. F1 is a sport that can be categorised as challenging for broadcasting (similar to golf) as there is a lot of action happening at different places on the track at the same time. Technological advances have enabled the sports broadcasting to be considered a spectacle. Whilst the year reviews allowed for the differences that have occurred over time, there are many other aspects that can only be examined through analysis of each Grand Prix separately. Unfortunately records of individual GP broadcastings were impossible to get hold off, it was the only option available in order to conduct this research. Nonetheless it proved to be resourceful as it confirms several characteristics about the sport that were mentioned in the previous chapters.

Being a fan of F1 racing myself, I have witnessed most of the broadcastings of GP’s since 1997. This has allowed me to develop certain theories concerning the sports broadcasting over the years. These personal theories can only be speculations as there is no solid evidence to support my ideas. Nevertheless, they were made on reasonable grounds and a basis that I feel it is worth expressing in this project.

Making a Pit Stop The 1982 season saw the first scheduled pit stop in the history of F1. This was Ecclestone’s innovation and it was thought that cars could go faster throughout the race if

51

they carried less fuel and wore softer tyres. By pitting to refuel and change the tyres the time required to complete the race could be reduced. This innovation proved very true and is now adopted by all the teams. It is personally believed that whilst a car makes a stop it receives more exposure from the broadcasters. The more exposure a car receives the more exposure its sponsors receive. Hence whilst managing to go faster in the race, sponsors in the same time would receive more exposure.

Although this idea seemed brilliant and worked for more than 20 years, the organisers spotted a flaw. The flaw was that there was so much going on around the car that the spectators would not notice the sponsors on the car, as they would be absorbed by all the action. When a car makes goes to the pits, there are instantly over 15 mechanics around it performing certain duties. Each tyre requires 3 mechanics for a change. Despite the fact of bringing more drama into the sport, if a car came in the pits only for refuelling the required number of mechanics would immediately be reduced by 12 people. Having 12 people less during a pit stop it would allow for sponsors to receive better exposure.

Thus, as of 2005 the new regulations state that cars need to survive the entire race and qualifying with a single set of tyres. The difference in changing tyres or not can be seen in the picture below.

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It is evident that the reduced amount of mechanics makes a critical difference for the viewer. Certainly, this new regulation was brought on for more reasons that just to create better exposure for the sponsors. Teams benefit reduced costs by not changing tyres and as tyres ware on it further adds on the drama. Nonetheless, no matter what the rationale behind this new tyre regulation, it is evident that sponsors benefit better exposure from the pit stops than before.

Single lap Qualifying It is surprising that the sport managed to gradually attract an audience for the qualifying and that qualifying is now broadcasted on Saturday as part of the F1 spectacle. However most of F1 fans around the world will agree that the old style of qualifying was far more spectacular and attractive. Moreover many of the old school drivers resisted to the 53

qualifying session change that took place in 2003. The most critical question is why change something that works? The answer is personally believed to serve commercial interests. Whilst the old style of qualifying was chaotic it was as exciting as the race it self. By introducing the new single qualifying lap, the organisers equally distribute the exposure that cars receive throughout the entire qualifying session. What is more, organisers have included a short break every time a group of five cars complete their flying lap, which allow broadcasters to cut to a commercial break without missing out any of the action. Though the rationale behind this regulation change was to give everyone the same chance at a flying lap it is personally believed that this change was imposed to serve commercial interests rather than bring fairness into the qualifying session.

Onboard Shots Onboard shots were introduced sometime in the mid 1980’s. They brought on more drama to the F1 spectacle as viewers could experience how it feels to ride inside a formula 1 car. They are very exciting as they make the broadcasting more interesting. Moreover, onboard shots allow small sponsors that are not visible from a distance to receive better exposure. This can be seen in the picture above. This particular onboard shot is a clear implication of how the smaller sponsors benefit from such shots. Onboard shots are a win-win situation for both the spectators and the sponsors as they both greatly benefit from them.

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9. Conclusion This investigation into the sport of F1 has been a very interesting task as I have always had a close personal interest concerning the sport. The study explored the sport from a media perspective and it is believed that F1 relation with the media is more evident and creative than in any other sport. Unquestionably Formula 1 is a global sport

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as the F1 circus moves in 19 different venues around the globe and it involves multinational organisations for its operations. What is more, the drivers that come from different parts of the world manage to attract large audiences and personal fans, thus F1 has become the second most popular sport after football worldwide.

Moreover the sport of F1 endorses several characteristics that separate it from all other sports. I was initially triggered to investigate into the sport after considering its popularity and the number of people that have access to the sport. It astonishes that whilst the sport has extremely high spectator ratings, practically none of the spectators ever get the chance to ride on board a F1 car. Moreover very few of the spectators attend the venues in which the sport takes place and thus it is fair to say that the sports popularity is solely supported through the televised broadcastings. Hence the media play the most critical role for the sports existence. This lead into an investigation over who actually controls the media rights. Bernie Ecclestone is undoubtedly the key persona in the very lucrative world of F1. His sole control over the televised rights for the sport has granted him tremendous bargaining power and at times he has been blamed for monopolising the sport. Nonetheless, Bernie deserves to be commended for his brilliant foresight in realising that all the televised rights need to be in one basket in order to bring professionalism for the sport. Bernie is one of the most influential media entrepreneurs as he has managed to be innovative and always one-step ahead of everyone else. Thus he has deservedly achieved his current position.

Furthermore, it has been established that the sports existence greatly relies on sponsorship revenues. Whilst other sports could struggle for survival without the aid of sponsorship, F1 would vanish overnight, as teams huge operational costs would never

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allow the sport to continue. The issue of sponsorship has been greatly challenged with the current tobacco advertising bans that stand in Europe. However it is personally believed that that teams will manage to draw in new sponsors and that the problem will eventually be overcome.

In addition the case study on the 2005 US GP was the perfect example of how vulnerable the sport could become. When vast amounts of money are at stake, like in the case of F1, a single mistake shows how easily it can all break down. F1 will most probably recover from this unfortunate incident, however the sports future in the US is very uncertain. This is something that cannot be ignored as the US is the biggest single economic market and lots of opportunities can be apprehended if F1 manages to breach the tough American sporting market. The incident was a major setback for the sports future in the US at a time when things seemed to be going well.

Finally, the analysis from the year reviews demonstrated the sports broadcasting progression through time. Needless to say that the sport and its broadcasting has come a long way since 1982 (earliest tape) and the spectacle has greatly improved. It has rightfully attracted such a great audience, as it is one of the most impressive sports in terms of drama and suspense.

Most sports usually accommodate the media, in the sense that the media do need to broadcast events of major importance that could attract the attention of their audiences.

In the case of F1 it is evident that the media accommodate the sport, as they play a very critical and maybe the most influential role in the way that the sport has developed and evolved over time. Most of the newly applied rules and key decisions that take place within the sport are dictated by new needs arising from the endless desire of brands,

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sponsors and advertisers to get more and better exposure. This last point is the most critical outcome of this study. It distinguishes F1 from any other sport due to the role that the media hold within this very sport. As the extremely high involvement of the media in F1 is unique, it questions the integrity of the sport when decisions are made to serve purposes other than those, towards the best interests of its fans and the sport itself.

10. References Book references •

G. Whannel, (1992), Fields in Vision: Television Sport and the cultural transformation, Routledge

•

D. Rowe (1999), Sport, Culture and the Media, Open University Press

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•

T. Miller, G. Lawrence, J. McKay, D. Rowe, Globalisation and Sport, SAGE

•

T. Slack, (2004), The commercialisation of sport, Routledge

•

S. Jackson, L. Andrews, (2005), Sport, Culture and Advertising, Routledge

Web Sites •

http://www.bized.ac.uk/current/mind/2003_4/080304.htm “Formula 1 - The business of money”

•

http://www.economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=3127517

“Chicanery

in Formula One?” •

http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s85/st71046.htm “It’s all about the money!”

•

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml? xml=/sport/2004/02/29/smmoss29.xml

•

http://www.renault.com/docs/atlas_gb/2003/motor_sport_leisure_gb.pdf

•

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/29426.stm “Bernie Ecclestone, the man behind Formula One”

•

http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/celebrities/bios/236.html

“Celebrities

in

Switzerland: Bernie Ecclestone” •

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6012 “Grand prix, grand prizes”

•

http://www.atlasf1.com/99/mal/preview/okeefe.html “Formula Bernie"

•

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=33227

“The

FIA

fights back”

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•

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4110170.stm

“Formula

farce nears end of road” •

http://espnstar.com/formula1/formula1_newsdetail_1548750.html

“F1

fiasco

could run up huge bill” •

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=33229 “Brundle VS Bernie”

•

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4119526.stm

“Mosley

'wrecked US salvage talks'” •

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/autowheel/article05

“Michelin

intensifies

investigation in France, U.S. over motor sport incident”

Tape Reviews Duke Marketing LTD, the official: Formula 1 year reviews 1982, 1991, 1995, 2003

APPENDIX 1

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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphics/2004/02/29/smmoss29big.gif;jsessionid=DCD0WRXOFBMLV QFIQMFSNAGAVCBQ0JVC

APPENDIX 2

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Finishing Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Traditional Points Scheme 10 6 4 3 2 1 -

2003 Points Scheme 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

APPENDIX 3

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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/sponsorship_guide/default.stm

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APPENDIX 4 Since F1 became televised, its viewing figures have accelerated as fast as the cars themselves showing a year on year increase in both audience and revenues from every source imaginable. However, F1 sponsorship remains the cheapest form of marketing when it comes to cost vs exposure.

With annual expenditure on F1 topping US$3Bn, the 200+ corporations involved in this giant sport are among the most active of the multinationals. Despite tough economic times, it is fast becoming an increasing trend for many smaller companies to get involved in F1 sponsorship in order to take them to the next level of brand awareness or simply to break into a new marketplace.

Giancarlo Fisichella Watching Giancarlo trackside is a privilege - and an awesome experience. His driving is always super-smooth yet ultra-committed, and he is fearless in the rain. Yet, although his skill is supremely natural, rather than doggedly learned, he is nonetheless one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the sport today.

For the 2005 season Giancarlo has signed with the Renault F1 Team, a move that gives him a realistic chance of winning the World Championship. After 9 years in F1 driving good but not top-end competitive cars, Giancarlo embraces the opportunity for many podium finishes and victories next year.

Giancarlo will be an asset to the brands who support him, and with Stableford Marketing you can tap into his worldwide image rights for your exploitation.

Stableford Marketing can provide the following sponsorship packages; Sponsor • Your company’s logo on the drivers race suite sleeves, helmet or team cap, personal merchandising items and promotional material.

• Your company is also entitled to full team and driver image rights and one personal appearance.

Testimonial • Private image rights including signatures for product endorsement.

• Your company is also entitled to one personal appearance.

Editorial • Private image rights to be exploited for editorial purposes only. Ideal for new product launches, conventions, executive business luncheons etc.

• To discuss any area of F1 sponsorship, including indicative pricing, contact us Source: http://www.stablefordmarketing.co.uk/MSf1.asp

APPENDIX 5 Formula 1 Scheduling 64

TV Schedule Britain GMT French Grand Prix on ITV1 and ITV2 Live qualifying 1: Saturday 2 July 1130-1310 (ITV1) Live race: Sunday 3 July 1200-1500 (ITV1) Highlights: Sunday 3 July 2340-0040 (ITV1) Highlights: Tuesday 5 July 0045-0145 (ITV2) Full race replay: Wednesday 6 July 0115-0350 (ITV1) Greece GMT+2 French Grand Prix on Alpha Qualifying (not live): Saturday 2 July 15:30 (ALPHA) Live race: Sunday 3 July 14:30 (ALHA)

12. Research Journal 65

Project Topic As you would have noticed by now, the topic of the project is concerned with the sport of Formula 1, an examination from a media perspective. Being a fan of the sport I have watched the broadcasting of Grand Prix’s for almost a decade now and I have developed a great interest that goes further than the actual racing. I have constantly questioned several aspects of the sport and I came to realise that many of its aspects are deeply connected with the media through which the sport is fully endorsed. Thus I decided to devote Project A, part of the MA Media Arts (Mass Communication) course in analysing the sport and in a sense trying to answer many of the questions I have developed over the years. I felt that the project would be suitable for the course as this particular sport is greatly dependent on the media on a much grater level then most sports. The great interest that I have for the sport of F1 made this project one of the most pleasant assessments I ever completed and although the workload was plenty, it was nevertheless pleasant.

Methodology Approach The initial idea for the project struck me one afternoon whilst watching a GP. However I did not have at the moment an approach set out on how to tackle the issue. Thankfully my supervisor (Garry Whannel) is an expert on the field of sport and the media and he was a great asset in helping me develop my approach. Our first meeting took place on Tuesday 21st June and lasted for about an hour. During this time we discussed the sport in general and areas that could be researched on. I had previously come up with a standard format

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for a project but even at this early stage it was evident that a looser format would be more appropriate. It was decided that any primary research would not be necessary and the main focus would be to analyse main key issues around the sport (i.e. key players), to present a case study of an incident within the sport and the analysis of the actual broadcasting of it. Initial guidance from Mr. Whannel was to initiate the research from three different angles. On Sunday (19th) before the meeting a very peculiar incident occurred in one of the GP’s and thus it a very fresh issue as it was still unfolding and it was decided that it would make the ideal case study for the project. Furthermore, as is the case in any project a substantial amount of literature had to be reviewed as a theoretical background concerning the topic. During the week Mr. Whannel provided me with a list of references related to the topic of sport and the media. The third direction for initial research was to browse through the web and try to investigate the areas that needed to be addressed in the project. The next meeting was scheduled to take place in a week’s time on 28th June. During this time I had to initiate my research as well as to figure out a way to get hold of broadcasting tapes that would be analysed at a later stage.

During this week much of the development on the approach to be followed took place. It was definite that the case study to be used would be the incident that took place during the last GP in the US. Its relation to the media and as it was recent (still unfolding) it made it an ideal case study. Clearly one aspect of the project would be the analysis of a series of tapes over time. In the meeting (21st) it was decided that a period of over 20 years of broadcasting would be adequate for the research. The observation of tapes over 4 year intervals would be enough to uncover aspects about the sports televised technology

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and much more. The first problem was to get in touch with these tapes, as I didn’t know anyone that had access to such tapes. After a lot of thinking and searching I turned to Amazon and I managed to come across a very interesting product that could be useful. It was the year review of an entire season of the F1 championship. It consisted of yearly reviews, as old as 1982 and it seemed that the material would provide many insights.

It was evident, that the project would have two parts to it, one would be the observation of the tapes and the other would be the analysis of the literature review, the business aspects of F1, the case study as well as other media related topics. Initial web searching revealed a very important key player in the sport, Bernie Ecclestone. Bernie had managed to be included in most of the articles about the sport. Hence it was necessary to include a section drawing the profile about the man but also the impact he has had on the sport. As Bernie is very closely linked with the image and television rights of the sport, he undoubtedly deserves a separate section in the project.

Another aspect that was initially established as an area of interest is the characteristics and the values that the sponsors hold within the sport. Sponsorship is a vital part in most sports but even more in F1 as the sport has always required sponsors for its survival. There was also an issue concerning tobacco advertising within the sport that would also be examined. Furthermore, the issue of GP scheduling was also an area that was discussed during the meeting and was also researched.

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Although these area topics would provide much of the information required for the analysis, a chapter that would introduce them would enable the reader to acquire a more general knowledge concerning the sport’s business aspects. Consequently, a chapter would be devoted to introducing the business related character of the sport. All chapters carry a substantial amount of logical flow between them. Certainly an introductory chapter would be essential in addition to a chapter with background information concerning the sport. The structure of the project can be seen below.

1. Introduction 2. Background Information 3. Literature Review 4. F1 & Business 5. Bernie Ecclestone Media Entrepreneur 6. The Media & Sponsorship 7. US FIAsco (case study) 8. Analysis of the tapes 9. Conclusions

After devising the structure of the project I had a rough idea of what each chapter should include and thus I started gathering up articles and material that would be used in each part of the project. Most of the material used for chapters 4,5,6 and 7 was accessed through the Internet using basic Google searching. Initially I gathered articles that would be used for quoting whilst I gained much knowledge by reading further related articles.

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During the week after the first meeting my aim was to devise a structure for the project and to gather the information required for writing.

The second meeting with Garry took place on the 28 th of June during which we discussed the work I had done over the past week as well as the structure of the project. It was decided that the structure adopted would be suitable for the nature of the project and there were no problems concerning that. I told Garry about the tapes that I had discovered through Amazon.co.uk and we agreed that they would be adequate for analysis. (The budget for the tapes was personally covered). Furthermore I presented Garry with a list of the references that I thought would be sufficient for the literature review and he suggested several readings whilst dismissing others. Finally we had a brief conversation concerning referencing issues and techniques within the project. The next scheduled meeting was to take place on the 6th of July.

Over the next few weeks I was occupied with plenty of work concerning the project. Initially I acquitted the references that would be used in the literature review from the Luton University library. Garry also provided me with a personal copy of a book on the topic of sport and globalisation. Furthermore, I ordered the tapes through Amazon and expected them to arrive in the next weeks. I ordered the reviews of 2003, 1999, 1995, 1991 and the latest review available form 1982.

I decided that the best way of tackling the project would be to read the material I had gathered for each chapter and begin writing a draft for each one separately.

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Considering that the topics where similar in length I aimed to get around 1500-2000 words for each part. It is always the case that more is better than less when writing so I decided to adopt this word length and cut back on words at the end.

The first topic that I started from was the related to Bernie Ecclestone as I felt hey was the key figure around the sport and many of the other topics would come up. I included a short biography about Bernie and his career in the sport. Much of the chapter discusses the way in which he came to being so powerful but does not go into legal details as they did not seem necessary for this study. The chapter remains relevant to the topic and is solely concerned with the media related aspects between F1 and Bernie.

The case study was the next chapter that was completed. As the issue was still unfolding in the press, there was a lot of information and a many expert opinions where considered. The case was a dispute between two camps and evaluation of the information produced a fair argument.

Business related aspects of the sport, was the next chapter tackled. The issues included were compromised due to word limit and do not go into much depth as this chapter would act as an introduction for other chapters. Nevertheless initial beliefs are expressed and are examined in grater detail in the next chapter.

The 3rd meeting with Garry took place on the 6th of July. During the meeting I had the opportunity to present Garry with the original drafts of the chapters I completed for

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him to proof read and comment on the structure and format of the written work. Garry was pleased with most of the work and we got in a discussion about the sport and I had to opportunity to express certain ideas and to obtain an expert opinion.

During the next week I continued with the remaining chapters and fist the Literature review. During the meeting with Garry, he suggested that I approach the review of the literature by starting with general concepts and go into more detailed ones gradually. Thus I begin by introducing the concept of sport and the media and go into more integrated topics like Globalisation and Sport as well as Sport and Sponsorship. As agreed with Garry these topics would be sufficient for the review considering the limitation by the word limit.

By this time I started receiving the ordered tapes and I begun viewing them but without analysing them. Unfortunately one of the tapes did not arrive as there was a mixup and thus the 1999 year review could not be analysed. Nevertheless the remaining tapes would be enough for the analysis.

The remaining chapter was concerned with the media and sponsorship. It introduced the importance of sponsorship for the sport and provides the reader with costs associated and implications, like the tobacco advertising bans. Furthermore a small part is devoted in explaining personal beliefs concerning the scheduling of the GP weekends.

Moreover, the background information chapter was also completed.

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The fourth and last meeting with Garry took place on the 12th of July. Once again Garry was able to proof read completed sections and make suggestions concerning changes that needed to be made. As for the 1999 tape Garry was satisfied with the analysis of 4 tapes. Furthermore during our discussion about the tapes he suggested to frame certain images (from the tapes) and to use them within the project at times when an image would liven up the work. He suggested that I see Mark Layzel from the support hub, as he would be able to produce digital images from VHS tapes. Finally we decided that I would contact him on the 17th of August and have a phone meeting concerning any loose ends before the project is handed in.

Following Garry’s advice I made an appointment with Mark and composed two images, which can be seen in the project. I felt that the images could help me strengthen certain key points and conclusions.

In the next weeks before my phone meeting with Garry I completed the analysis of the tapes. The analysis was a comparison between the 4 year reviews and allowed for many insights into the sport. A full analysis on the tapes took place in terms of: the structure, visual, sound, technical resources available to broadcasters, as well as the narrative within them.

After the completion of all the chapters it was time to come to certain conclusions. Thus the final chapter was written which unfolded any conclusions made

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concerning the topic. The analysis of the sport from a media perspective was very productive and many sound conclusions were made.

Having completed a first draft of the project, considerable amount of time was needed to fine trim many areas as well as cut back on words as I had excided the word limit. This required reading the project several times in order to avoid mistakes. I always read the project from the end, thus conclusions first and background information first as I have realised that you pick up on mistakes more easily by not getting into a flow of reading any work from start to finish.

During the phone conversation with Garry, he was able to read the entire project beforehand and made a few minor suggestions that needed to be changed. The completion of the project lasted from 21st of June until the 21st of August and on average I worked between 10-12 hours per week excluding weekends.

Areas for improvement I would have preferred to undertake the project as part of my project B assessment because I have a very high personal interest concerning the sport and I feel that I could have gone into more detail on specific topics as well as to introduce new ones. For instance I would have liked to make a more detailed analysis of the teams within the sport and concentrate on the “big boys�. Furthermore, although the tape comparison produced the desired results, I feel that it would have been better if I was able to compare the 1999 season as well and even more to compare each GP separately and not the year review.

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For instance complementary to the reviews it would have been nice to compare a GP (i.e.

Monaco GP) during the same years and compared the actual broadcasting and not a year review.

Nonetheless, I am very satisfied with the work I have submitted. I believe that I arrived to sound conclusions and thus I feel that the project was successfully completed.

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