Formula 1 fans will be able to continue watching free-to-air coverage of the sport in 2020 after Channel 4 and Sky agreed to extend their current rights arrangement.
The collaborative deal between the two broadcasters for the 2020 season means that, as in 2019, highlights of every race weekend and live coverage of the entire British Grand Prix weekend will be shown on free-to-air on Channel 4.
The new Formula 1 agreement from 2020 is part of a part of a wider multi-year partnership between Channel 4 and Sky, spanning content, technology and innovation. This includes Sky and NOW TV customers being able to watch all episodes of selected Channel 4 series before they air.
This latest partnership builds on their on previous collaborations, which most recently saw them share rights to the ICC Cricket World Cup final, enabling the entire nation to watch a once-in-a-generation moment of England winning the World Cup on home soil.
Race highlights on Channel 4 have attracted average audiences of 1.7m viewers this season, with live coverage of the British Grand Prix peaking at 2.9m in July.
It is expected that the current Channel 4 on-air team, led by presenter Steve Jones, former F1 winner David Coulthard and race commentator Ben Edwards, will remain in place for the 2020 season.
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon said:
“This landmark new partnership with Sky is a fantastic example of how broadcasters can work together to extend the reach of our content and innovate for the benefit of both viewers and advertisers. I’m particularly thrilled that we are extending our collaboration with Sky on Formula 1, which secures highlights of all races and live coverage of the British Grand Prix on free-to-air television.
“Channel 4 has established itself as the go-to channel for free to air television coverage of Formula 1 and we’re thrilled that motorsport fans will be able to continue to enjoy the excitement of F1 through our highlights of all the races and live coverage of the British Grand Prix.”
Sky Sports will remain the exclusive home of live Formula 1 coverage until at least 2024, a deal which was struck by the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone, before it was sold to current owners Liberty Media.
The Sky deal included a provision that the British Grand Prix would be broadcast on a free-to-air platform
Channel 4 has been the home of free-to-air F1 coverage in the UK since 2016, showing live coverage of half the races and highlights between 2016 and 2018, after the BBC pulled out of covering the sport at the end of 2015 due to budget cuts.
For the 2019 season, Channel 4 has broadcast highlights of every qualifying session and race, usually airing a few hours after they’ve concluded, along with live terrestrial coverage of the British Grand Prix.
