The BBC has regained the British television rights to Formula One from rivals ITV in a five-year deal starting in 2009, the broadcaster and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said today.
At 84, Murray Walker is unlikely to return. But there will probably be a quite remarkable reprise for one of the most memorable sporting theme tunes. Returning after 13 years away, formula one racing will return to the BBC in 2009 following ITV's surprise decision to axe the sport with two years of its contract remaining.
The agreement will be seen as a coup for the public broadcaster, coming at a time when 23-year-old British driver Lewis Hamilton is leading the championship for the McLaren racing team after finishing last year as runner-up. ITV have broadcast the sport in Britain since the start of the 1997 season, when Briton Damon Hill was Formula One champion.The BBC said that the deal covered all platforms and will see Formula One broadcast on the BBC sport Web site as well as on radio and television. "We were delighted when Bernie Ecclestone approached us about the return of F1 to the BBC," BBC Sport director of sport rights Dominic Coles told the broadcaster's website. "F1 is a crown jewel of sports broadcasting, so to bring the rights back to their traditional home from 2009 is tremendously exciting. No financial details were given but Ecclestone said in a statement issued by Formula One Management (FOM) he was delighted with the deal. I wish to thank ITV for their commitment to Formula One and the high quality of their coverage. It is an exciting time in Formula One and the BBC has some innovative new ideas to consolidate and expand our UK fan base," he said.
ITV said last October the 2007 title-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, in which Hamilton lost to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by a single point, was the most-watched Formula One race since 2000 with a peak audience of 10.6 million and an average of 7.3 million watching the entire three-hour event.
Who gets what:
ITV
Formula one - until the end of 2008 season
FA Cup and England internationals (shared with Setanta) - from August 2008
Champions League (shared with Sky) - until 2012
Boat race
Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, Euro 2012, World Cup 2014 (shared with BBC)
BBC
Six Nations Rugby (until 2013)
Formula one (2009-13)
Match of the Day Premier League highlights (until 2010)
Coca-Cola Championship and Carling Cup (from 2010)
Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, Euro 2012, World Cup 2014 (shared with ITV)
Olympics (until 2012)
Further reading: F1 returns to BBC
