Why no TV coverage of the F1 tests?

Seems like this would be one more way for Bernie to get his sponsors names in front of the public. It wouldn't need to be the same format as a practice session. Maybe they could throw in some detail about the tech/rule changes and things of that nature, could even condense the coverage to 1/2 or 1 hr. show...Teams could advertise their merchandise.

 

The tests can be awfully boring to watch. with only a few cars on track, no real racing, and lots of down time.

 

I watch practice during the season. What is the difference? For cripes sake they are rerunning last years races on Speed, why not cover this years testing.

 

The practices are based on limited periods of time, so everybody has to get out on track to get as much meaningful data as possible, while they can. This means there's alot of action going on in a short time.

From the FIA's official regulations: http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8686/fia.html

32) FREE PRACTICE
32.1 Free practice sessions will take place :
a) The day after initial scrutineering from 10.00 to 11.30 (P1) and from 14.00 to 15.30 (P2).
b) The day before the race from 11.00 to 12.00 (P3).

The pre season tests are not time limited in the same way and the teams are free to run at any time of the day for as long, or as little, as they like. This can lead to very long periods of inactivity on track that aren't worth broadcasting and the TV companies would have no idea when the cars would be back on track again. Sometimes the cars come out of the pits and don't even complete a lap before going straight back in again. Othertimes they just pound around for lap after lap after lap. Even for an F1 fanatic this can become boring.

I can't think of any TV company that would go to the expense of sending a TV crew to a race track for a test day and fill one of it's channels with F1 testing for a whole day when it could fill it with a programme that can attract a much bigger audience (even on a satellite channel).

 

I've been grabbing some news coverage of the testing by the local-to-the-venues media and some amateur video that is available. It isn't that exciting. You just get an idea of how the livery looks going 'round.

 

In the US viewership is so low it's hard to think they could even break even.

 

I think it would be good if they showed the highlights, not the whole show..

 

Because. despite how it seems here, there just aren't that many F1 obsessed folk out there.

 

I understand the low US fan base, and someone mentioned earlier about how boring the practice sessions can be to watch, but you could condense the content into a 1/2 hour or 1 hr show. Add tech and lifestyle segments. It would not need to be a live show. Maybe a preseason mini series?
Look at how many NASCAR shows there are, again they have a much larger fan base, but do I really need to know what Jimmy Johnson is doing in his living room? they seem to run out of content and people how are interested eat up anything they can get.

 

even more expensive if they have to post-produce it down to highlights.

definitely in the US, and I'd think world-wide, it just wouldn't make money. i can only comment on the US (SPEED) since that's all I watch, but the practice session that is broadcast is a single time-limited session. i'd bet that the advertisers for that show just get a bundle package with qualify/race.

anyway, don't forget that it's an FOM decision.