The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix broadcast free-to-air on C8

The announcement of the extension of Canal+’s contract with FOM was the first major broadcasting announcement since Liberty Media took over.

She may have disappointed those who hoped that F1 would return more to free-to-air channels, in order to boost viewership. The audience has been plummeting since the switch to pay channels, initiated in recent years to increase the revenues of the holder of commercial rights.

However, a slight shift seems to be taking place as the Canal+ group announced that the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, held at the end of the month, will, for the first time, be visible on Canal+ airwaves as well as on those of C8, the free channel of the Vivendi group.

This perhaps suggests considering such a distribution for at least some of the races starting from the 2018 season. This would be even more logical since France will once again host a race at the Paul Ricard circuit. We can therefore imagine a scenario where all the practice sessions and races would be visible on Canal+ to satisfy the most passionate fans. However, the most popular races could also be shown on C8 to increase the sport’s visibility to the general public.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr