I don't see that working for F1. MLB.tv is subject to the same blackout restrictions that apply to television and radio; access to the "local team" is still restricted to whoever owns the television and radio rights within that market. And for all intents and purposes, the "local team" in F1 broadcast deals is F1 itself.Pup wrote:If you want to check out the possibilities of this kind of service, then I'd take a look at MLB.tv, which is frightfully expensive but extremely well implemented.
I can't envision a scenario whereby a broadcast network that's paid through the nose to acquire the F1 rights for its market would then allow for that agreement to be non-exclusive and open itself to competition. Nor can I envision FOM settling for the fees associated with non-exclusive agreements when the fees for exclusive agreements are much, much higher.
Under the current economic model, the most I can see coming from this Tata deal is a supply of content that complements traditional F1 coverage, but does not replace it.