No future for F1 with pay TV, says Ecclestone

Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has warned that it would be commercially suicidal for the sport’s teams if TV coverage was offered on a pay TV rather than a free-to-air basis.

Ecclestone warned the teams that they stood to lose sponsorship revenue of viewing if the sport was restricted to a pay-per-view audience.

Ecclestone has expressed strong opposition to the possibility of News Corp buying a stake in Formula 1, contending that majority shareholder CVC Capital Partners does not want to sell.