As Sky’s empire grows (and grabs Formula 1), so does the scale of its hypocrisy
Sky have attempted to buy every successful programme on television in the past two decades. But, instead of buying out shows when they are initially offered, they wait for other channels to show them for their first few seasons. At which point, should the show in question be a success, they use the ludicrous amount of money they have access to and outbid the broadcaster who first bought its rights. This dirty method, unfortunately, guarantees Sky more customers and more viewers. In case you don’t believe me, I’ll run by you a fraction of the programmes Sky Television have bought via these methods:
24 (from the BBC)
Entourage (from ITV)
ER (from Channel 4)
Flight of the Concordes (from the BBC)
Friends (from Channel 4)
Glee (from Channel 4)
Grey’s Anatomy (from Channel 4)
Lost (from Channel 4)
Mad Men (from the BBC)
Prison Break (from Channel 5)
The Simpsons (from the BBC)
As of today, it’s been announced that Sky’s grabbed F1 coverage from the BBC, a network that has provided superb coverage of the sport. The BBC simply couldn’t afford to outbid Sky, not least with the British government hobbling the BBC by freezing the licence fee. The Murdochs still claim the BBC is too rich, too dominant and has too much influence, while regularly outbidding it for anything considered popular. One wonders how Sky will act once it’s obliterated terrestrial channels, and once it’s colluded with successive governments to essentially turn the BBC into PBS UK.
I did the maths, Sky and enough Sky Sports to guarantee seeing the F1 (even in SD not HD) is £500 a year.
That same money would pay for me to run an entire 10 round, 30 race season in the InKart championship and race at 75mph myself.
This does not seem like a difficult choice.