Sky Italia has signed an exclusive broadcast rights deal with Formula One, which will see races all but disappear from free-to-air channels in Italy.
The deal runs for three season (2018-2020) and gives Sky the rights across all available platforms (pay-TV, streaming on Now TV and mobile on Sky Go).
Sky Italia’s Sky Sport F1 HD will broadcast all 21 live races, 17 of which will be exclusive. The other four races, including the Italian Grand Prix, will be available on Sky Italia’s free-to-air channel TV8.
It means national public broadcaster Rai, which has carried Formula One since 1953, will not officially air any races, although sources suggest the Italian GP may end up being shown on the channel.
