Sky adds app to its Formula One coverage

Sky Sports’ new dedicated F1 channel launched on 9 March, with promises of a whole new perspective on coverage of both the races and the surrounding activity, writes Philip Stevens. Alongside the coverage on the broadcast channel, plus the other Sky services such as access via a mobile PC, the red button facility and the website content, there was a new app that provided further enhancements for those using their iPad. According to David Gibbs, director of Sky Sports digital media, the broadcaster teamed up with Apple to bring a whole new experience to those who watch Formula One activity. “We wanted to take our service on to the tablet platform, but we also sought to create something that would be extremely helpful to users, either as a complement to the main broadcast or while watching on the move. In addition, we wanted to plug into some of the conversation that is going on around F1 on the social networks.” The app – which is only available to those who have the appropriate Sky subscription to watch F1 – allows viewers to select from up to eight different video feeds. These include pit lane and onboard cameras, plus timing and data feeds. Sky also cut a highlights package as the race progressed so that any viewer coming to the event late would immediately be able to catch up with the main action that had already happened. And all these options were available for the practice and qualifying sessions, as well as the race itself. It is anticipated that the app it will probably be available in time for the first Grand Prix of the 2012 calendar in Australia on 18 March. It is predicted that a future release of the App will also offer a split screen option, allowing viewers to access three screens at once. At present, no firm date for this future release has been set. “We have researched how users have accessed our previous Sky Sports News app and have used that feedback to deign this new application. We will continue to seek feedback from users so that we can provide further enhancement. Our overall purpose is to enhance the whole Formula One experience for those watching the sport,” stated Gibbs. For the full story about Sky’s dedicated channel see the article in the April issue of TVBEurope. f1.sky.com