After some delay, Formula One racing is finally getting its own streaming service. The motorsport organization announced that F1 TV will launch in May, ahead of the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, which runs May 11-13. For the time being, F1 will continue its closed beta run of the service for testing during the Chinese Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The season recently started in March in Australia.
F1 TV is the organization’s own over-the-top (OTT) subscription video platform, and was produced with the likes of NBC Playmaker, iStreamPlanet, CSG, and Ostmodern. The first two will act as systems integrators and video streaming partners. CSG will handle payment and subscriber identity and management, and Ostmodern will design and deliver the web and app product experience. Tata Communications will handle connectivity services and global distribution for F1 TV.
F1 TV will first be available on desktop, followed by mobile access with iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire. Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV users will have access by summer.
“The launch of the service marks F1’s biggest investment in its digital transformation to date,” the announcement reads.
Race fans will have two service options with different price points. At the top is F1 TV Pro, which features live races and all 20 driver cameras. Premium tier subscribers also get side-by-side live race viewing and more exclusive feeds. Viewers can also personzalize the way they watch a race, controlling what they want to see and when. All practice and qualifying races will be available for live viewing, along with press conferences and interviews. Later in the season, the FIA Formula 2 Championship, GP3 Series, and Porsche Supercup will be added to the service.
The second subscription option will cost less and won’t include live video broadcasts, though subscribers will get live race timing data and radio broadcasts, in addition to extended highlights. There will also be access to archived F1 video content.
F1 TV will be priced at $70-$150 annually, with monthly rates going for $8-$12, depending on the market.
“There is tremendous opportunity in the OTT space to provide F1’s avid fans with a unique F1 viewing experience across all devices,” said Frank Arthofer, Formula One’s director of digtal and new business. “With this launch, fans will find an easy to use streaming experience, rich with live and on-demand content available only on F1 TV, all at a great price.”
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.