Liberty Media want to reverse Formula 1’s move away from showing live races on free-to-air television.

The sport’s commercial director Sean Bratches said he was concerned by the deal struck by Bernie Ecclestone which moved live F1 broadcasts in the UK off free-to-air television completely in favour of Sky’s pay television channels.

“It concerns us in a pretty material way, not just for Britain but around the world,” Bratches told the Daily Mail. “Our ideal circumstance would be to have 75 per cent of our grands prix on free-to-air.”

“From a brand standpoint, Formula 1 is nowhere near the position where it can lose free-to-air viewership,” he added. “This is an agreement that was done prior to our arrival. The pay element is very exciting revenue-wise but from a reach standpoint it is sub-optimal.”

Formula 1 viewership in the UK has dropped sharply since the deal came into place this year. Bratches admitted there is no way F1 broadcasting arrangements in the UK will change until 2024, unless Sky agrees to.

“There is no wriggle room in our agreement contractually and Sky would have to initiate anything,” he said.

Earlier this year Lewis Hamilton said the fall in viewership in the UK since he entered the sport as “terrible”.

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2019 F1 season