
The initial offering consisted of five different channels, as well as a sixth "Super-Signal" channel, which combined footage from the first 4 individual channels listed below. The equipment was tested on Thursday in preparation for the first broadcast of a race meeting on Friday. Between Friday and Sunday the broadcast centre would be reassembled and all cameras and cabling around the circuit would be completed by Wednesday. It would then be transported to the next venue. Dismantling would begin immediately following a race broadcast on Sunday and would be finished by Tuesday. A two-week turn around was required to dismantle and reassemble all the equipment. Two hundred staff were employed to provide the coverage. The service was run by Eddie Baker, and the tent was colloquially referred to as Bakersville. At the race venue, a 1200 sq m air-conditioned tent was set up containing the majority of the equipment. To transport the equipment required 18 trucks for European rounds or two Boeing 747 jumbo jets for fly-away races. The operation involved transporting around 200 tons of equipment to each race. By comparison, the majority of the coverage shown on the F1 Digital+ service was produced on-site at each Grand Prix venue by Formula One Management.
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The race coverage shown on regular terrestrial TV was produced by a local broadcaster (the host broadcaster) and provided to all other broadcasters around the world. By the time the service closed, over $100 million had been spent on it.

British broadcaster BSkyB however did not offer the service until later.Īn initial investment of $35 million was made to set up the service. Spanish broadcaster Canal Satelite Digital joined at the beginning of the 1998 season. Italian broadcaster TELE+ signed up at the beginning of the 1997 season. The French broadcaster Canal Plus, also signed up for the service in 1996, with a ten-year contract estimated to be costing $60 million per year. Initially the service was only offered by the German-based DF1 service, broadcasting into Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The service launched at the 1996 German Grand Prix.
