Zak Brown excited by Liberty’s ‘significant’ 2018 TV plans

McLaren's Zak Brown says he is excited by Liberty Media "significant" plans to shake-up the way Formula 1 is broadcast this year, which promises to bring fans close to the sport.

Liberty is keen to boost television audiences further following a 6.2 per cent increase last year, with commercial chief Sean Bratches unveiling its plans during a private meeting with the teams in December.

Whilst the details of that meeting have yet to be made public, Brown said it would involve several initiatives aimed at better telling the story of the race through improved on-screen graphics and mobile applications.

"Before Christmas Sean Bratches presented the new F1 commercial strategy to us, the teams," Brown wrote in a one-off column for James Allen on F1.

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"There is a huge emphasis on digital, as we know, but last year was about testing things out. For this year there are products in place, like a new F1 App, OTT platforms (Over The Top/streaming) and they have brought in David Hill, one of the great TV sports innovators, to oversee the graphics package and the way the race is televised.

"You’ll see significant changes there on the broadcast, on the graphics and the storytelling."

The changes are primarily aimed at introducing F1 to a younger audience, whilst improving things for the current fanbase.

"On-event [at the circuit] we’ll see more fan engagement, building on last year and there will be new media properties to help fans get closer to the teams," said Brown.

"I think the big impacts of 2018 will be on the media side, showing F1 in a way that it’s never been shown before. It will give us a younger and bigger audience and they will be more engaged."