INTERVIEW: Formula 1’s director of digital and new business, Frank Arthofer (pictured), heralded the launch of an OTT broadcasting platform as a “big moment” for the sport as he also shed light on plans to revamp its social media presence.

At the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC), Formula 1 said it plans to launch its F1 TV OTT platform early in the 2018 season, marking the biggest investment in its digital transformation to date. The move looks set to turn the traditional TV broadcasting model on its head, with viewers able to purchase monthly online packages dedicated solely to F1 racing content.

Arthofer said Formula 1, which is now under new management, experienced rapid growth in use of its social media platforms and now wants to create content to provide fans with an inside perspective of the sport along with access to “the personalities that are its soul and heart”.

The sport was heavily represented at MWC, an event Arthofer noted was “the first trade show outside of core motor racing where we have had a big presence”. It chose MWC because “we felt it was the right time to expand the conversation around the innovation and technology that we are looking to drive as part of our digital transformation”.

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