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Pay-per-view coverage officially scrapped

Ecclestone's digital dream is officially over

Bernie Ecclestone has officially announced that he is discontinuing his pay-per-view digital television service, ending speculation on the future of the product.

As expected, the move will provide a boost to terrestrial broadcasters, who will now receive improved pictures and extra on-board camera footage to bolster their coverage.

In a statement, Ecclestone said: "We have told all of our broadcast partners that FOM will no longer offer a separate digital pay-per-view service. Over the last six years we have developed very sophisticated outside broadcast facilities and we now intend to focus these resources on providing the best live feed to our free-to-air broadcasters."

The Formula 1 bosses digital television service has been running in Europe since 1995, but only started broadcasting in the UK on Sky Digital this year. Ecclestone had high hopes for the multi-channel service, but it has struggled to attract viewers.

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