Fast cars

Good to see the usual transparency in the BBC announcement of a deal to split rights for Formula One racing with BSkyB over the next six years  - uncannily, the duration of the licence fee settlement.  Yes, it explains how it'll work; the BBC gets half the races live - they will always include the British, Monaco and final Grand Prix - and tv highlights of all the rest, and live radio commentary of the whole shebang stays with Radio Five Live.

But those of us looking for DQF consequences want to know the financial deal.  Clearly Bernie Ecclestone hasn't been out to tender on this one, so some deal has been done between the three parties to end the current contract, which was set to run to 2013.  It's been estimated that F1 costs the BBC £60m a year - with £45m going to Mr Ecclestone's organisation, and the BBC spending £15m bringing Jake etc to our screens.  That £15m cost will presumably continue.  Why not say how much the rights to half the races and highlights will cost the licence fee payer ?

• 12.30pm update: No facts yet, but it looks like the BBC have been spinning to the excellent Owen Gibson and John Plunkett in the Guardian.  Rights costs could be down from £45m p.a. to £33m.  No word on a reduction on production costs - so my spin would be that Auntie (did Mark Thompson cut the deal at Silverstone ?) has lost half the races live, and saved £12m p.a. on the £60m spend required to deliver the original contract.  Spookily, that works out at the 20% target set by Delivering Quality First. 
• 0930 Saturday update:  Ian Burrell in The Independent explains that the BBC gets three first picks (which will undoubtedly be Silverstone, Monaco and the final race) - then Sky picks three.  These will undoubtedly be comfortable for afternoon/evening viewing - no point wasting money on races that are live at 0300. Then, apparently it's alternate picks of the 13 that are left.