Eurosport Updates

I'm really disappointed. I'm not going to buy a Eurosport Player monthly pass for that. Eurosport 1 is broadcasting some events anyway and I can watch that via my cable tv provider.

Think the problem fundamentally is that figure skating is just another sport as far as Eurosport is concerned. It has the great benefit to them that it goes on for a long time (across all 4 disciplines), plus allows them to show live sport at a time when they might not be able to show another - a benefit of having galas on a Sunday, as you get live figure skating on a Fridays for GPs and Weds/Thurs for championships.

However the rise of snooker and cycling means it becomes just more and more of another sport, plus you've still got the tail end of their summer sports e.g. outdoor motor sports at this time of year.

However going forward things might not be so bad for the rest of the GP series (but still with some potential problems occurring). Week 2 there's live coverage of Ladies and Dance on both days, unless of course you're unlucky enough to live in somewhere like the Netherlands. However week 3 we might be OK. At first glance there's problems as of their Big 3 of snooker, cycling and motor sports, all 3 are on plus the snooker would happen to be in China i.e. exactly the same time as the skating. However as far as I can see there won't be another live sport on on the Friday while the skating is on i.e. early morning to early afternoon UK/Europe time, so hopefully we'll get all 4 disciplines. Then on the Saturday it's not so good due to above 3 being on, but at least Superbikes is only half the size of its normal size as per CaroLiza_Fan's post in the other thread, plus due to the time zone differences the live sports will be over fairly early in the day i.e. there should be plenty of time for highlights programmes later in the day.

After that Weeks 4/5 look OK. There's only track cycling in week 4 - these are the ones that cause the damage as they go for hour after hour, unlike something like skiing say which is over fairly quickly and so has much less impact. Hence unless there's something else that goes on for hour after hour we should be OK. Similarly in Week 5 there's track cycling and world touring cars but no snooker so we should be able to muddle through there.

Week 6 (Skate America) will be a problem though. There's snooker plus potentially 2 sets of track cycling - a 4 day event and a Revolution series one. Also they'll be broadcast evening time, so unlike Skate Canada where there is skating UK/Europe evening time we may miss out entirely. The best we can hope for might be some sort of decent highlights programme.

Finally, the final will hopefully be OK. It is the final after all and as CaroLiza_Fan says they're making a special effort for the Superbikes this weekend and so I would expect them to do so for the skating. It does clash with the snooker UK championships but then again it always has. Also the GPF is in Japan so it will be live early UK/Europe time so hopefully won't clash with anything. Also the cycling that weekend will be from Santiago so if they show it it won't clash - it would be evening time UK/Europe time if they show an afternoon session, whereas the skating should be done and dusted by then.

CaroLiza_fan said:

But paying to watch the raw World Feed pictures with no commentary on the internet is ridiculous. On-screen graphics can only tell you so much. You need to have a human explaining what is going on to add to the experience.

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Really? To me, the most amazing feature of the Finnish YLE internet broadcast is the source stream with no commentary. In my opinion, commentary more often than not just completely distracts from the experience unless it's extremely well done(the JGP handles it the best by a mile as he actually shuts up completely during the performances). If there was an option to watch all figure skating competitions with no commentary and if there was a reliable way to find youtube streams of the performances with the source stream and no commentary, I'd take it 1000000 times out of 1000000.


If there WAS commentary, it should be analytical and actually insightful instead of some people who barely know anything giving their opinions and trying to make themselves seem smart. Technical panelists giving commentary is wonderful especially when they go into detail for requirements for levels and GOE. YLE has had commentary by Leena Laaksonen and that's what all commentary should be like as far as I'm concerned.

Shayuki said:

Really? To me, the most amazing feature of the Finnish YLE internet broadcast is the source stream with no commentary. In my opinion, commentary more often than not just completely distracts from the experience unless it's extremely well done(the JGP handles it the best by a mile as he actually shuts up completely during the performances). If there was an option to watch all figure skating competitions with no commentary and if there was a reliable way to find youtube streams of the performances with the source stream and no commentary, I'd take it 1000000 times out of 1000000.


If there WAS commentary, it should be analytical and actually insightful instead of some people who barely know anything giving their opinions and trying to make themselves seem smart. Technical panelists giving commentary is wonderful especially when they go into detail for requirements for levels and GOE. YLE has had commentary by Leena Laaksonen and that's what all commentary should be like as far as I'm concerned.

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When it comes to figure skating, I don't like commentators that talk so much that you can't hear the music during the routines. So, I agree with you in that respect.

But, you do need some commentary so that you don't get completely lost with how the competition is going if you don't have access to the live scoring.

That is why I love Ted Barton's style of commentary. He tells us a bit more about the skaters than the graphics during the introductions; shuts up during the routine; analyses the skater's performance during the highlights; and gives a reaction to the scores. Which is just what you need when watching figure skating.

However, the paragraph you quoted was not written specifically about figure skating. It was about sports coverage in general. Hence, why the paragraph that followed it was talking about football.

Another example is ski jumping. It is very easy to get lost with where you are in a competition if there is no commentary. Particularly when there have been delays which mean that the qualifying is immediately before the first round of the competition, and the jumpers don't have time to change bib numbers in between.

Plus, for all sports, you can get interesting and informative snippets from the commentators that you don't get from the on-screen graphics.

It is all about getting the balance between talking and not talking that is right for the particular sport you are covering.

CaroLiza_fan

@CaroLiza_fan
I agree, what would ski jumping be without decent commentary? 99% of the viewers wouldn't have an idea what's going on. And figure skating needs good commentary as well, the judging system is so complex that most of the viewers need some expert information to be able to understand what's going on. And commentary should be fun to listen to and I usually like the Eurosport commentators very much.

Yeah, it's very likely I just can't put myself in the position who doesn't recognize all the jumps for example. And some more casual viewers probably require someone to tell them why exactly something is impressive, because it can be difficult to figure out whether something is truly special or commonplace within the sport.

Back when I watch figure skating more casually I preferred no commentary at all, during the program. Because that's always interrupting the performance, the mood a skater wants to set. Now, I'm okay either way, because usually I have the option to watch the same program on the internet without commentary anyway. German Eurosport try to stay quiet during the programs and talk afterwards. Sometimes they don't talk at all during a program, sometimes they do. Depends on the mood, I guess. Tomorrow is the day! Just one more night!

The absolute worst is when they turn the music volume down and talk over the music, sometimes with a story that is totally unrelated to the program. :noshake: It sometimes can be a pleasure to watch Ice Network with no commentary.

How can we put pressure on Eurosport regarding their figure skating coverage?

You can write a mail....they won't ever read, reply or acknowledge in any way. Or contact them on facebook, twitter, whatever. Fact is figure skating is a niche sport, that the (european) masses aren't invested/interested in. That's not Eurosport's fault though, as they show more than most other stations. If you read the newspaper in Germany, the sports section is 85% football (soccer), 5% motorsport and 10% other (depending if it's Summer/Winter).

honeygirl said:

How can we put pressure on Eurosport regarding their figure skating coverage?

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I'd like to try something , well anything!!!! I think I emailed them before complaining and never got even an acknowledgement back. Now I can't even find a section on the website for customer care or contact details.
I am so angry that they repeat the same meagre coverage (like 3 times mens short) not using these slots for other events. If they are so stuck they could show FS at night (I could record it) it still would be better than no coverage at all!

MaiKatze said:

You can write a mail....they won't ever read, reply or acknowledge in any way. Or contact them on facebook, twitter, whatever. Fact is figure skating is a niche sport, that the (european) masses aren't invested/interested in. That's not Eurosport's fault though, as they show more than most other stations. If you read the newspaper in Germany, the sports section is 85% football (soccer), 5% motorsport and 10% other (depending if it's Summer/Winter).

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I respectfully disagree they undertook to provide us with the coverage if they are not bothered why to get the rights in the first place. I wonder if we should complain to ISU instead questioning the geoblock

MaiKatze said:

You can write a mail....they won't ever read, reply or acknowledge in any way. Or contact them on facebook, twitter, whatever. Fact is figure skating is a niche sport, that the (european) masses aren't invested/interested in. That's not Eurosport's fault though, as they show more than most other stations. If you read the newspaper in Germany, the sports section is 85% football (soccer), 5% motorsport and 10% other (depending if it's Summer/Winter).

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But I don’t think they air much if any football at all on Eurosport 1 and 2 in the UK where they air figure skating?

Tutto said:

I respectfully disagree they undertook to provide us with the coverage if they are not bothered why to get the rights in the first place. I wonder if we should complain to ISU instead questioning the geoblock

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I presume Eurosport is paying quite a bit of money to air the figure skating? And they can’t or don’t air various programs in full? They can’t find any time in the schedule at this time of year especially to air it?

Tutto said:

I respectfully disagree they undertook to provide us with the coverage if they are not bothered why to get the rights in the first place. I wonder if we should complain to ISU instead questioning the geoblock

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Do you think they swore an holy oath? It's all about the money. I assume they know how many people watched figure skating on their channels, and it simply isn't enough. Heck, they run ads for a 'dating website' in the middle of the day during a figure skating competition - do you know who mostly watches figure skating? The main demographic is women with a high level education. They do not care about that demographic. I've written them several mails, years ago, they do not care. And the thing is, you CAN watch every competition on the player. You just don't have any commentary on it. I think it's better than nothing, because every other station in my country ignores figure skating completely, and that with a Gold Favourite Team. So yeah. I'm happy I have at least that.

honeygirl said:

But I don’t think they air much if any football at all on Eurosport 1 and 2 in the UK where they air figure skating?

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The important words in your post are "in the UK".

On the continent, Eurosport shows quite a lot of MLS (which is shown on Sky Sports in the British Isles) and Bundesliga (which is shown on BT Sport in the British Isles).

The MLS is an integral part of the Eurosport International schedule. In those countries in which Eurosport shows Bundesliga, it is given priority and space is cleared for it. Because as far as sports channels are concerned, everybody loves football!

Let's be blunt, figure skating is not a very popular sport in the British Isles. So, when British Eurosport has to fill in gaps where things they don't have the British rights for have been taken out, why would they show LIVE or delayed coverage of something that only has a small audience when they can instead show repeats of things that are popular?

It's harsh, and unfair on us fans of the smaller sports. But, that's the way these executives think.

And that is why Eurosport needs more linear channels! So, that the executives don't have to make these unfair decisions.

CaroLiza_fan

Looks like GP China is getting good coverage, all four SP events will be aired live on E2 (.nl, .com, I tried checking co uk but it won’t go as far as two weeks into the future for me on my smartphone...?)
Great!
Doesn’t make up for the awful coverage of weeks one and two, though...

CaroLiza_fan said:

The important words in your post are "in the UK".

On the continent, Eurosport shows quite a lot of MLS (which is shown on Sky Sports in the British Isles) and Bundesliga (which is shown on BT Sport in the British Isles).

The MLS is an integral part of the Eurosport International schedule. In those countries in which Eurosport shows Bundesliga, it is given priority and space is cleared for it. Because as far as sports channels are concerned, everybody loves football!

Let's be blunt, figure skating is not a very popular sport in the British Isles. So, when British Eurosport has to fill in gaps where things they don't have the British rights for have been taken out, why would they show LIVE or delayed coverage of something that only has a small audience when they can instead show repeats of things that are popular?

It's harsh, and unfair on us fans of the smaller sports. But, that's the way these executives think.

And that is why Eurosport needs more linear channels! So, that the executives don't have to make these unfair decisions.

CaroLiza_fan

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Best solution though we'd never get it, it'd look a bit odd, would a dedicated cycling channel to go alongside E1 and E2. Would take pressure off other channels, they'd easily fill it, plus wouldn't mean loads of extra channels they might not fill anyway. Perhaps we should all write to Eurosport, say we're huge cycling fans and can we have a dedicated channel bit like Sky Sports Premier League etc...

p.s. no more Ladies Free highlights on Sunday morning on E1 UK...

Miller said:

Best solution though we'd never get it, it'd look a bit odd, would a dedicated cycling channel to go alongside E1 and E2. Would take pressure off other channels, they'd easily fill it, plus wouldn't mean loads of extra channels they might not fill anyway. Perhaps we should all write to Eurosport, say we're huge cycling fans and can we have a dedicated channel bit like Sky Sports Premier League etc...

p.s. no more Ladies Free highlights on Sunday morning on E1 UK...

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There was a dedicated cycling channel on Sky for the past year or so called Bike. It had LIVE coverage of cycling races that Eurosport didn't. But it closed down last month.

This channel had nothing to do with Eurosport (it was actually Italian owned), and I think that was the problem. Eurosport had all the big ticket races, and fans were used to going to Eurosport for their cycling coverage.

Eurosport having a dedicated channel for cycling wouldn't work, as there are quite often two events on at the same time. So, unless they go down the route of not putting one of the races onto one of their general sport channels (which, as far as Eurosport are concerned, would be sacrilege!), we would still have to compete with cycling for a slot in the schedules. And I think we all know who would win.

Dedicated channels are fine if there are not multiple things on at the same time. I don't have Sky Sports, so I can't speak from personal experience. But I have been reading posts on the Digital Spy forum, and people have been complaining that since the new dedicated channels replaced the general sport channels, a whole pile of matches have been put onto a red-button service. And, as I said in an earlier comment, that means they can't be recorded.

With all the football rights that Sky Sports has, having a channel dedicated to the Premier League and a channel for all their other football was never going to work. They needed at least 2 general football channels.

And what is the point of Sky Sports Main Event?!* It just simulcasts things that are being shown on the dedicated channels. It would have been more sensible to have this as a third general football channel. Or else kept their teaser channel, Sky Sports Mix, in the Sports section of the EPG.

Incidentally, I used to watch Sky Sports Mix quite a lot. But, I haven't watched it once since it moved to the Entertainment section. In fact, I haven't watched anything in the Entertainment section for years, because it is such a mess. That is why I am dreading the next reshuffle, when the Documentary channels are going to be integrated into the Entertainment section.

Sorry for the topic:

CaroLiza_fan

*= I know that Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Extra exist because Sky doesn't supply their full range of channels to BT because of a dispute, but the government forced them to at least supply something. But, I just don't understand why Sky has Main Event wasting an EPG slot on the other platforms, when the slot could be used more productively.

MaiKatze said:

You can write a mail....they won't ever read, reply or acknowledge in any way. Or contact them on facebook, twitter, whatever. Fact is figure skating is a niche sport, that the (european) masses aren't invested/interested in. That's not Eurosport's fault though, as they show more than most other stations. If you read the newspaper in Germany, the sports section is 85% football (soccer), 5% motorsport and 10% other (depending if it's Summer/Winter).

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Oh, I got a reply the other day. It was a standard message but it said that my complaint would be forwarded, that's what I asked for. Not that I think that something is actually going to happen. I just had the time and I felt the need to let them know why I won't buy a monthly pass. I think they should know that they lose potential customers with their mediocre figure skating coverage.