Universal Sports going off free tv..

[Sandy]

Nanigirl,

Yes, Universal Sports will provide coverage for the World Championships with live event broadcasting March 28-31.

I have been looking Uni Sports to find out about Worlds, could not find anything. If I may ask, where did you find it?
I signed for Premier Four Continents but saw nothing for Worlds. I am one of the unfortunate persons that has FIOS!!

[LEO59]

I have been looking Uni Sports to find out about Worlds, could not find anything. If I may ask, where did you find it?
I signed for Premier Four Continents but saw nothing for Worlds. I am one of the unfortunate persons that has FIOS!!

Sandy Keep US works for Universal Sports so if He/She says it going to be on then it will be..

[Sandy]

Sandy Keep US works for Universal Sports so if He/She says it going to be on then it will be..

Thanks Leo59!!!

[icedancer2]

Will Worlds be on icenetwork?

[Sylvia]

Will Worlds be on icenetwork?

Yes, as well as Four Continents - see: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

[icedancer2]

Yes, as well as Four Continents - see: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

thank you.

What a crock that you have to pay extra to stream it...

[emason]

thank you.

What a crock that you have to pay extra to stream it...

Why is it a crock and why do you feel you are entitled to something for free?

[AJ Skatefan]

Why is it a crock and why do you feel you are entitled to something for free?

That's a good question.

[A.H.Black]

Why is it a crock and why do you feel you are entitled to something for free?

I think the poster was expressing frustration that those who have already subscribed for the year are now expected to pay extra. I would be frustrated too. I would expect a subscription to cover the full year of competition.

[AJ Skatefan]

I think the poster was expressing frustration that those who have already subscribed for the year are now expected to pay extra. I would be frustrated too. I would expect a subscription to cover the full year of competition.

When people subscribed at the beginning of the season it was spelled out which competitions were part of the package. 4CC and Worlds were not on the list.

[BreakfastClub]

When people subscribed at the beginning of the season it was spelled out which competitions were part of the package. 4CC and Worlds were not on the list.

Agree. And IN has never included 4CC and Worlds before in their package - this was clearly something they've negotiated extra for during the year. Personally I am THRILLED they negotiated this deal and that I can get full coverage of both for $6. In more than two decades as a fan, the only way I've reliably seen this much of either competition is when I was there live. It's unprecedented. Some people just like to hang out on the internet and bitch.

[skatesindreams]

I'd rather have access to full coverage via internet for a nominal fee; than little/no coverage on cable or broadcast TV,
The quality of the feed has improved markedly over what it was when online coverage began, as well.

[icedancer2]

Agree. And IN has never included 4CC and Worlds before in their package - this was clearly something they've negotiated extra for during the year. Personally I am THRILLED they negotiated this deal and that I can get full coverage of both for $6. In more than two decades as a fan, the only way I've reliably seen this much of either competition is when I was there live. It's unprecedented. Some people just like to hang out on the internet and bitch.

True, true. I spoke too soon. I am grateful that I will be able to see Worlds AT ALL.

Used that term "crock" much too quickly!

[Keep US]

Hey everyone! I'm glad to see you all are concerned about your Figure Skating coverage and I wanted to clear some things up. As many of you know, the Four Continents competition is going on right now. If your TV provider currently does not have Universal Sports Network, you can still access the event by going to http://www.universalsports.com/figur...ide/index.html and signing up for our figure skating viewing package or by checking it out on Ice Network. Also catch our encore presentation of RISE next Wednesday at 8 pm ET on Universal Sports. Then coming in March, don’t miss our coverage of the Figure Skating World Championships (3/26-31).

We know that many of you have been calling and emailing your TV providers. Your tireless support is greatly appreciated. It is important that the TV providers recognize the value of Universal Sports Network's world-class sports offerings so we can finalize agreements that will allow more fans to have access to our network. We are doing what we can to make the network available to you. We hope to have an announcement soon.

In the meantime, we know it’s hard, but please continue to call 1-800-55-GET-US, go to http://unisports.tv/gfepVd, and spread the word that you want Universal Sports! Post 1-800-55-GET-US and http://unisports.tv/gfepVd on your Facebook page and tweet it out on Twitter.

Thank you for your loyalty.

[A.H.Black]

Thanks for checking in KeepUS. As always I am grateful that someone at Universal keeps in touch occasionally.

Honestly however, my loyalty is to figure skating - Not to Universal Sports! Any loyalty I have felt to Universal came from my feeling that Universal seemed to recognize the value of the sports I follow - figure skating, gymnastics, and other Olympic Sports. I understand Universal's need to change the way they deliver their product, but I have felt great frustration about how the whole thing has played out over the last several months.

I am now actively working on finding other ways to view figure skating. I am finding some success along the way. If those announcements are are delayed too long, some of us will have moved on.

[PDilemma]

Thanks for checking in KeepUS. As always I am grateful that someone at Universal keeps in touch occasionally.

Honestly however, my loyalty is to figure skating - Not to Universal Sports! Any loyalty I have felt to Universal came from my feeling that Universal seemed to recognize the value of the sports I follow - figure skating, gymnastics, and other Olympic Sports. I understand Universal's need to change the way they deliver their product, but I have felt great frustration about how the whole thing has played out over the last several months.

I am now actively working on finding other ways to view figure skating. I am finding some success along the way. If those announcements are are delayed too long, some of us will have moved on.

Agreed.

The longer this situation continues, the more I am inclined to think that it is somehow in NBC/Universal's immediate interests to NOT deal with cable companies and NOT see that programming is available to a wide audience. The process has seemed duplicitous; the only winner thus far is Direct TV, and fans have been forced to seek alternatives to get coverage. By selling internet coverage, Universal is still profiting from skating and seems to have little desire to change this status quo. My cable company has added channels in the past month, but not Universal. If Universal truly desired to stay in cable line-ups, they would be doing so.

I hope that the ISU and USFSA wakes up to the fact that the sport is losing its audience by continuing to limit television coverage in the United States to a network that doesn't care about being widely available.

[Reuven]

Also agree. While I do have DirecTV, I am not currently subscribing to the sports package where US is. It would seem to me the best thing all around would be to have US included in the packages one step up from whatever the provider designates as a “basic” package. Either that, or, if one has to pay for US, make it commercial free. Why should I have to pay for the privilege of being delivered to advertisers? How about a little more flexibility there, US? After all, you claim you want to have "agreements that will allow more fans to have access to our network.” Remember, we are Figure Skating fans, not US fans. or is it just about the money?

[DORISPULASKI]

I thought US Sports was the only channel that wanted the skating?

[PDilemma]

I thought US Sports was the only channel that wanted the skating?

No idea about that.

But something smells about all of this.

NBC Universal owns Universal Sports. NBC Universal merged with Comcast.

But NBC Universal cannot make a deal with Comcast to air their channel on its cable network? Really???

That alone tells me that NBC Universal has another motive in this whole thing. Perhaps the motive is to push Olympic sports to internet subscription service. Perhaps it is something else. Who knows?

(And I don't even have Comcast cable...so that's not the reason for my question).

[DORISPULASKI]

I did have Universal Sports, and I paid Comcast a pretty penny for it, because to get it, I had to get the high end sports package. If you had a newer TV, you could get it for cheaper, but we didn't.

I will go back to basic Plus, and watch skating on IN or US sports on line if Comcast isn't carrying US.