Grand Prix 12-13 only for Univesal Sports Subscribers?

[wenrose]

Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to pay for delayed Internet coverage from either Ice Network or Universal. I subscribe to Jackie Wong's Examiner feed that gives full results along with video's of every performance the next day FOR FREE! (http://www.examiner.com/user/registe...359326/1760961)

FYI: I have been a fan of this sport for 40 years and have been to over 40 National and International competitions. But I will not pay another dime to be a participate in a sport that is being killed by greed and a judging system that rewards failure almost as much as it does success. I can't believe I'm the only one who feels this way.

Wendy

[RobinA]

Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to pay for delayed Internet coverage from either Ice Network or Universal. I subscribe to Jackie Wong's Examiner feed that gives full results along with video's of every performance the next day FOR FREE! (http://www.examiner.com/user/registe...359326/1760961)

FYI: I have been a fan of this sport for 40 years and have been to over 40 National and International competitions. But I will not pay another dime to be a participate in a sport that is being killed by greed and a judging system that rewards failure almost as much as it does success. I can't believe I'm the only one who feels this way.

Wendy

You aren't. I could have written your post. Been a fan since 1967, and I fear that is coming to an end. I'm not changing cable systems every couple years to follow skating around (I did this once to get Universal, but I'm not doing it again), and it's just no damn fun watching it on the computer. I'll still go to events, but I'll just go not knowing a single skater. I don't know if I'll like it that way, I guess we'll see.

[Ziggy]

Yes I know that it's terrible that things change but instead of just whining you two could also acknowledge that thanks to the internet we now got the access to far far more skating than we have ever did before.

On YouTube, through people making videos and posting clips on file sharing websites, thanks to various internet tv channels and live streaming provided by competition organisers.

I certainly don't miss the days when I was totally reliant on Eurosport which only showed some of the performances and only showed Euros and Worlds (with few exceptions).

I actually remember the pre-internet days where I would check Eurosport schedule every single week for a year not to miss Euros or Worlds. Definitely don't miss that.

[RobinA]

Yes I know that it's terrible that things change but instead of just whining you two could also acknowledge that thanks to the internet we now got the access to far far more skating than we have ever did before.

On YouTube, through people making videos and posting clips on file sharing websites, thanks to various internet tv channels and live streaming provided by competition organisers.

In theory there is access to far more skating on the Internet these days, but in terms of something I'd like to watch? Not so much. I want to watch a competition, not go digging through the internet for this clip and that clip. I have a million channels on cable and the internet, yet in 1970 I could sit down in front of my TV and watch some skating on Wide World of Sports. Saw a lot of great skating moments that way. That's how I became a fan. I saw more skating in 1970 than I did last year, when Worlds was not broadcast. The internet is great for people who have the time and inclination to spend hours sifting through it to find what they want and don't mind watching on a computer. How about the people might love skating but don't know it yet? Where do they get exposed?

I subscribed to icenetwork one year and the quality of the stream was quite bad. Plus, trying to watch on a laptop was very uncomfortable. Not to mention having to go searching for competitions on obscure sites is certainly NOT the way to increase the fanbase. Without getting figure skating in front of people who are not now fans, it's just going to die as a watched sport.

My opinion - they are committing suicide. I'll miss it, but it's not the only game in town. They need fans more that the fans need them.

[Oldsk8ter]

Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to pay for delayed Internet coverage from either Ice Network or Universal. I subscribe to Jackie Wong's Examiner feed that gives full results along with video's of every performance the next day FOR FREE! (http://www.examiner.com/user/registe...359326/1760961)

FYI: I have been a fan of this sport for 40 years and have been to over 40 National and International competitions. But I will not pay another dime to be a participate in a sport that is being killed by greed and a judging system that rewards failure almost as much as it does success. I can't believe I'm the only one who feels this way.

Wendy

You aren't the only one who feels this way. I too have followed the sport for more than 40 years and am saddened to see where it is today.

[AJ Skatefan]

I have a million channels on cable and the internet, yet in 1970 I could sit down in front of my TV and watch some skating on Wide World of Sports. Saw a lot of great skating moments that way. That's how I became a fan. I saw more skating in 1970 than I did last year, when Worlds was not broadcast.

I know what you're saying but didn't Wide World of Sports only show a couple hours of skating? Now you can watch a couple of hours of skating on NBC each week. And actually, NBC did broadcast two or three hours of Worlds last season. Not great, I know, and I really wish it were more. But is it really that much less than Wide World of Sports back in the 70's? For me, the glory days were when ESPN and ABC covered lots of the Grand Prix, Nationals, and Worlds.

[Karina1974]

The internet is great for people who have the time and inclination to spend hours sifting through it to find what they want and don't mind watching on a computer. How about the people might love skating but don't know it yet? Where do they get exposed?

Or how about the people who don't have the money to spend on ultra-high speed Internet so that they can watch online video without the feed constantly freezing up?

For me, the glory days were when ESPN and ABC covered lots of the Grand Prix, Nationals, and Worlds.

Oh, absolutely. I have so many tapes upon tapes of competitions from ABC/ESPN/ESPN2. I could fill up an 8-hour tape with just Worlds coverage.

[skatesindreams]

I know what you're saying but didn't Wide World of Sports only show a couple hours of skating? Now you can watch a couple of hours of skating on NBC each week. And actually, NBC did broadcast two or three hours of Worlds last season. Not great, I know, and I really wish it were more. But is it really that much less than Wide World of Sports back in the 70's? For me, the glory days were when ESPN and ABC covered lots of the Grand Prix, Nationals, and Worlds.

I doubt that we would have seen even the few hours of skating per year that we saw on WWoS if Dick Button's company hadn't supplied/provided the footage, before ABC Sports saw fit to send their team to cover events.

I regret that network coverage is regressing to the level it was years ago.
However, I'm grateful for the Internet options that make it possible to see coverage that we never had access to before.

Believe me. it's much better than the alternative.
Do you really want to have no access to coverage?

[Iceman]

Sad to say, but I wish they would go ahead and take skating off life support so it can go ahead and die in dignity. Trying to find some way to watch the competitions and follow the sport has become an aggravation, not a pleasure. Each year I swear it is the last year I will put myself through that because the pleasure has become tarnished, and I am beginning to feel not worth the great effort required.