Olympic Channel Figure Skating Galore

[tony]

I feel like this is 1999-2000 again with all of the figure skating that is being shown this season on American television.

The Olympic Channel, starting on 10/20, will feature full coverage of the Rostelecom Cup events (seriously, about 7 hours worth of short program/short dance) starting at 7AM. In between and after the competitions, they are doing 'Return to Sochi' and 2017 World Championship rebroadcasts. I've watched a few of the Olympic ladies gymnastics events that they've re-aired (from 1988 until the most recent), and they are great.

Also, it seems all events are being re-aired later in the day (primetime) for those that won't be able to watch live.

Let's hope this follows through all the way through the season. I know Universal used to have similar coverage, but it was never part of my channel lineup.

 

[Sylvia]

Posted originally by @ross_hy in the 2017 Rostelecom Cup subforum in Kiss & Cry:

US TV listings (per my program guide, all times Eastern):

Friday 10/20 (all on Olympic Channel)
Mens Short 7:00-9:00 AM
Short Dance 9:00-10:30 AM
Pairs Short 11:30 AM-1:00 PM
Ladies Short 1:00-3:00 PM

Saturday 10/21 (all on Olympic Channel)
Mens Free 6:30-8:30 AM
Free Dance 9:00-10:30 AM
Pairs Free 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Ladies Free 12:30-2:30 PM

All the Olympic Channel [live] broadcasts will repeat throughout the weekend.

Sunday 10/22 (NBC)
Recap 12:00-2:00 PM

 

[tony]

Also showing up on my TV schedule:

Monday 10/16:
8:00-10:00PM 2017 Worlds Free Dance
10:00-11:00PM Return to Sochi 'Ice Dancing'
11:00PM-12:00AM Return to Sochi 'Pairs figure skating'

Tuesday 10/17:
11:00AM-12:00PM Return to Sochi 'Pairs figure skating' (Repeat?)
8:00-10:00PM 2017 Worlds Mens Free Skate
10:00PM-12:00AM Return to Sochi 'Team figure skating'

Wednesday 10/18:
8:00-10:00PM 2017 Worlds Pairs Free Skate
10:00-11:00PM Return to Sochi 'Pairs figure skating' (Repeat?)

Thursday 10/19:
7:30-8:00PM Anatomy Of 'Rower & Figure Skater' - vague here, but says 'An Olympic rower and figure skater are analyzed'
8:00-10:00PM 2017 Worlds Ladies Free Skate
10:00PM-12:00AM Return to Sochi 'Ladies Figure Skating'

Then all of the Grand Prix Russia airings (Sylvia cross-posted the schedule above-- there are also re-airings later in the days / on Sunday of most events)

Saturday 10/21:
1:30-2:00AM Gold Medal Entourage - includes Maia & Alex Shibutani (repeated at 12:00PM Saturday afternoon)
2:30-3:30PM Return to Vancouver 'Figure skating'

Monday 10/23:
5:30-6:00PM Heroes of the Future - includes profile on South Korea's You Young
8:00-10:30PM Lillehammer '94: 16 Days of Glory - Bud Greenspan chronicles the Games, info is cut off but I'm sure skating will be shown heavily here

 

[Lanie]

Ugh. May need to convince my husband to get cable again so I can watch all this skating!

 

[Frau Muller]

Fabulous! Thank you @Tony Wheeler

 

[Sylvia]

http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2...rix-russia-figure-skating-coverage-this-week/

Andrea Joyce calls the action on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, alongside 2011 U.S. figure skating champion Ryan Bradley. Joyce will be joined by 2014 Olympic ice dance champion Charlie White for the ice dance competitions.

OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS – OCTOBER 16 – 23 [figure skating events]

Date Time (ET) Event
Mon., Oct. 16 8 p.m. 2017 World Figure Skating Championships: Free Dance
10 p.m. Return to Sochi: Ice Dancing
11 p.m. Return to Sochi: Pairs’ Figure Skating

Tues., Oct. 17
8 p.m. World Figure Skating Championships: Men’s Free
10 p.m. Return to Sochi: Team Figure Skating

Wed., Oct. 18
8 p.m. World Figure Skating Championships: Pairs’ Free

Thur., Oct. 19
8 p.m. World Figure Skating Championships: Ladies’ Free
10 p.m. Return to Sochi: Ladies’ Figure Skating

ISU Grand Prix Figure Skating [RUSSIA]:
Fri., Oct. 20 7 a.m. Men’s Short (LIVE)
9 a.m. Short Dance (LIVE)
11:30 a.m. Pairs’ Short (LIVE)
1 p.m. Ladies’ Short (LIVE)
Sat., Oct. 21 6:30 a.m. Men’s Free (LIVE)
9 a.m. Free Dance (LIVE)
10:30 a.m. Pairs’ Free (LIVE)
12:30 p.m. Ladies’ Free (LIVE)

2:30 p.m. Return to Vancouver: Figure Skating

Mon., Oct. 23
8 p.m. Olympic Films: Lillehammer ’94: 16 Days of Glory

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Can we get a note to Ryan Bradley to nicely ask him to stop identifying and commenting on every single jump, throw, and twist? And to stop speaking to us like we're children?

 

[Aceon6]

Can we get a note to Ryan Bradley to nicely ask him to stop identifying and commenting on every single jump, throw, and twist? And to stop speaking to us like we're children?

Already on it... tweet @OlympicChannel.

 

[Willin]

@TanithandBenFan I do hope you were joking and not being serious.

You realize that there are a lot of people that watch that aren't as obsessive skating fans, particularly in an Olympic year? (Maybe not the Olympic Channel broadcasts, but maybe the programs NBC posts on their YouTube/FB/Twitter) Not only that, but he might be doing the live overnight broadcast during the Olympics with Johnny and Tara doing the primetime commentary. They did that in Sochi - except Tara and Johnny were the live broadcast and Scott Hamilton and co were primetime.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I was completely serious. He can be informative without identifying every single jump. It becomes extremely repetitive and annoying. His manner of speaking also doesn't work for TV commentary IMO. It doesn't sound like he's addressing casual fans. It sounds like he's bringing it down to a grade school audience.

The early groups at the Olympics will be live in prime time too. They'll be in the early evening. I would love to see John Coughlin get the nod for those if they're shown on NBC Sports. The work he did commentating last year was great. Pleasant voice and he picked his spots to provide valuabe information during the programs.

 

[tony]

I tend to be able to zone the commentators out but Ryan has this way of saying things all exactly the same way. When someone does a jump element, for example, he tends to say something like "and she la-handds it" with a slow, drawn out voice and a little giggle in the middle. Every. Single. Time. It's all very forced and I know commentators are expected to talk in a certain way but his is just too phony sounding.

Tanith is a natural and always very sweet, but she went on this tangent about Tarasova/Morozov's LP music either at Worlds or the WTT or something last year and it was hilarious. I'd rather hear them be casual (yet informative) than robotic.

 

[Willin]

If you don't like it, you can watch the IceNetwork stream. I prefer that commentary be to those who may not know as much. It's pretentious to assume that the broadcast is made only for figure skating superfans who can easily identify those jumps.

Sure, it is annoying since I know what I'm looking at, but I would rather have informative commentary that makes the broadcast or social media clips accessible to non-fans than something that alienates people from the sport because it's too technical. You see it with all commentary. Even in sports like Basketball and Football, where the majority of viewers have a good idea of what is happening, they keep things simple and over-identify everything so as not to leave anyone out of the broadcast. For instance, I know very little about gymnastics, yet it helps me to watch if I have someone explaining everything I'm seeing.

(Also, if you're calling Bradley's noises/giggles bad, you must not have seen any of Scott Hamilton's broadcasts. At least Bradley can get sentences and words out without odd and uncomfortable grunting noises after every jump.)

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I don't think casual fans need to know (or want to know) the name of every single jump, though. It's overkill. They also don't need a description of the way the jump is landed when they can see for themselves if a skater struggled with it or landed it perfectly. Even a non-fan can tell a good jump from a bad one. It's just too much talking period. It ruins the mood of the programs. I'm paying for the Olympic Channel on cable so I can watch a clear picture superior to IN. I'm just asking NBC to give us a better listening experience. Scott Hamilton was awful, but at least he was balanced by Sandra.

 

[mollymgr]

I don't think casual fans need to know (or want to know) the name of every single jump, though. It's overkill. They also don't need a description of the way the jump is landed when they can see for themselves if a skater struggled with it or landed it perfectly. Even a non-fan can tell a good jump from a bad one. It's just too much talking period. It ruins the mood of the programs. I'm paying for the Olympic Channel on cable so I can watch a clear picture superior to IN. I'm just asking NBC to give us a better listening experience. Scott Hamilton was awful, but at least he was balanced by Sandra.

It looked like he was announcing it straight from the program planned content jump list. It would have helped if he switched it up to talk about the music, choreography and not announce and confirm every jump in its unabbreviated name. And what's with the slo-mo talking too?

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Yeah, if he's going to talk that much it would be nice to throw in a few words to help the casual fans know there's more to a program than jumps. It's like spins and step sequences and skating skills don't exist.

Still, I LOVE this coverage. Ice Network who?

 

[Sylvia]

IceNetwork's live streaming has been working well for me and I prefer no commentary anyway. (I can't get the Olympic Channel without upgrading, sigh.)

... I would love to see John Coughlin get the nod for those if they're shown on NBC Sports. The work he did commentating last year was great. Pleasant voice and he picked his spots to provide valuabe information during the programs.

I really hope John Coughlin gets the opportunity to do more TV commentary.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

I wonder if Coughlin will take over the Ice Desk and commentary for Tanith at Skate America? He's done that before when she had to be elsewhere.

 

[skatesindreams]

(I can't get the Olympic Channel without upgrading, sigh.)

Neither can I; and Spectrum is already "ripping me off," after their takeover.
My bill went up by over $50/mo.
They are unwilling to negotiate.

 

[Aceon6]

@TanithandBenFan I do hope you were joking and not being serious.

You realize that there are a lot of people that watch that aren't as obsessive skating fans, particularly in an Olympic year? (Maybe not the Olympic Channel broadcasts, but maybe the programs NBC posts on their YouTube/FB/Twitter) Not only that, but he might be doing the live overnight broadcast during the Olympics with Johnny and Tara doing the primetime commentary. They did that in Sochi - except Tara and Johnny were the live broadcast and Scott Hamilton and co were primetime.

I doubt that people getting up at o dark thirty to watch Rostelecom are newbies. The key in broadcasting is to know your audience. I plan to tell the producers what I thought worked and what didn't.

 

[Willin]

@Aceon6 Yes, I understand that part, but as I mentioned in my posts, NBC Olympics and Team USA post videos of the programs on their social media pages and as you can see in the comments there are a decent amount of casual fans watching clips of individual programs.

Also, he does say a lot other than jump names. I'm watching the ladies FS right now and he's only named a few of the jumps and is giving pretty good analysis and tidbits about skaters. For Mariah Bell he's talked about her reworking her technique and energy.

 

[Aceon6]

But he WONT SHUT UP!!! That's a problem.

 

[icie]

I find Ryan annoying. I watched back to Sochi with Scot & Sandra. I find them much more annoying than Ryan. I'll take Ryan over them.

Please bring back Uncle Dicky, Peggy & Terry

 

[Wyliefan]

I just turned the TV back on and Plushenko was skating. Some show called "Return to Vancouver." Olympic Channel's like a time machine.

 

[rfisher]

But he WONT SHUT UP!!! That's a problem.

Really makes you appreciate Ted Barton doesn't it. He gives you all the information you need to know, has something positive to say about the skate and doesn't talk during the skate. Of course, he doesn't have a director yelling go to commercial in his ear, but still.

 

[clairecloutier]

Ted is good, but I think one thing people tend to overlook with his commentary is that he doesn't attempt to call jumps in real time, like network commentators do when they're calling live events. He waits until the replays are on and he has access to the callers' scores in the system before he makes any comment. Simply put, that makes his job much easier ... the callers' marks guide his comments, and he doesn't run the risk of making mistakes. When Ryan, Johnny, or Tara are calling jumps as they happen, that's much harder ... same for when Jackie Wong or other analysts are live-tweeting comps... anyhow.

I don't mind Ryan's commentary. I feel he is mostly technically based in his commentary, with only a nod to performance level in many cases, but then, that kind of reflects the system. I have not felt his commentary is condescending, but it can get a bit repetitive at times, I agree. I enjoy Universal's dance commentary, especially from Ben or Tanith. They point out some great technical things that I wouldn't notice on my own. Charlie's commentary is okay--I feel he is often too general and too vanilla in his remarks, I'd like him to get more into the specifics. (But I haven't heard him yet this season.)

So it turns out we'd have to pay $25 extra a month to upgrade to the Olympic Channel, so I'm going to try to hold off on that until we get to Natls/4CCs/Olympics. For now I'll try to rely on a mix of IceNetwork, TvTeka, and videos.

I have to say, the IceNetwork stream from Russia worked beautifully for me, I didn't have a single problem with it. It definitely seems like a lot (most?) of their issues may be related to the quality of stream/bandwidth from the actual event provider.

 

[rfisher]

Almost all the non-US events are fine on IN. It's the domestic feeds they fall way down on. They just borrow the non-US streams which are of much higher quality than what they do with US nationals, SKAM or the SLC event. MLB could care less as IN is a very small part of their streaming and apparently the USFSA can't afford to link with someone who does care.

I already have the Olympic channel and it was a treat to watch in HD on the big screen. I can put up with Ryan.

 

[Aceon6]

I'm getting tired of typing the network name. OChannel from now on.

I'm leaning towards preferring OChannel over IN. Pros: video quality, no need to tie up the computer, ability to pause and replay via my DVR, commercials useful for human needs. Cons: we don't see much of the warmups and a good chance they'll Chack a skater or two if the comp doesn't start on the hour or half hour, too much talking.

 

[mollymgr]

I'm getting tired of typing the network name. OChannel from now on.

I'm leaning towards preferring OChannel over IN. Pros: video quality, no need to tie up the computer, ability to pause and replay via my DVR, commercials useful for human needs. Cons: we don't see much of the warmups and a good chance they'll Chack a skater or two if the comp doesn't start on the hour or half hour, too much talking.

I agree, it is so long to type. I have been meaning to refer to it as OLYC as that's the name that shows up on my TV.

 

[Susan1]

I don't think casual fans need to know (or want to know) the name of every single jump, though. It's overkill. They also don't need a description of the way the jump is landed when they can see for themselves if a skater struggled with it or landed it perfectly. Even a non-fan can tell a good jump from a bad one. It's just too much talking period. It ruins the mood of the programs. I'm paying for the Olympic Channel on cable so I can watch a clear picture superior to IN. I'm just asking NBC to give us a better listening experience. Scott Hamilton was awful, but at least he was balanced by Sandra.

Sidebar - at Stars On Ice eons ago, boyfriend kept saying "was that a triple" about practically every jump. AAARRRGGGHHH.

I agree, it is so long to type. I have been meaning to refer to it as OLYC as that's the name that shows up on my TV.

I like that! Since it's a thread about skating on the OLYC, any abbreviation would do.

 

[A.H.Black]

How about the "OC"?