ISU announces YouTube live streaming of Grand Prix & ISU Championships in 2019/20 (geo-restrictions will apply)

[honey]

Their Gem app streams live sport events but you need to pay the monthly subscription fee. It will be interesting to see if they add skating events. Nothing appears for October right now.

In the past I streamed live skating events from CBC on the gem app for free. Not sure if it will be the same this season.

 

[Anemone]

I'll take an online stream on CBC website over the nothing we thought we would get a week ago. Maybe with the online stream we'll get lucky and have PJ Kwong for commentary again.
I'm also intrigued by the skating show mention, and will definitely try to catch the first episode to see what I think of it.

 

[luckiest1]

One of the tweets did confirm that PJ Kwong would be doing analysis.

 

[made_in_canada]

I'm going to be honest, live streaming via YouTube would actually have been easier because CBC Sports doesn't have an app for streaming via streaming boxes so I'll have to screen mirror from my iPad, which I've done hundreds of times but I was kind of excited to have an easy process to watch the skating for once. I know this is the opposite of an actual problem but oh well.

Interesting that the tweet only mentions streaming though and nothing about the skating being broadcast on TV. I wonder if they're just going to stream it online.

I can cast from the CBC gem app to my tv.

 

[Jay42]

Given the tight timeline CBC may not have the team ready to go yet, but since they don't have rights to broadcast Skate Canada next weekend I wonder if they will possibly have delayed TV coverage of Skate America next weekend.

Also wondering, if they had to pay a lot more for the rights, if maybe they will decide to enforce geo-blocking from the ISU stream now. Hope not.

CBC hasn't had the rights to Skate Canada for years. Any event that takes place in Canada gets broadcast on CTV/TSN. Which is what I'm expecting to happen with Worlds but I haven't been able to find anything out for sure so I'm just going to wait until the new year to start checking the schedules for CBC and CTV to see which network is broadcasting Worlds.

Their Gem app streams live sport events but you need to pay the monthly subscription fee. It will be interesting to see if they add skating events. Nothing appears for October right now.

I can cast from the CBC gem app to my tv.

I've always cast from the CBC Sports app to my TV. I didn't know that I could livestream from Gem for their sports stuff so I'll have to check that out. Their monthly fee is lower than TSN's is at least.

 

[Alilou]

CBC hasn't had the rights to Skate Canada for years. Any event that takes place in Canada gets broadcast on CTV/TSN. Which is what I'm expecting to happen with Worlds but I haven't been able to find anything out for sure so I'm just going to wait until the new year to start checking the schedules for CBC and CTV to see which network is broadcasting Worlds.


I've always cast from the CBC Sports app to my TV. I didn't know that I could livestream from Gem for their sports stuff so I'll have to check that out. Their monthly fee is lower than TSN's is at least.

CTV/TSN only has the rights to Skate Canada and Nationals. The rights to worlds will be included in the CBC package as usual.

 

[Alilou]

One of the tweets did confirm that PJ Kwong would be doing analysis.

Yay!

 

[made_in_canada]

CBC hasn't had the rights to Skate Canada for years. Any event that takes place in Canada gets broadcast on CTV/TSN. Which is what I'm expecting to happen with Worlds but I haven't been able to find anything out for sure so I'm just going to wait until the new year to start checking the schedules for CBC and CTV to see which network is broadcasting Worlds.


I've always cast from the CBC Sports app to my TV. I didn't know that I could livestream from Gem for their sports stuff so I'll have to check that out. Their monthly fee is lower than TSN's is at least.

You only need to pay if you don’t want ads or you want their news network. Otherwise it’s free

 

[Jay42]

You only need to pay if you don’t want ads or you want their news network. Otherwise it’s free

I signed up for the free trial. Ads this weekend would mean 5,000 election commercials and I get enough of that online as it is.

 

[Sally1214]

WOW ... did not see that coming!! Right now, there's no mention of the Grand Prix streaming on the CBC website, so this has got to be "hot off the press." But, I'm a happy camper.

eta: Wouldn't you know it? I deleted the CBC sports players from my bookmarks bar just last night!! Guess I'd better get it back up there again.

 

[Skate Talker]

CBC hasn't had the rights to Skate Canada for years. Any event that takes place in Canada gets broadcast on CTV/TSN.

Yes I know that, which is exactly why I thought CBC MAY WANT to show Skate America on their Saturday sports that weekend in direct competition with what CTV is showing, if they can't manage to set it up in time for this weekend.

 

[victorskid]

Yes I know that, which is exactly why I thought CBC MAY WANT to show Skate America on their Saturday sports that weekend in direct competition with what CTV is showing, if they can't manage to set it up in time for this weekend.

According to what Scott Russell (of CBC Sports) said on his Facebook live with PJ Kwong this afternoon (for Skate Ontario), CBC will be streaming the GP events (except Skate Canada International) and will have TV coverage of Worlds from Montreal. He explained that the price for the TV broadcast rights, which had to include both figure skating and speed skating, was exorbitant and this was the deal that they had come up with.

Skate Canada (the organization) has an agreement with CTV/TSN for the broadcast of events in Canada organized by Skate Canada, including Skate Canada International and Canadians.

 

[manhn]

Why is the ISU charging so much for tv rights?

 

[victorskid]

Why is the ISU charging so much for tv rights?

Because they think they can?

 

[manhn]

Because they think they can?

Can they? Normally, sellers sell high because there are multiple buyers wanting their product.

 

[Orm Irian]

TV broadcast rights, which had to include both figure skating and speed skating

Well, that explains why SBS hasn't picked the rights up this year. Australia cares even less about speed skating than it does about figure skating; it doesn't even rate the sort of dinky 'Summer of X' recap show on Saturday afternoons that skating and gynmastics get.

 

[victorskid]

Can they? Normally, sellers sell high because there are multiple buyers wanting their product.

I should have emphasized the "think" part Apparently there are relatively few customers around the world willing to pay and that may be part of the reason for the use of the YouTube channel.

 

[Colonel Green]

I should have emphasized the "think" part Apparently there are relatively few customers around the world willing to pay and that may be part of the reason for the use of the YouTube channel.

I can understand trying to get the best deal, but in this case it seems like all they did was reduce skating's volume of coverage in Canada -- now, I don't think the loss of the Grand Prix clip show broadcasts is a huge loss (the days when young people just sat around channel surfing and stumbled across skating are pretty much gone anyway), but all the same, it seems like they should prefer that somebody be putting these on TV in some capacity.

Also, bluntly, I could have told them that they were never going to be able to wring more money out of the CBC, our perpetually cash-strapped public broadcaster.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Well, that explains why SBS hasn't picked the rights up this year.

Is that confirmed? I remember last year they didn't start showing GP highlights until several weeks after they had started, so was wondering if it was going to be the same this year. The live broadcasting rights are likely to be different to the rights to delayed broadcasts (and hence no geo-block for the live stream).

 

[Orm Irian]

Is that confirmed? I remember last year they didn't start showing GP highlights until several weeks after they had started, so was wondering if it was going to be the same this year. The live broadcasting rights are likely to be different to the rights to delayed broadcasts (and hence no geo-block for the live stream).

As of this time last week when I asked them, they were only 'hoping' to be able to stream some events via OnDemand, whereas by this time last year the streaming was confirmed and advertised. There was no mention of TV at all. They might be able to wangle a deal for the Summer of Skating series on TV eventually, I suppose, but if they have to buy speed skating rights as well when there's no audience for speed skating, why would they bother?

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

As of this time last week when I asked them, they were only 'hoping' to be able to stream some events via OnDemand, whereas by this time last year the streaming was confirmed and advertised. There was no mention of TV at all. They might be able to wangle a deal for the Summer of Skating series on TV eventually, I suppose, but if they have to buy speed skating rights as well when there's no audience for speed skating, why would they bother?

While they race, maybe we could ask the speed skaters to throw in a double axel, some footwork, and a spin or two, to generate some outside interest with hardcore figure skating fans.

 

[Japanfan]

I signed up for the free trial. Ads this weekend would mean 5,000 election commercials and I get enough of that online as it is.

Could you provide the link for where you signed up? SFAIK, you are in Canada. But I may have got that wrong.

Thanks.

 

[Bunny Hop]

As of this time last week when I asked them, they were only 'hoping' to be able to stream some events via OnDemand, whereas by this time last year the streaming was confirmed and advertised. There was no mention of TV at all. They might be able to wangle a deal for the Summer of Skating series on TV eventually, I suppose, but if they have to buy speed skating rights as well when there's no audience for speed skating, why would they bother?

Thanks for the info. Glad you went to the trouble of asking.

It does seem like the ISU has shot themselves in the foot by wanting to tie in speed skating as well, particularly when trying to sell to countries with only a very tenuous interest in winter sports at the best of times.

 

[nimi]

For those in the US: NBC Sports Gold offers a free trial period for SkAm
https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/figure-skating

Sign up now for a Figure Skating Pass FREE TRIAL to watch 2019 Skate America live or on-demand. Watch all the excitement from Las Vegas - now through October 19, 2019*.

• Available in the U.S. only
• Billed $59.99 on 10/20/19

(...)

*Free Trial includes live streaming of Ladies Free at 12 am ET on 10/20/19

According to Jackie:

Just seeing a press release that @NBCSportsGold will be streaming practices from #SkateAmerica. Color me impressed.

 

[barbarafan]

As of this time last week when I asked them, they were only 'hoping' to be able to stream some events via OnDemand, whereas by this time last year the streaming was confirmed and advertised. There was no mention of TV at all. They might be able to wangle a deal for the Summer of Skating series on TV eventually, I suppose, but if they have to buy speed skating rights as well when there's no audience for speed skating, why would they bother?

CBC broadcasting schedule for livestreaming has been updated to include Skate America.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figureskating/broadcast

 

[Orm Irian]

CBC broadcasting schedule for livestreaming has been updated to include Skate America.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figureskating/broadcast

...not quite clear on how this connects to the post of mine you quoted, but I'm sure the Canadians will be happy?

 

[barbarafan]

...not quite clear on how this connects to the post of mine you quoted, but I'm sure the Canadians will be happy?

Yes....cdns will be happy. However you can set up the vpn to canada and then watch it as well.

 

[Simone411]

For those in the US: NBC Sports Gold offers a free trial period for SkAm
https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/figure-skating


According to Jackie:

I received their email this morning with that offer. It's a two day only free trial period when you sign up. On the 20th, they will bill you 59.99. In my case, I won't have a discount, and can't afford 59.99 at the moment because of my budget. I'll be watching on NBC and NBC Sports channel.

I also found a list of territories that could be geo-blocked at Skating News at ISU.org. It will also be updated.

Where to watch ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

Although the live stream will be available in a number of countries, below is a list of territories where geo-restrictions could apply. Best efforts will be used to communicate any changes and updates to the list of geo-restricted territories. For precise details of broadcaster coverage please check local listings.

Just scroll down to look at the list.

 

[skategal]

I'm going to be honest, live streaming via YouTube would actually have been easier

Same here.

I always have buffering issues with the CBC Live stream but rarely with Youtube.

 

[SamuraiK]

So, any final list about the geoblocked countries?