U.S. Figure Skating & NBC Sports Group Partner on Media Rights Agreement through 2026

[TanithandBenFan]

Press release from USFS:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/story?id=91486&type=media

I wonder what this means for viewers outside the USA. I subscribed to icenetwork purely to watch US nationals (everything else was geoblocked). Will nationals still be available to throws outside the US? My guess is no

I looked at the NBC Sports Gold website, and some of their current sports passes are available to users outside the US, so there could be some hope.

 

[skatesindreams]

Waiting for details.

I'm glad that it will not be tied to my cable television.
I hope that it won't cost more than IN,

 

[Barbara Manatee]

This should be great for watching live competitions. My worry is that NBC Sports doesn't keep replays up for long, so there may be no catching up with events I didn't have the time for, or going back to compare how programs/skaters evolve over the season.

 

[kittyjake5]

Another article.

https://www.change.org/p/8208341/u/...8884871&l=32_HTML&u=57566041&mid=7259882&jb=1

 

[Lara]

This should be great for watching live competitions. My worry is that NBC Sports doesn't keep replays up for long, so there may be no catching up with events I didn't have the time for, or going back to compare how programs/skaters evolve over the season.

NBC Sports doesn't but I would hope that Gold does, at least for a season. It's a separate app afaik. Fingers crossed I don't need a VPN for US Nats and it's not too costly (I'm fine with a modest increase over IN if the service is good).

Good riddance Flash!

 

[care bear]

I am not in the US and need to cancel my subscription! Can not find a link on their homepage.

 

[Willowway]

Ice Network has let their folks/writers know that it will cease to exist. So this isn't in addition or an augmentation to IN but instead of IN.

 

[slicekw]

I expect that the email that we got means that the IN subscriptions aren't being auto-transferred, but we'll get an opt-in (and -long shot- maybe a break on any price because of loyalty?).

We can only hope for better quality but not endless chatter or chacked skaters.

 

[jennysk8oboe]

I have never had IN, but somehow got the email??

 

[clairecloutier]

Ice Network has let their folks/writers know that it will cease to exist. So this isn't in addition or an augmentation to IN but instead of IN.

Does this mean the IceNetwork news site will also be closed down??

For better or worse, IceNetwork has been the main, or anyway best-known, figure skating online news site for quite a few years now.

 

[slicekw]

Does this mean the IceNetwork news site will also be closed down??

For better or worse, IceNetwork has been the main, or anyway best-known, figure skating online news site for quite a few years now.

Yes, the email explicitly states that NBC is taking over that functionality as well.


All non-subscription based content that you once found on icenetwork, including news coverage, podcasts, ice desk, press conferences and more will be dispersed across NBCSports.com and U.S. Figure Skating’s Fan Zone website moving forward.

 

[semogal]

Does this mean the IceNetwork news site will also be closed down??

For better or worse, IceNetwork has been the main, or anyway best-known, figure skating online news site for quite a few years now.

The email said that all non-subscription coverage will be transferred to NBCGold or US Figure Skating Fan Zone. So sounds like Icenetwork will be no more after this summer.

 

[clairecloutier]

Thanks @semogal and @slicekw. I missed that when reading the release.

Wonder what this will mean for the IceNetwork reporters.

 

[semogal]

This new streaming service might solve the tech issues most of us have had from time to time with Icenetwork. But am sad to see the news portion of IN being broken up among two sites. It was nice to have a dedicated site to just figure skating. Now, will the price be similar to IN? Worry about the answer to that question. Thank goodnesss for FSU!

 

[wickedwitch]

Downside: I now have less than two months to watch and record all the best regionals/sectionals/lower level Nationals performances from the past several years. Anyone want to start helping me make a list?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

The current NBC Sports Gold sports passes are in the range of $40-$70, so I'm thinking the skating pass will be a similar price to the old IN subscription of $50. I hope NBC gives a discount to USFS members as IN did.

 

[Willowway]

Thanks @semogal and @slicekw. I missed that when reading the release.

Wonder what this will mean for the IceNetwork reporters.

As far as I know, the writers are each looking for other outlets or opportunities.

 

[Skittl1321]

As far as I know, the writers are each looking for other outlets or opportunities.

That's sad. As much as I despised their streaming, their written content was wonderful.

 

[Willowway]

That's sad. As much as I despised their streaming, their written content was wonderful.

ITA. At least so far, we will not see them all together again.

 

[Debbie S]

As far as I know, the writers are each looking for other outlets or opportunities.

I hope Jackie Wong will be asked to contribute to the fan zone. And that they keep the Ice Talk podcasts.

So will there continue to be Ice Desk segments at comps with Tanith, Michael, Charlie, etc?

 

[VGThuy]

Not so sure. If this means commentators, not all competitors, , commercials, etc. I am going to be very unhappy.

Didn't most Ice Network's coverage have commentary...with sub par sound quality to go along with their sub par video quality?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Didn't most Ice Network's coverage have commentary...with sub par sound quality to go along with their sub par video quality?

Only SA and Nationals had commentary on IN.

 

[Lizziebeth]

Didn't most Ice Network's coverage have commentary...with sub par sound quality to go along with their sub par video quality?

They did not have commentary on GP events except for Skate America. I just wish there was an option for a stream without commentary and that they show all the skaters. (Like the Olympic coverage). Also, I don't know why, but I did not have problems with Icenetwork service very often but I understand the need to upgrade. But since I don't like watching skating on my phone so I did not miss that option.

I will miss the articles on skating that were on the Icenetwork site.

 

[mollymgr]

I'm cautiously optimistic about this news. While I'm happy about possibly better streaming, I was happy about all the non-streaming stuff icenetwork had on their website. I hope it isn't exclusively app based. NBC didn't even leave any of their content online after the Olympics were done. Packed it up and moved on to the next best thing. I have a lot of questions but maybe they will get answered in due time.

 

[DreamSkates]

Yes, I'm pretty sure it was August. If I remember correctly.

The email I received today said their subscription content would be available through June. The nonsubscription content will be available on the new sports streaming service.

 

[Sylvia]

Sports Business Daily article: https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2018/05/03/Media/US-Figure-Skating-NBC.aspx

USFS’ in-house streaming service, launched in '07, is marginally profitable, USFS CMO Ramsey Baker said, but the nonprofit NGB lacked the resources to further develop its capabilities on mobile devices or to properly promote it. Ice Network LLC continues to exist as a wholly owned subsidiary, but IceNetwork.com as a consumer-facing brand will close. “There’s a large segment of figure skating fans who aren’t even aware there’s a streaming service, or if they were aware, they didn’t participate because it was only available on desktop,” Baker said. "Now we’re going to remove that barrier.”

The digital transition was included in a broader media rights deal recently signed by USFS and NBC that will extend their relationship through '28. USFS under the deal will control all of the linear commercial inventory for the broadcasts for the first time, up from half under the old arrangement. NBC will recoup that value on the digital side, where they believe they can grow subscriptions substantially over the current IceNetwork.com numbers. NBC execs believe they can capture growth by making the streaming coverage available on the full range of mobile devices and connected TVs, and by promoting it frequently during its linear TV coverage of the sport.

NBC Sports VP/Direct-to-Consumer Services Portia Archer said she is “very bullish” on subscriber growth in figure skating, long one of the most reliable Olympic sport draws in linear television. “We fully expect to be able to expand the audience that figure skating content is available to, which should translate into an increase in subscribers,” Archer said.
...
Figure skating is the fourth Olympic sport for which NBC Sports has created a dedicated subscription product on its direct-to-consumer platform, following track and field, cycling and rugby.

 

[Sylvia]

NBC Sports Gold FAQ (figure skating pass not yet listed here): https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/faq

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting here:

The email is out from USFSA/NBC. Here's an excerpt:

NBC Sports Gold, including the “Figure Skating Pass” and “Speed Skating Pass,” is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Roku, and online at NBCSportsGold.com. This expanded access will provide figure skating and speed skating fans with unprecedented convenience in their viewing experience.

$49.99 special price for people with IN subscription.
I'm expecting that to be the price for everyone this year. They've got 3 years to build to the next olys.

 

[missing]

I got an email this morning that included the following:

As we prepare to launch the “Figure Skating Pass” and “Speed Skating Pass” on NBC Sports Gold on July 1, 2018, it is important that you update your billing information on icenetwork prior to May 21 in order to receive a special discount.

Current icenetwork Season Pass subscribers will be migrated to the NBC Sports Gold platform during late May and early June in preparation for the launch of the new subscription service. To ensure that your account is up to date prior to the migration, and to take advantage of a special discount, we ask that you please login to your icenetwork account prior to May 21, 2018, open your “Wallet” and verify that your credit card and billing information is up to date. If you have any trouble accessing or updating your account, please contact icenetwork customer service for assistance. The current icenetwork Season Pass subscription service will be available through June 30, 2018.

Since May 21, 2018 is only a couple of days away, I scurried over to icenetwork, logged in, and went to "Wallet." Sure enough, my charge card information (as well as address and phone number) were out of date. So I pressed the new account information button, filled in the form, pressed enter, and was informed they couldn't register it and if the problem persisted I should contact their customer service. I tried a few more times and had the same thing occur (icenetwork, by the way, has no customer service on weekends).

So I called icenetwork and wasn't on hold all that long, spoke to a very nice young man who went through all my old information (presumably to prove I was who I said I was), took my current phone number and said someone would be in touch with me. I explained that things had to be resolved by May 21 and I wasn't optimistic about the problem being resolved by then. The very nice young man very nicely repeated that I would be called once they'd solved the problem.

I'm one of the few people around here who isn't happy about the death of icenetwork, and have been thinking that one should be careful about what wishes for. Being given 3 days to get this "special discount" and then not being able to get the information registered with a business that won't be around to help for 2 of those 3 days, hasn't brightened my mood.

 

[skatesindreams]

I'm one of the few people around here who isn't happy about the death of icenetwork

You aren't alone!
I attempted to update my information; and received the same response.
I'll be waiting to be contacted, as you are.