For those that were annoyed with Universal Sports, don't worry, it's shutting down.

As a long time cord-cutter, this really hurts Sling TV for me. Anyway, I hope that another group picks up the coverage from NBC now that they have the rights and - probably - have no interest in airing the same events Universal did. If not, I guess it's back to finding what I can online, oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Call me old school, but a bigger question is why did NBC universal go cable in first place. As of 2011, universal sports was broadcast absolutely free in my area, Denver. The picture quality was perfect, the ads were local and relevant and the coverage was great.

I watched the giro, the vuelta, some skiing, and tons of track meets. Once it went cable, I stopped watching. Maybe they couldn't get the ad revenue from broadcast but very few people are going to fork over extra money upfront for Olympic sports coverage. IMO, cable is a rip/off racket in general and will eventually be phased out by both direct internet coverage and reentries into broadcast market. There is plenty of bandwidth out there and in urban areas it is stupid not to use broadcast.

When Universal Sports started, it was over-the-air broadcast.

Quite a few people that I know thought that it was the greatest channel ever.

They showed a lot of sports you didn't always get to watch, and had a lot of replays to watch things again.

Then, when they switched to cable, they went as a premium (or semi-premium) channel.

Since it did not come with a lot of packages, and you would have to buy a bigger package, almost everyone I know said no thanks.

With the cost of buying the broadcast rights to the Olympic Games so high Athletics, swimming etc all fall under a programing paradigm called Olympic sports. Then you have the pro ball sports (many have a gambling component) getting treated as another strategic group and then the niche sports and cult semisports as filler content. The budget and thrust of the OG sports is about building toward growing eyes for the OGs.

MM3307 wrote:

At least NBCSN is broadcast in HD. Their coverage of cycling is much better as well for those into that sort of thing.

I have been wanting universal to be broadcast in HD for so long, but I would rather take standard def than having nothing at all. NBC sports is nice during the tour, but most of the other cycling they show is on tape delay. Not just several hours delayed either, one year they showed LBL a full week after it happened, and the same for paris-roubaix. On the plus side BeIn really picked up some quality contracts this year and I like that they will just re-broadcast the eurosport feed (complete with commentators!) for both cycling and track. However universal still had the US broadcast rites for the ASO events (TDF organizers) and more including cyclocross.

I think the biggest thing I get bummed about is that I will tune into NBCSN for a race, and will instead get 4 hours of Spartan racing. But, I guess if that is what their demographics want, then I am in the minority.

It must be fun to take everything so literally.

Crap wrote:

As a long time cord-cutter, this really hurts Sling TV for me. Anyway, I hope that another group picks up the coverage from NBC now that they have the rights and - probably - have no interest in airing the same events Universal did. If not, I guess it's back to finding what I can online, oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Why? BeIN sports has the DL now and BeIn is on sling. Plus with Sling you can ESPN and HBO.

Crap wrote:

As a long time cord-cutter, .

Not necessarily you, but I love how the cord-cutters brag about how much they save by getting rid of TV and home phone. Meanwhile, they pay $60 per month for cell phone and $50 per month for high speed internet. The savings are illusory.

cord cutting wrote:

Crap wrote:

As a long time cord-cutter, .

Not necessarily you, but I love how the cord-cutters brag about how much they save by getting rid of TV and home phone. Meanwhile, they pay $60 per month for cell phone and $50 per month for high speed internet. The savings are illusory.

The cost differential is cable vs no cable. The vast majority of people with cable - not necessarily you - have cable tv, cell phones, and internet already. I'm in a unique situation where internet costs are part of my rent and not negotiable. Luckily, my rent is on par for the area, so it's a win.

rojo wrote:

Crap wrote:

As a long time cord-cutter, this really hurts Sling TV for me. Anyway, I hope that another group picks up the coverage from NBC now that they have the rights and - probably - have no interest in airing the same events Universal did. If not, I guess it's back to finding what I can online, oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Why? BeIN sports has the DL now and BeIn is on sling. Plus with Sling you can ESPN and HBO.

Right. I enjoy the other sports on Universal as well. Espn is ok for big name sports and HBO programming is really not my thing. I'll take back my statement that it "really hurts," and just say that it hurts. But that's just me.

Good riddance. Too often, they showed some SKINNY guys jogging around. No one wants to watch that.

On ESPN on the other hand, you can find the CrossFit Games, where BUFF/SHREDDED guys are so jacked that they don't mind competing without a shirt.

The nerds are watching running, the BUFF guys and our hawt chicks are watching CrossFit Games.

Now you know who won.

I rest my case.

Track will be fine. BeIn sports picked up the diamond league. NBC/NBCSN will always show the major US track meets (Pre Classic + NYC grand prix + millrose games + Penn Relays) with the same commentators we love to hate.

Those other smaller sports will be hurt by this though. I doubt NBC will pick up rugby or volleyball or cliff diving.

NBC is in love with US-based track and has been for a long time now. They just need to be convinced to be pick up ALL Diamond League meets....then our sport will be in better position.

Seb Coe, if you're reading this, here is my 4 point plan to re-invigorate track:

1. Give Diamond League rights to US viewing to NBC.

2. Make track meets more TV-friendly. Have a few meets on Thursday nights...sorta like Thursday Night football is now...except it would be track.

3. In those Thursday Night Track meets have the same good commentary and camera angles that TNF has now.

4. Always show the hot women in the triple jump and pole vault. In HD. Seriously. The casual US sports fan will eat this up!

If nothing else, Seb, recognize that the US market should be your goal. We have more former track athletes here than the rest of the world combined times 100. US is sports-crazed.

XFIT BRO THE REAL ONE 1 wrote:

Good riddance. Too often, they showed some SKINNY guys jogging around. No one wants to watch that.

On ESPN on the other hand, you can find the CrossFit Games, where BUFF/SHREDDED guys are so jacked that they don't mind competing without a shirt.

The nerds are watching running, the BUFF guys and our hawt chicks are watching CrossFit Games.

Now you know who won.

I rest my case.

Hi Galen!

Daniel A Gore wrote:

dead like Kmart wrote:

Cable is slowly dying and will be gone in less than 20 years. They have lost 10% of subscribers over the last couple years.

Also print media, right? And radio? Oh wait, those were dead years ago, according to blanket statements repeated over and over like this. There is too much infrastructure for cable to simply disappear. Smaller, yes. Gone, no.

Cassette tapes

canal boats

Montgomery Ward

payphones

Encyclopedias

Fax machines

Somebody mentioned that the cable companies are heavily invested in the internet. That is EXACTLY why cable will die because those companies won't need it to make money.

Bein sports is offered by Comcast. Unlike universal.

So I guess I should say...Alright Comcast!! Woohoo!! way to come through for us!

But somehow that rings empty.

Universal had no money. They were covering sports no-one else wanted, like track, triathlon and cycling.

beIN have Al-Jazeera behind them and can tap into the Qatari Investment Fund. They can ruin at a loss for many years without worrying.

Letssurf.com

Laramigo wrote:

Track will be fine. BeIn sports picked up the diamond league. NBC/NBCSN will always show the major US track meets (Pre Classic + NYC grand prix + millrose games + Penn Relays) with the same commentators we love to hate.

Those other smaller sports will be hurt by this though. I doubt NBC will pick up rugby or volleyball or cliff diving.

NBC is in love with US-based track and has been for a long time now. They just need to be convinced to be pick up ALL Diamond League meets....then our sport will be in better position.

Seb Coe, if you're reading this, here is my 4 point plan to re-invigorate track:

1. Give Diamond League rights to US viewing to NBC.

[Quote]Why would NBC want them? What would NBC do with them?

We always had to pull it up online anyway because Comcast doesn't carry it here. I'd like a channel that really covers the marathons, which get scant attention on television, in addition to track and other major running events. Now that Rich Benyo won't be publishing Marathon & Beyond anymore, he and his crew could start up a runners channel..... Yeah, in my dreams.