anyone know what happened to universal sports?

[Climb01742]

it appears comcast has dropped universal sports, at least in some markets (like mine.) it seems to have something to do with the nbc/comcast merger. does anyone know the backstory? and whether the cycling that was on universal (like the giro) will be carried on what used to be versus?

[David Kirk]

We had it on Directv for a short while and now they want more money from us for the 'sports pack' - ain't gonna happen.

dave

[fourflys]

it's still on Time Warner, at least for the time being...

[ultraman6970]

Cable companies suck.

[fourflys]

I take that back, USN is gone from Time Warner as well...

yes, cable companies suck...

[Climb01742]

between versus and USN, we were experiencing quite a cycling buffet of racing. i hope we're not going to be left with crumbs this year. :crap:

[victoryfactory]

yep they suck
We just lost Knicks and Rangers games here in NY
due to a disagreement between MSG network and TWC

[DfCas]

USN is still spamming me, but DirecTv moved them to a higher tier that I'm not willing to pay for. I may upgrade for 1 month if they have the Giro.

[Bruce K]

NBC bought Versus and is revamping that channel into The NBC Sports Channel

Should be interesting to see what happens with cycling coverages

BK

[cyclebencycling]

I believe FOX is trying to unveil a new 24 hour sports channel similar to Universal Sports. May have some effect on the current broadcast situation.

[Fivethumbs]

Where will I be able to get my Gogulski fix?!

[Straz]

I have Comcast for cable. I thought since Comcast owns Universal Sports, that I would continue to receive it after the first of the year. That has not been the case. Bummed that I can't see tonight's Tour de Ski coverage.

[rice rocket]

Versus and Universal Sports is being merged into one megachannel from what I've read.

[Ferrous (Fe)]

I have Charter (who sucks btw) and USN is now gone as well. I have seen that on Jan. 2 that NBC is going to have "NBC Sports" channel (perhaps this is the USN & VS merged as mentioned above).

Either way, not having skiing (both the FIS Alpine and XC skiing) gone is a bummer.

Maybe if this NBC Sports channel is available tomorrow maybe my mood will improve (assuming they resume showing skiing and biking both).

[dschlichting]

Cablevision on Long Island also announced Universal Sports is gone as of today.

[roydyates]

NBC bought Versus and is revamping that channel into The NBC Sports Channel

Should be interesting to see what happens with cycling coverages

BK
Perhaps it makes no difference, but Comcast, which owns Versus, purchased NBC. The likely end result is as you say: Versus becomes the NBC sports channel.

[ultraman6970]

No universal here either :/

[bismo37]

I've still got the USN coverage for the skiing tonight, but the Comcast description says "Off Air" despite still having something on... maybe tonight is it for my USN. Oh well. I'm not paying extra to re-gain cycling coverage that was included.

[jeffreyt]

It ain't just Comcast that's dumping USN. I also lost USN because it was recently dropped by FiOS.

[verticaldoug]

from the FAQ on their website:

http://www.universalsports.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

They decided to move to a subscription fee. I guess they figure being an Olympic year, it was a good time to strike.

[cmg]

suspect very little cycling on TV this year. Unless you pay a fee. might do it for the summer.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Does this surprise anyone?

They've hooked you with their free coverage on over-the-air and local cable lower tier packages, and now they are going after the payoff. That's why at the beginning of last year I could watch US with almost nothing but self-promotional "house ads" during the commercial breaks. The owners were taking a speculative leap by offering it for free and taking a loss on the ad revenue in anticipations of future profits when they get to the point they are now.

You can be sure they will offer it for some time to come as a subscription service and if they don't get enough response to make it profitable you'll see more changes as they try to find the magic formula to make a profit and then maximize it. I enjoyed seeing the Giro for free this year, but this just means maybe we need to put a sticky thread up in May and list everybody's suggestions for alternate streaming viewing arrangements through European outlets--whatever other ways there are to watch the Giro, Vuelta, etc. for free.

BBD

[Climb01742]

apparently, they're trying to copy the money-machine ESPN has become.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/12/why-is-your-cable-bill-so-high/45791/

a highlight from the article:

the average cable channel adds 26 cents to your monthly cable bill.

guess how much just the single main ESPN 'mothership' channel costs you? $4.69.

sports is the most costly content on cable. looks like comcast/NBC is trying to take a bite of ESPN's pie. and we're going to be asked to pay for the bite.