cycling.tv...What do you think? [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

PinkBike

03-20-2010, 05:56 PM

this is my pet topic. so here goes:

cycling.tv was the best thing ever!!! all the races, with excellent broadcasting, especially magnus backstedt and brian smith who are former racers and bring a special insight to the broadcast. i watched all the classics and absolutely loved the amount of racing they provided, plus they archive them so you can watch them over and over (i like watching previous incarnations of the curent races - i just watched 2008 and 2009 milan san remo). i love the spring classics!

That being said . . . last year, universalsports.com entered the picture. they must have paid a bazillion dollars to get exclusive rights to certain races just to put ctv out of the picture. all the sudden ctv had nothing. they charged extra for the gold package so you could get the giro and the vuelta, then they weren't able to show those specific races! but BTW they advertised them right up to the last minute even tho i was reading elsewhere that they weren't going to be able to broadcast them. that seemed shady to me.

what just plain chapped me was that their customer service disappeared. POOF! all the emails i sent went unanswered. i mean how can you charge for the packages and then not deliver? meantime i had sent FIVE emails telling them how disappointed i was with their service and their customer service and that i did not want to subscribe to them anymore but - you guessed it -- they still charged my account. they NEVER acknowledged me. and try to find a phone number, i challenge you!

ok, That being said, they are back this year with many of the spring classics again. plus universalsports had milansamremo and others. so I'll probably get the gold package for this quarter because they have come through for some of the races. and get the others on universalsports for free.

i hope they're back like they were, but i'm leery.

TxDoc

03-21-2010, 11:41 AM

+1.
I used to always get their gold package and watch the races online. That, until Universal Sports signed for exclusive coverage of the Giro - which we all had paid for on CTV and were unable to see :(
I am still debating whether to renew their package or not this year. It was set on automatic renewal until now - but for 2010 I have to yet make a decision.
We'll see...