Cycling on tv in the US: ch ch ch changes

So, they've changed Versus to the NBC Sports Network. It appears to be just a name change, since Comcast/NBC/Universal took them over last year. Paul Sherwen said on twitter that cycling coverage would not be affected. Tour Down Under coverage starts soon with 30 minute shows each day. They might also cover Paris Roubaix live.

Looking at my on-screen guide, it's the same channel number as Versus.

Apparently unrelated to this is the disappearance of Universal Sports. A friend in NJ mentioned it had disappeared from his cable lineup; I checked and found the channel had also vanished from mine (literally -- channel 207 no longer exists at all). According to this article, the people who run it decided to change the way it's distributed, which has resulted in its disappearance. They think this is temporary as cable systems add them to their lineup packages. Currently they only have a deal with Direct TV.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...-that-way.html

If NBC Sports covers the same races as last year, various spring classics, the TdF, and the Tour of California should all be on tv to some extent. However it looks like many of us won't see the Giro or Vuelta.

This is the website for Universal Sports. It looks like you can watch some races online for a fee, or possibly for free after the race is over.

http://www.universalsports.com/cycling/index.html

Anyway, looking forward to the Tour Down Under!!

This is interesting, especially since it WAS available via rabbit ears in the Indianapolis region until recently. I just checked my tv and the NBC affiliate has replaced it with some other station. I hadn't noticed that it had disappeared, sad...

I'm so upset that NBC Universal is gone. It WAS available via antenna here until January 1st, and I only discovered it was free about a month ago!

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Originally Posted by jessmarimba

I'm so upset that NBC Universal is gone. It WAS available via antenna here until January 1st, and I only discovered it was free about a month ago!

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Exactly. They don't want to be a free channel anymore.

You kinda have to wonder how they are selling any advertising, since their audience has dropped so much. I guess they figure they're willing to take a short-term loss while they rebuild.

This might sound nitpicky, but we found it really hard to watch races on Universal because they were not in HD. Yeah, I know, how spoiled are we, right? But the grainy coverage of races in Spain and Italy, for instance, was just hard to watch. You couldn't tell some of the teams apart if their jerseys were at all similar in color or design, and I couldn't tell the riders apart, and you couldn't really make out the expressions on their faces.

I do prefer Fabian and Thor in HD.

Roxy

We just have basic cable and, yep, we no got Universal anymore. :( poo

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Originally Posted by channlluv

This might sound nitpicky, but we found it really hard to watch races on Universal because they were not in HD. Yeah, I know, how spoiled are we, right? But the grainy coverage of races in Spain and Italy, for instance, was just hard to watch. You couldn't tell some of the teams apart if their jerseys were at all similar in color or design, and I couldn't tell the riders apart, and you couldn't really make out the expressions on their faces.

I do prefer Fabian and Thor in HD.

Roxy

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+1 on the HD. Not only that, but we miss Paul and Phil when Universal covered the bike races. Although I kinda like Gogo, I was glad they included him in the TdF coverage last summer.

I haven't looked to see if we still have the Universal channel here...just looked, yep we still have it here on Comcast cable. Wonder for how long?

Ach, we are giving up cable at the end of the month. DH got fed up with the constant increase in fees, and we have no second option, since our town told Verizon that they would have to bury all of their lines if they wanted in.
So, we have a nice HD antenna for over the air HD sitting outside, all tested, ready to go. We're keeping the internet (VOip) phone and internet, though.
I am not happy about how I am going to watch cycling. DH says we'll be able to get it on line and then hook up to the TV, and we don't mind paying for the Tour to do this. But, I like watching the Spring classics, too.
I do agree about watching cycling on Universal. I stopped because the quality of the picture was so bad. Yes, we are spoiled, but what's the point if you can't even tell which team is which. And the announcers weren't that good, either.

I definitely prefer to see the races in HD, and will always like Phil and Paul the best. But Steve and Todd certainly knew their stuff and they started to grow on me. And low-def if better than no def at all!

Plus sometimes I would watch other sports, like diving competitions, when nothing else was on and I was in a couch potato mood.

Universal was never on Dish Network so I had no idea it just vanished. On the other hand I did notice Versus was replaced by NBCsports on the same channel number and it looks to be the same programming for the most part. Then again I only really ever watched Versus for cycling and hockey.

I am totally bummed the Universal disappeared form Comcast. I do not have HD of any kind, so I would not know the difference, but I loved watching the Giro and the Vuelta. Most days, I like the narration by Paul and Phil, but the do get obsessed with particular riders and become unbearably repetitive, so some variety in comment is refreshing. I really wish more of the Spring classics where shown on TV, as well as some of the shorter stage races.

When I watch some races live, I tend to look for audio feeds from different countries (Eurosport, RTVE from Spain, and a little Italian during the Giro), which can be quite interesting because of the focus on different riders, discussion of strategies, etc.

I loved Universal Sports over the air - and I really, really miss it! It was my go-to trainer channel. Loved the skiing, and particularly the occasional ironman coverage:D:D

We don't have cable or dish, and haven't for a very long time. There is no way I would pay for TV to get this channel (don't even know if that is an option). So - I'm one of the people who will just fall off of their viewing audience permanently.

PS - We now have a "weather channel" in its place - it shows the radar and 7 day forecast continually. What a waste!

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

PS - We now have a "weather channel" in its place - it shows the radar and 7 day forecast continually. What a waste!

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Not if you're on your way out for a ride and you want to know if there's a storm nearby!!

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

PS - We now have a "weather channel" in its place - it shows the radar and 7 day forecast continually. What a waste!

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We have one of those. It's actually pretty handy for when the local news isn't covering weather and I really want to ride! (Or if I suspect there's a lot of very nasty weather coming...)

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Originally Posted by ny biker

Not if you're on your way out for a ride and you want to know if there's a storm nearby!!

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That's what my internet connection is for:D:D