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Media Coverage of WC racing - Streaming or TV

arkay

Booting up
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I don't see this situation improving anytime soon. Ski and Snowboard Live is a partnership between the USSS and Outside Interactive. Outside is financially distressed, having laid of 15% of their workforce last May and another 12% in November. Outside is also the parent organization for Nastar, who has increased their sanctioning fees from $2300 annually to $4600. The sad part of this is that the contractual agreement between USSS and Outside will run through the 2026 Olympics. I refuse to pay Ski and Snowboard Live. After being able to watch the WC events for free as a Comcast customer on Peacock or The Olympic channel. I am busy enough during the winter months that I will watch what I can and skip the rest, especially for an inferior product. The only way I can see anything changing is if everyone cancels their Ski ans Snowboard subscriptions. Loss of revenue will push the USSS to start talking to NBC Sports once again.
Skiandsnowboard does suck. Can't even back up the feed like on Peacock. Commentators are lacking. The female US Ski teamers were good skiers but should not be allowed near a microphone.
 

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Commentators are lacking. The female US Ski teamers were good skiers but should not be allowed near a microphone.

They simply need proper media training - that's the main issue.

Remember that Porino majored in Communications in college so he had useful school training in how to work a race. He also had others to shepherd/apprentice him over the years, including the (much maligned but actually quite good) Steve Schlanger. This training pays off.

The issue with Skiandsnowboard (SSB) is that they are simply putting untrained USST alumnae into the cooker with little-to-no training. They're learning as they go, flying without a net, and it's rough. This is very likely a budgetary issue given there are a lot of eminently qualified U.S. commentators who could do the work (e.g. Porino, Lewis, Weibrecht, Street, or AJ Kitt, or even some of the older guard like Christin Cooper). Porino has likely been given the OK by NBC Universal to work SSB events where he can and that's a great thing when it happens.

I'm very much aware that USSS would prefer to have more female commentators working comms for these things. All you need to do is listen to the latest podcast from The Next Turn to get a feel for how Goldschmidt and her C-suite level crew are trying to get more female voices to the fore in all USSS and USST goings on. I have a feeling that they really want to see new voices like Duran and Stiegler become more prominent figures in domestic TV and streaming coverage of races and that, given budget challenges, they're having to skip a few developmental steps in getting them out there.

Does this suck in the short term? Absolutely. But it may be the only route they have outside of getting the Eurosport UK commentators in more regular rotation - and I know that's not nearly as attractive to the USSS PR wing as having homegrown talent doing the work.

Just my $0.02...
 

James

Out There
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Dec 2, 2015
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24,453
a feel for how Goldschmidt and her C-suite level crew are trying to get more female voices to the fore in all USSS and USST goings on. I have a feeling that they really want to see new voices like Duran and Stiegler become more prominent figures in domestic TV and streaming coverage of races…
They could have the new female Howard Cosell and it wouldn’t matter. Because no one sees the races.
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
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I always thought Picabo Street was okay except when she gave Mancuso crap for wearing the tiara. Julia‘s justice was to win the GS gold the next day ;). Vonn has also been good as a 2nd commentator & another name that most know.

Without explanation I just received a partial refund from S&SLive :huh:
CAE5BBFC-A8C4-4E33-84A3-CBD73EFBC38C.jpeg
 

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Without explanation I just received a partial refund from S&SLive :huh:

They indicated this would be done as they're streaming things for free during some of the World Champs.

I received my rebate this morning as well.
 

arkay

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I always thought Picabo Street was okay except when she gave Mancuso crap for wearing the tiara. Julia‘s justice was to win the GS gold the next day ;). Vonn has also been good as a 2nd commentator & another name that most know.

Without explanation I just received a partial refund from S&SLive :huh:
View attachment 192624
Never heard Picabo, but she does have charisma. I vote Ed Drake, Doug Lewis, Porino, and Ligety.
 

goweje

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The Wax Room
I also received the refund. Someone at InFront told me World Champs are a freebie. Still doesn't make a lot of sense, but hey don't look a gift horse in the mouth...:huh:
 

BrianB

Getting off the lift
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What did everyone think of the continuous timing(rather than timing only at intervals)?
I thought that was very cool but it took extra effort for me to focus mostly on watching the skier instead of the time on the side of the screen.
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
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If anyone finds today’s Men’s GS from Palisades Tahoe on Peacock please post here without race results. I just spent 15 minutes searching every way that I know and I find nothing except a super G listed for tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be slalom. There is no super G till next week in Aspen.
I just got home from volunteering at a local masters race hoping to watch a replay of run 1 and then hopefully watch run 2 live. Again very disappointing, finally a domestic race and we can’t even watch it. :(
 

givethepigeye

Really, just Rob will do
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If anyone finds today’s Men’s GS from Palisades Tahoe on Peacock please post here without race results. I just spent 15 minutes searching every way that I know and I find nothing except a super G listed for tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be slalom. There is no super G till next week in Aspen.
I just got home from volunteering at a local masters race hoping to watch a replay of run 1 and then hopefully watch run 2 live. Again very disappointing, finally a domestic race and we can’t even watch it. :(
I thought I had added it to "my stuff" yesterday, got home to watch it and "poof" not there. Nobody cares if nobody sees it.
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
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Just found run 1 on YouTube. Be careful opening as I can't guarantee not seeing results...
 

migdriver

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If anyone finds today’s Men’s GS from Palisades Tahoe on Peacock please post here without race results. I just spent 15 minutes searching every way that I know and I find nothing except a super G listed for tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be slalom. There is no super G till next week in Aspen.
I just got home from volunteering at a local masters race hoping to watch a replay of run 1 and then hopefully watch run 2 live. Again very disappointing, finally a domestic race and we can’t even watch it. :(
I posted this also on the mens WC page … sorry for the redundancy.
The GS and tomorrow’s SL are aired LIVE on Outsideonline.com. All the runners, both runs, with commentary by Marco Sullivan ( X-USST speed skier, raised at Squaw and still a local) .
Don’t know if they’re doing replays. Alternatively, you can access coverage by going to Skiracing.com and click on the story re Palisades WC from yesterday… scroll down and you’ll find a big yellow orange ink that takes you to the Outsideonline web page
 

Zirbl

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Austria, Italy
Some talk above of Vonn and Ligety as commentators - do they do much analysis? Is it a sporadic thing or a regular gig?
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
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The GS and tomorrow’s SL are aired LIVE on Outsideonline.com.
Thanks for the information. Too bad I don’t subscribe to outside online and I’m not about to add another when peacock was supposed to cover this.
I am watching the second run now with great commentary from Ed Drake and his sidekick Nick Fellows. Too bad they show the podium as the cover photo to the video but here it is…
https://youtu.be/kM7_4ZHuoUU
 

Teppaz

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Thanks for the information. Too bad I don’t subscribe to outside online and I’m not about to add another when peacock was supposed to cover this.
I am watching the second run now with great commentary from Ed Drake and his sidekick Nick Fellows. Too bad they show the podium as the cover photo to the video but here it is…
https://youtu.be/kM7_4ZHuoUU
I don’t understand showing the podium for the cover still of a race video. Every single time! That’s just so stupid.
 

Teppaz

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I’m really sick of this nonsense. Peacock was supposed to carry US races but today’s was on Outside. Which of course I didn’t check because why should I? What the heck? Trying to stay polite but it’s hard when dealing with this continuing mess It’s impossible to keep track of what is where. We’re a bunch of dedicated viewers who are willing to search for this stuff and still we flail. Casual viewers have no hope. I don’t know who’s behind this chaos, the USST or FIS or what, but seriously!
 

migdriver

Out on the slopes
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Nov 25, 2019
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Tahoe
Thanks for the information. Too bad I don’t subscribe to outside online and I’m not about to add another when peacock was supposed to cover this.
I am watching the second run now with great commentary from Ed Drake and his sidekick Nick Fellows. Too bad they show the podium as the cover photo to the video but here it is…
https://youtu.be/kM7_4ZHuoUU
Don’t need a subscription if you follow the link from Skiracing.com. It’s free. Try it tomorrow… you’ll like it :)
 

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