Media Coverage of WC racing - Streaming or TV

[4ster]

Turns out Peacock bumped it up to their Premium+ subscription this season
Grrr!

 

[geepers]

FIS streamed it live and recorded for replay via youtube. May be geo-fenced.



Doing same with Men's event.

 

[Rudi Riet]

FIS streamed it live and recorded for replay via youtube. May be geo-fenced.

Geofenced in markets that have a contract with ÖSV, so not going to work in USA, Canada, and many other places (unless you have a VPN that can connect to a country that gets the FIS feed - e.g. NZ).

 

[BrianB]

Turns out Peacock bumped it up to their Premium+ subscription this season
Grrr!

I have Peacock “premium” for 5.99 per month and it seems to have all the ski racing and other sports I want to watch. Is there anything for less than that?

It's geofenced so you'd need a Canadian IP address to watch. A VPN allows this - at least one that has a robust network of exit points.

Not sure exactly what this is but I watched a couple of races last season on CBC with VPN. Mostly I try to watch on Peacock/ skiandsnowdoardlive though.

 

[geepers]

Geofenced in markets that have a contract with ÖSV, so not going to work in USA, Canada, and many other places (unless you have a VPN that can connect to a country that gets the FIS feed - e.g. NZ).

So same as per last season.

What's the expectation of being able to see non-Austrian events - is FIS getting any better with multi-nation broadcast rights or same old, same old?

 

[4ster]

I have Peacock “premium” for 5.99 per month and it seems to have all the ski racing and other sports I want to watch. Is there anything for less than that?

Seriously? I subscribed to Premium yesterday morning expecting it to be like last year but no races as far as I could tell. I then bumped it up to Premium+ & the race was there. It did say they would refund my initial $5.99 for Premium but maybe I need to get the $11.99 refunded for Premium+. Right now I’m being billed for $17.98
After trying to communicate with them in the past l’m not sure it’s worth the grief. I haven’t watched the Men’s GS yet but maybe I’ll see what happens if I ask for a refund after. Pretty sure we need Peacock for a men’s Austrian race in November.
Anyone else?

 

[dbostedo]

Seriously? I subscribed to Premium yesterday morning expecting it to be like last year but no races as far as I could tell. I then bumped it up to Premium+ & the race was there. It did say they would refund my initial $5.99 for Premium but maybe I need to get the $11.99 refunded for Premium+. Right now I’m being billed for $17.98
After trying to communicate with them in the past l’m not sure it’s worth the grief.
Anyone else?

I thought the "plus" option was just ad-free... not a content change.

I just checked my non "plus" account, and I can see the races.

 

[4ster]

I thought the "plus" option was just ad-free... not a content change.

I just checked my non "plus" account, and I can see the races.

Thanks! PITA!
Hopefully they will refund my $11.99 without much hassle

 

[soerenberg]

is this another year where I can't watch the most important ski races?

Alpine skiing TV, live stream schedule for 2023-24 World Cup season

How to watch Mikaela Shiffrin on the 2023-24 Alpine skiing World Cup on Peacock and NBC Sports.

www.nbcsports.com

I have YTTV. Even subscribing to Peacock (if required) would not allow me to watch the most important and iconic races such as the new Zermatt DH.

Looks like the use again https://www.skiandsnowboard.live which I was unable to subscribe in the past ... and no Rokku app.

Does anyone know the president of FIS, Steaphanie Ferris?

Chief Executive Officer and President

Stephanie Ferris became FIS president and chief executive officer in December 2022 after being named FIS president in February 2022.…

www.businessroundtable.org

From her bio it seems she would be more business oriented to make the ski worldcup an actual global sport.
Can't believe how much sponsor $ they are not getting knowing how hard it is for someone to actually watch

 

[dbostedo]

Can't believe how much sponsor $ they are not getting knowing how hard it is for someone to actually watch

Since these issues are limited to the US (I think), and US viewership has not been that big, they may not feel they're losing all that much.

But they definitely aren't doing anything well to help that viewership grow in any way either.

 

[Wade]

Since these issues are limited to the US (I think), and US viewership has not been that big, they may not feel they're losing all that much.

But they definitely aren't doing anything well to help that viewership grow in any way either.

I'm sure this is correct.

While they may not see it as losing much, I find it incredibly frustrating that a sport I care about and enjoy continues to waste what should be a massive opportunity to broaden the appeal and deepen engagement with the sport.

Think about what Liberty Media has done with Formula 1 in the US. It has taken a sport that had limited appeal in the US, identified how it could engage with the US market, and exponentially increased interest, viewership, exposure for sponsors etc in the world's most lucrative media market. All this with one (medicocre, non-contending) American driver and one (also mediocre) American owned team. No one really thought F1 would ever take off here, but Liberty saw an opportunity, understood what cracking the US market would do for the sport and for their investment, and took a swing at it. It turned out to be a home run by any measure.

Imagine if FIS and the other parties involved could get out of their own way and figure out how to properly understand and address the American market in the way Liberty Media has in F1. Not to mention capitalizing on the built in advantage that one of, if not THE, biggest name in the sport is a media savvy, photogenic, American.

FIS is obviously a very different animal that the previously Bernie Ecclestone-controlled F1, but I guess I can always dream that some smart PE types can figure out a way to invest and unlock the value of ski racing (and freestyle and freeride) in the US in the same way they were able to in F1.

 

[Zirbl]

Since these issues are limited to the US (I think), and US viewership has not been that big, they may not feel they're losing all that much.

Imagine if FIS and the other parties involved could get out of their own way and figure out how to properly understand and address the American market in the way Liberty Media has in F1. Not to mention capitalizing on the built in advantage that one of, if not THE, biggest name in the sport is a media savvy, photogenic, American.

What if the sport is run almost entirely by villagers wary of the next valley, let alone a different continent?

 

[James]

Does anyone know the president of FIS, Steaphanie Ferris?

We’ve discussed it. It makes no sense. Afaict, it’s all about fund raising dinners and the Olympics, which means Mikaela.
I can watch hours of corn hole competitions, jumping dogs, but not wcup ski racing.

Maybe they should sponsor a US Ski Team pickle ball team. We’d be more likely to see them than on snow.

 

[4ster]

Here’s the latest word on how to watch in the US.
Outside wine free for US races.

How to Watch World Cups in the 2023-24 Season

Watching World Cups is complicated and we know it. Broadcast rights to FIS events are not centralized, which means that every country has the right to sell their World Cup broadcast—and it can be confusing to even the most devout ski and snowboard fan. This article is designed to walk you...

www.usskiandsnowboard.org

 

[Wade]

What if the sport is run almost entirely by villagers wary of the next valley, let alone a different continent?

Yeah, that’s kind of my point. If they could just get over that dynamic, collectively get their shit together, and find someone who really understands how to capitalize on the opportunity, the sport could be exponentially more popular and lucrative than it is. Given how things are run now though, I’m not optimistic.

 

[Tony S]

Yeah, that’s kind of my point. If they could just get over that dynamic, collectively get their shit together, and find someone who really understands how to capitalize on the opportunity, the sport could be exponentially more popular and lucrative than it is. Given how things are run now though, I’m not optimistic.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if NBC were playing a spoiler role here. "We can't be bothered to do right by the sport and its American fans, but damned if we're going to let anyone else do it instead."

 

[Rudi Riet]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if NBC were playing a spoiler role here. "We can't be bothered to do right by the sport and its American fans, but damned if we're going to let anyone else do it instead."

I suspect you're right here. NBC is extremely protective of its status as "official Olympic network" for the U.S.A. As skiing is an Olympic sport they want to own the IP, whether or not they actually broadcast the events.

And if you're at all familiar with how NBC treats broadcasting of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games then you are well aware that they butcher the broadcasts, dumbing down the commentary for "clueless" American viewers, and concentrating far too much on figure skating and hockey (winter) or track-and-field (summer) because those are "the events that viewers know."

Honestly, I'd love to see them lose the rights - or give U.S. viewers easier opportunity to stream raw feeds of things. Sure, it's possible to do it via a premium pay service from NBC but it's nothing nearly as comprehensive or affordable as what's offered by, say, the BBC or CBC.

And that's often my approach: VPN to a country whose national broadcaster for the Games treats its viewers as folks who may know a thing or two about the sports they want to watch, who don't care about soap opera rivalries, who don't need to see what the stars do for hobbies or what they cook for dinner. They just want to see the sport because the sport itself is compelling viewing.

How has that been lost on the bean counters at NBC Sports? Fans will watch quality coverage - but it has to be quality, letting the sport speak for itself. NBC is more concerned about letting Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski bloviate about which bespoke designer did a skater's outfit than simply letting the athletes show their abilities for the performances they bring to the table.

I could go on and on but, well, that's just silly at this point.

I'm hoping the FIS/USSS streaming service is decent. And I don't need commentary: I just want to watch the skiers, analyze as they ski, etc. But as I'm an alpine racing coach that's ingrained in my psyche and I'm an outlier. So if FIS/USSS has to have commentators I hope they are media trained and know how to call a race. Given how hit-or-miss it was last season I'm not holding my breath...

 

[Frenchman]

I have Peacock “premium” for 5.99 per month and it seems to have all the ski racing and other sports I want to watch. Is there anything for less than that?

AFAICT Peacok Premium only has a very limited set of races, but at least you can watch replays. Outside+ has those same races but only as live streams (like at 2 a.m. on the West coast). skiandsnowboard.com has everything. See this USSA page on how to watch in the US.

 

[Zirbl]

and find someone who really understands how to capitalize on the opportunity

You mean give up control?

 

[4ster]

skiandsnowboard.com has everything.

That would be too easy. They are not covering US or Austrian races.

So if FIS/USSS has to have commentators I hope they are media trained and know how to call a race.

Peacock had Steve Schlanger & Picabo Street for Solden. It was an improvement over some of what was going on last season. Even when Schlanger tried to steer things away from the racer on course, Picabo was able to bring it back to the subject at hand. She seemed to improve on day 2 for the Men’s race.
Hopefully we just get Ed Drake for the Skiandsnowboard coverage & not the mish mash of unqualified commentators they provided last season.

Hopefully they will refund my $11.99 without much hassle

They did let me downgrade to premium.