GCN Plus - streaming racing and documentaries

[quixoticgeek]

From 40 quid a year, to €6 a month. Would it still include all the cycling documentary content? It's not just about watching the races, but things like the Jenny Graham stuff.

I think I don't care enough about the races to worry about spending money on this one.

There's too many streaming companies out there now, It's very infuriating.

J

[st599]

I'm quite happy with the ITV4 coverage of the races they show.
Would be good if they picked up some of the other races.

Didn't their deal with the Amaury Sports Organisation finish this year?  Unless they've done a deal with Warner Bros for a regional feed.

I heard that ASO were going the same way as the Olympics and offering European rights, effectively cutting National broadcasters out.

Will be interesting to see what the WB/TNT/Discovery/Eurosport/GCN entity does.

[Flite]

Didn't their deal with the Amaury Sports Organisation finish this year?

Whoops, I hadn't heard about that.
Hope something can be sorted out that isn't too expensive
BBC coverage of the Olympics, World Champs etc is dire.

[Karla]

Much more than GCN then.  Arsebiscuits 

[Flite]

Time to sign on for Welsh language classes, as in one article I've seen, S4C has a contract for the TdeF up to 2025.
TBH, I can pick up the names of teams and riders on S4C anyway, and most of the interviews are in English or have sub-titles.
The situation seems to be changing fast, mind.

[st599]

BBC coverage of the Olympics, World Champs etc is dire.

The BBC don't make the coverage either of those, until now they've taken the feed from the host broadcaster.  In future though, Discovery bought the entire Olymoic European rights and are providing much less to National broadcasters (in some countries, nothing at all). 

Host for the Tour is France TV, for the Olympics it will be Olympic Broadcasting Services, for the Worlds, I think it's FIFA's Host Broadcasting Services.

[Flite]

The BBC don't make the coverage either of those, until now they've taken the feed from the host broadcaster.  In future though, Discovery bought the entire Olymoic European rights and are providing much less to National broadcasters (in some countries, nothing at all).
Host for the Tour is France TV, for the Olympics it will be Olympic Broadcasting Services, for the Worlds, I think it's FIFA's  ::-)Host Broadcasting Services.

Yup, I realise they don't do the filming.
But they just bung it on air live for hours with very little effort at editing it to produce a highlights programme in the way ITV4 did. I don't (shouldn't) have time to sit and watch 5 hours of live bike racing!

[rafletcher]

Didn't GCN do similar, with the added disincentive of Sean Kelly and Carlton Kirby? Or is Eurosport? Whatever, without a decently edited highlights show with dedicated commentary I'll not be watching it.

[SpaceBadger]

The BBC don't make the coverage either of those, until now they've taken the feed from the host broadcaster.  In future though, Discovery bought the entire Olymoic European rights and are providing much less to National broadcasters (in some countries, nothing at all).
Host for the Tour is France TV, for the Olympics it will be Olympic Broadcasting Services, for the Worlds, I think it's FIFA's  ::-)Host Broadcasting Services.

Yup, I realise they don't do the filming.
But they just bung it on air live for hours with very little effort at editing it to produce a highlights programme in the way ITV4 did. I don't (shouldn't) have time to sit and watch 5 hours of live bike racing!

You seem to have an unusual definition of dire.

[Flite]

You seem to have an unusual definition of dire.

In my defence, I explained that I do not have time to watch an entire stage or race live, so I prefer a highlights show hopefully with informed commentators.
When the BBC did a highlights show for the olympics, it was guesswork as to if or when there would be cycling included.
This years world champs coverage was good, but very comprehensive so I still needed to skip big chunks - caught a lot on catchup though.
I'm not a great fan of the GCN "highlights" show either. Clips of the race coverage, with the result that it could jump from 100km to go to 50km to 5km with no warning!

Each to their own, I know a lot of folks would watch full live coverage of all 21 stages of the TdeF.
We have be fortunate to have had the choice so far.

[fimm]

I'm not a great fan of the GCN "highlights" show either. Clips of the race coverage, with the result that it could jump from 100km to go to 50km to 5km with no warning!

So what do you want from a highlights show, then? My husband and I prefer GCN's method, as described, because it gives a sense of the overall flow of the day, to Eurosport's "show the last 20km (or whatever) with little sense of what happened to get there".

I guess we'll be heading to Discovery+. What has been good is that we could just pay for what we wanted to watch, rather than more expense giving us things we are not interested in.

[TimC]

Didn't GCN do similar, with the added disincentive of Sean Kelly and Carlton Kirby? Or is Eurosport? Whatever, without a decently edited highlights show with dedicated commentary I'll not be watching it.

The GCN+ race coverage is provided by Eurosport. In UK, Eurosport's live coverage is now streamed by Discovery Plus. If you are a BT or EE Broadband subscriber, Discovery Plus is free (along with TNT, which was formerly BT Sport).

GCN's other stuff will continue on YouTube, and they have a new (or at least revamped) website at https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/

[st599]

But they just bung it on air live for hours with very little effort at editing it to produce a highlights programme in the way ITV4 did. I don't (shouldn't) have time to sit and watch 5 hours of live bike racing!

Do ITV make a highlights show, I thought they had rights to show the host's highlights reel with their own commentary?
What you as an end viewer get to see is wholly down to what the rights holders allow the broadcasters to do.

[Flite]

Do ITV make a highlights show,

Well they did - in the evening, so it was edited highlights and included discussions and interviews.
Presenters like Ned Boulting and David Miller, and assorted guest pundits.
ITV4 picked it it when channel4 stopped.
In addition ITV4 had full coverage live during the day for the TdeF and IIRC TofB and Vuelta and some other races.
(Well as full as possible - the filming sometimes only starts after the break of the day has formed!)

It has been our preferred method of watching for years, which is why I am disappointed it may not continue next year.
Anything else we have sporadically watched on paid-for GCN+, and again disappointed if we lose that.

[Mr Larrington]

For the past few years ITV4 have only done full live TdF coverage at weekends; the weekday shows start later so's we can be infuriated by Them telling us all about the frantic action to get in the day's futile break which we don’t get to see chiz.

[Flite]

the weekday shows start later so's we can be infuriated by Them telling us all about the frantic action to get in the day's futile break which we don’t get to see chiz.

I thought that was because the filming paid for by ASO didn't always include the early part of the stages, so there wasn't anything to show??

[quixoticgeek]

the weekday shows start later so's we can be infuriated by Them telling us all about the frantic action to get in the day's futile break which we don’t get to see chiz.

I thought that was because the filming paid for by ASO didn't always include the early part of the stages, so there wasn't anything to show??

Given that GCN used to provide flag to finish coverage of the tour. I don't think so.

J

[Mr Larrington]

I'm sticking to my theory, viz. TV's Jeremy Wade has something on the controllers at ITV4 meaning if they don’t screen a set number of repeats of “River Monsters” every week he'll spill the beans, or put an alligator gar in their jacuzzi.

[st599]

Do ITV make a highlights show,

Well they did - in the evening, so it was edited highlights and included discussions and interviews.
Presenters like Ned Boulting and David Miller, and assorted guest pundits.
ITV4 picked it it when channel4 stopped.
In addition ITV4 had full coverage live during the day for the TdeF and IIRC TofB and Vuelta and some other races.
(Well as full as possible - the filming sometimes only starts after the break of the day has formed!)

It has been our preferred method of watching for years, which is why I am disappointed it may not continue next year.
Anything else we have sporadically watched on paid-for GCN+, and again disappointed if we lose that.

Yes, but I don't think they don't make the highlights package, they add all the presenters and comms around it.  The issue with sports like cycling is that there are only a few production crews that know how to do it properly, so the end product is dependant on the quality of the feed the broadcaster is given.

[rafletcher]

Yes, but I don't think they don't make the highlights package, they add all the presenters and comms around it.  The issue with sports like cycling is that there are only a few production crews that know how to do it properly, so the end product is dependant on the quality of the feed the broadcaster is given.

Whatever, the ITV4 offering is/was far superior to any other highlights programme available, and something the mildly interested (and those who have to go out to work) can enjoy.

[Ruthie]

Oh no. Is it Orla now with no alternative? 

[andyoxon]

I get Discovery Plus* for spring cycling until end of Vuelta...  So £7pm, for part of the year only.

*Best through D+ website direct, rather than D+ through Amazon Prime - where implementation is woeful.

(should also declare an interest in D+ tennis tournaments - e.g. Aus/French open live in evenings, or watch whole replays of completed matches whenever)

[Flite]

Whatever, the ITV4 offering is/was far superior to any other highlights programme available, and something the mildly interested (and those who have to go out to work) can enjoy.

Agreed

[IanDG]

I have had a GCN subscription for a few years. When I moved house at the end of last year could only get service on my phone. Couldn't login to TV or PC. Numerous messages to the help desk - they wanted me to disable ad-block, spyware and anti-virus software and turn off the firewall. I cancelled my subscription with 9 months remaining and didn't get a refund. I took out a Discovery+ subscription and now watch cycling through Eurosport. At least I might get a few months refund for a subscription service I am no longer able to access fully.

[slope]

So that'll be the end of ad/shitvert free live and on demand cycling then