Universal Sports is GONE!

[marcski]

The loss of Universal Sports is very distressing to me. .

I am also concerned about Versus and what that means for watching Le Tour in July.

From USN's website:


Published: Jan 4, 1:19p ET
Updated: Jan 4, 2:15p ET


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Letter from Universal Sports CEO David Sternberg

By Universal Sports
Dear Fans of Universal Sports:


As you may know, Universal Sports Network recently made the transition from over-the-air digital broadcasting to fee-based cable, satellite and IPTV distribution. We have reached agreements with DIRECTV and several other distributors to carry the network, and are in advanced negotiations with additional providers nationwide to ensure distribution of our exclusive Olympic, endurance and adventure sports coverage in 2012. By receiving subscription fees from these providers, we can offer deeper access to the sports you love while delivering an even better viewing experience, including the planned launch of Universal Sports HD later this year.
In addition to DIRECTV, we are pleased to announce that subscribers of MTC Cable (New York), Waitsfield Cable (Vermont), Cascade Communications (Oregon), Hiawatha Broadband (Minnesota) and IPTV-distributor SkyAngel will now also have access to Universal Sports Network.
We sincerely appreciate your contacting your television providers (via 1-800-55-GET-US or www.IWantUniversalSports.com) and letting them know that you want Universal Sports in your channel lineup. I can assure you that your voices are being heard and that your support will help expedite our negotiations. In the meantime, you can also go to UniversalSports.com for extensive live and on-demand coverage of select events and programs from the network.
Thank you for your loyalty and best wishes for a successful new year.
Sincerely,
David Sternberg
CEO, Universal Sports Network

 

[Puck it]

NBC owns Universal. Comcast owns 51% of NBC. WTF! Give me my skiing.

 

[SkiFanE]

NBC owns Universal. Comcast owns 51% of NBC. WTF! Give me my skiing.

Welcome to FCC deregulation. There was a reason for regulations. This was the expected outcome I learned about as a 1980s Comm major. But ya know...can make alot more $ being a big conglomerate than owning just a few media outlets, they control content, production and delivery. I won't even get into the political implications this has had on the US.

 

[thinnmann]

The loss of Universal Sports is very distressing to me. .

I am also concerned about Versus and what that means for watching Le Tour in July.

From USN's website:


Published: Jan 4, 1:19p ET
Updated: Jan 4, 2:15p ET


Share


Letter from Universal Sports CEO David Sternberg

By Universal Sports
Dear Fans of Universal Sports:


As you may know, Universal Sports Network recently made the transition from over-the-air digital broadcasting to fee-based cable, satellite and IPTV distribution. We have reached agreements with DIRECTV and several other distributors to carry the network, and are in advanced negotiations with additional providers nationwide to ensure distribution of our exclusive Olympic, endurance and adventure sports coverage in 2012. ......

Thank you for your loyalty and best wishes for a successful new year.
Sincerely,
David Sternberg
CEO, Universal Sports Network

This was linked from Universal Sports's Facebook page yesterday and the comments were all over it! It is propaganda, trying to get the fans to support their decision to try and soak more money out of the providers and the fans. No new news there, and quite continually insulting to the fans.

And, wow - those few minor cable outlets will just give them so many viewers... :roll:

Universal Sports can't post anything to their Facebook page anymore without the users complaining about the change in service. Check it out, it is quite refreshing. Maybe if the pressure stays on, and the advertisers drop off, the outcome will be similar to the Verizon attempt to charge $2 for online payments.

 

[BenedictGomez]

It is propaganda, trying to get the fans to support their decision to try and soak more money out of the providers and the fans. No new news there, and quite continually insulting to the fans.

Still not as bad as MSG's "mafia extortion tactics" (below) of trying to get people to cancel their Time Warner Cable. And complete with links to TWC's competitors!


Drop Time Warner Cable and Switch to a New Provider Now

http://keepmsg.com/

 

[twinplanx]

any chance of you getting dish network, i talked my landlord into it thankgod

I have dish...they don't offer the msg networks in any packages, as far as I know. Guess charlie dolan wants his monopoly. Even the NHL package offered by dish is pointless due to all the local games being blacked-out

1940 Forever ! ! !!!

 

[KEEP US]

Hello, I work with Universal Sports and I took some time to read through this thread to hear what you have to say. I’d like to help clarify a few discussion topics while also providing some additional information.

The concern you all have shown is truly appreciated and we understand this issue has been frustrating to many. You can still access Universal Sports’ Alpine Skiing World Cup Programming by going to http://www.universalsports.com/alpine-skiing/viewers-guide/index.html . We are currently in negotiations with several different TV providers and hope to make more distribution announcements in the near future. It is important that your TV providers recognize the value of Universal Sports Network's world-class sports offerings so we can finalize agreements that will allow more viewers to have access to our Network. While we are doing everything we can to help move this process along, it is fans like you that can really make a difference by showing TV providers that there is significant demand to watch the sports we broadcast that no other network does.

Please continue to call 1-800-55-GET-US and go to http://unisports.tv/gfepVd. Then help spread the word! Check out http://www.universalsports.biz/Universal_Sports_Fan_Kit.zip for Facebook posts, Tweets, banners and videos you use to show your friends you want Universal Sports!

Thank you for your loyalty and passion about the sports we carry.

 

[thinnmann]

Hello, I work with Universal Sports and I took some time to read through this thread to hear what you have to say. I’d like to help clarify a few discussion topics while also providing some additional information.

The concern you all have shown is truly appreciated and we understand this issue has been frustrating to many. You can still access Universal Sports’ Alpine Skiing World Cup Programming by going to http://www.universalsports.com/alpine-skiing/viewers-guide/index.html . We are currently in negotiations with several different TV providers and hope to make more distribution announcements in the near future. It is important that your TV providers recognize the value of Universal Sports Network's world-class sports offerings so we can finalize agreements that will allow more viewers to have access to our Network. While we are doing everything we can to help move this process along, it is fans like you that can really make a difference by showing TV providers that there is significant demand to watch the sports we broadcast that no other network does.

Please continue to call 1-800-55-GET-US and go to http://unisports.tv/gfepVd. Then help spread the word! Check out http://www.universalsports.biz/Universal_Sports_Fan_Kit.zip for Facebook posts, Tweets, banners and videos you use to show your friends you want Universal Sports!

Thank you for your loyalty and passion about the sports we carry.

What BS! They are employing people to troll sites to try to get the fans they screwed in favor of profits to continue to support them. Using the copied pasted company line. Hey Mod, please put this troll on moderated posting.

Hoping this is a signal their business plan is a fail. Their advertisers must be bolting.

 

[Nick]

Surpised they were able to post the links without tipping off the spam blocker

 

[BenedictGomez]

Surpised they were able to post the links without tipping off the spam blocker

Surprised they think the fans are so incredibly stupid.

Wait,,,,no,,,,no I''m not. And sadly, they're probably right.

Still not as bad as MSG though, which is blantantly lieing to people and blaming TWC for not airing MSG and MSG+, when it was in fact MSG that pulled its' signal off the air.

Increasingly these channels that deliver sports content are acting like the way the mafia extorts businesses for "protection money".

 

[thinnmann]

What BS! They are employing people to troll sites to try to get the fans they screwed in favor of profits to continue to support them. Using the copied pasted company line. Hey Mod, please put this troll on moderated posting.

Hoping this is a signal their business plan is a fail. Their advertisers must be bolting.

I posted this trolling action to Universal Sports's Facebook page last night. Get this: The post is removed and it looks like I have been banned from posting comments to their page.

The truth must hurt them a lot.

 

[billski]

I posted this trolling action to Universal Sports's Facebook page last night. Get this: The post is removed and it looks like I have been banned from posting comments to their page.

The truth must hurt them a lot.

You are an evil man:angry:
Suppressing every man's need to make a buck. :roll:

Thank God for the Bill of Rights. :???:

 

[KEEP US]

Thinnman,

You lost the privilege to post on the wall because of the content of your posts. While we have negative comments about our network on the page, yours at times included profane terms which is not tolerated.

If you or anyone on this forum have questions, comments, concerns, or want a better understanding of what our situation is, please feel free to post here and we will discuss them with you.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about who we are, who NBC Sports Network is, and why things have happened the way they have.

 

[BenedictGomez]

There is a lot of misunderstanding about who we are, who NBC Sports Network is, and why things have happened the way they have.

Is NBC Sports Network at the moment, in negotiations asking for a pay increase from the providers (which I'm hypothesizing would likely take place before the 2012 Summer Olympics)?

 

[ski_resort_observer]

In addition to DIRECTV, we are pleased to announce that subscribers of MTC Cable (New York), Waitsfield Cable (Vermont), Cascade Communications (Oregon), Hiawatha Broadband (Minnesota) and IPTV-distributor SkyAngel will now also have access to Universal Sports Network

.

Funny how life is....just got US added to our basic package here in the MRV. Been watching a bunch of snowsport events. My neighbor, Doug Lewis, has been doing a great job announcing on the WC dowhill events.

 

[billski]

.

Funny how life is....just got US added to our basic package here in the MRV. Been watching a bunch of snowsport events. My neighbor, Doug Lewis, has been doing a great job announcing on the WC dowhill events.

I caught the name you dropped

Hey, I like watching it live, without all the blabbing. Listening to the crowds, the coaches, the scratch of the snow, without all the blah blah is really like being there. If I had my way, and I don't, I'd save all that commentary for pre- and post- race time.

I'm actually surprised that athletes are interviewed seconds after an arduous race.

 

[Black Phantom]

I caught the name you dropped

Hey, I like watching it live, without all the blabbing. Listening to the crowds, the coaches, the scratch of the snow, without all the blah blah is really like being there. If I had my way, and I don't, I'd save all that commentary for pre- and post- race time.

I'm actually surprised that athletes are interviewed seconds after an arduous race.

Marathoners are interviewed immediately after a race.

 

[thinnmann]

You lost the privilege to post on the wall because of the content of your posts. While we have negative comments about our network on the page, yours at times included profane terms which is not tolerated.

Bull. Show me evidence. I think I may have said that the executives at US had their heads up their asses. OK, a little crass, but that doesn't even make it on Carlin's list of the seven words you can't say on TV.

More likely, my posts were removed for outing you, and posting the truth, which is not totally in-line with what US is telling their users. US is trying to make the fans do their job: sell the network to the providers. US should have had it sold way before January 1st on your own merit.

And I did not make those last two sentences up myself. I read them on the Universal Sports facebook page wall on a post that I just tried to find, but I think it has been removed.

KEEP US, I propose that you are worse than a troll, you are a willing propagandist.

 

[billski]

Marathoners are interviewed immediately after a race.

That doesn't make it right. Why must we have instant everything?

 

[Black Phantom]

That doesn't make it right. Why must we have instant everything?

Never said that it made it right. Bring things back to an amateur level again. Take the $ out of it.

See what's left.