Universal Sports is GONE!

[thinnmann]

It really happened: No more Universal Sports on my Verizon FiOS today... So pissed.

This is what my channel 464 looks like now....

 

[Bene288]

Time Warner dropped MSG today too. I'll never catch the Rangers now.

I used to get Universal Sports on my digital box, I remember for most of the winter all they televised was slalom, the large hill and international hockey. Wonder why they got dropped.

 

[billski]

There were so many repeats of the same games that I bagged the channel and moved to the live/on demand universalsports.com for a fee. It's actually pretty good, since I can replay on demand across seasons. I can also watch the worlds live, without all the blabbing that ordinarily comes along. Right now I only subscribe to Alpine sports. Prior season's customers get a break on renewal rates. Live can be a bit boring, while you wait and wait, just like real life. It's worth the bucks.

 

[thinnmann]

.....Wonder why they got dropped.

It is because they changed their broadcast model... They used to be "over the air multicast service", and now they are a subscription service.

See http://www.universalsports.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

 

[Puck it]

Comcast gone too. Crap. No WC.

 

[billski]

A little venting going down on their Facebook page.

 

[ScottySkis]

No more Rangers on Verizon i guess i have to go to direct tv and their having the best season since they last won a cup.

 

[Bene288]

No more Rangers on Verizon i guess i have to go to direct tv and their having the best season since they last won a cup.

Story of my life. It's bad enough I can't see the Bruins in Albany, now live 3 hours from NYC and now I can't see the Rangers either? All I watch is hockey, now I'm confined to whatever VS. or the NHL Network play. Wonderful

 

[BenedictGomez]

I have Time Warner Cable of Manhattan and totally LOATHE them.

Not only did I lose Universal Sports and will see no alpine skiing, but I too lost MSG and MSG+, meaning no Devils games, and lots of additional trips to local bars to catch hockey.

 

[ScottySkis]

I have Time Warner Cable of Manhattan and totally LOATHE them.

Not only did I lose Universal Sports and will see no alpine skiing, but I too lost MSG and MSG+, meaning no Devils games, and lots of additional trips to local bars to catch hockey.

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

 

[Nick]

I used to get HD Extreme Sports on my Dish network. I had it on all the time,I was so pissed when they pulled it.

 

[Smellytele]

There is a new sports network - NBCSports. Wasn't Universal owned by NBC?

 

[jerryg]

It all has to do with the sale of NBC to Comast. Universal Sports and Verses are both gone and have been replaced by NBC Sports.

 

[ScottySkis]

Well with all the sports fans in Metro NY I think if we call up and write to the owners and tell them we stop spending money on their teams if they do not work something out might help

 

[BenedictGomez]

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

I'm looking into getting FIOS. Apparently the internet is a bit faster than Road Runner anyway, plus the packages are cheaper.

 

[BenedictGomez]

It all has to do with the sale of NBC to Comast. Universal Sports and Verses are both gone and have been replaced by NBC Sports.

I don't think it had a ton to do with Versus morphing into NBC Sports, unless we here NBC Sports is suddenly going to cover live skiing etc., and i'm not holding my breath.

According to US, they're changing direction and the new business model will allow them to finally be in HD.

My best guess? This is all just negotiating nonsense ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, and ski fans will miss out this season because of it.

 

[billski]

I suspect that it has something, but not all, to do with streaming live and reply events for a fee on universalsports.net. For every sport you want to watch, you pay a separated fee. I subscribe to the Alpine Sports offering for the season. That give me access to live competition and replays. It's about $40 to $50 for this. Now think about the other sports that interest you. It could turn into a lot of bucks for them

What has really irked me is that when cable was initially launched, it was a lot of live broadcasts of traditional stations for people with poor/no coverage. It was also very limited as the infrastructure was being built from scratch. Seemed reasonable, for a fee. Advertising was no more than on a traditional station. Once they started to add more content on other channels, the ads began to pummel the channels.
The business model for internet streaming is quite similar. Once they get you hooked on the "free" stuff , the good stuff costs money.

Now, I understand that comcast, verizon etc. are charging you simply for access. I also understand that the channel provider is providing the content is reasonable However, I'm finding the fees you have to pay for bundled services is onerous.

For me, the rub is, I'm paying for access, then I have to watch the damn commercials on a network I'm already paying for. Don't get me going about recording and skipping through commercials. You still have to babysit the thing. Yeah, there are options to just get specifics, like universal, but at the end of the day, you're paying a lot while they nickel and dime you.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the fees. However, there is little control over what you get, and often to get channels A and B, I must buy both package 1 and 3.

 

[ScottySkis]

I'm looking into getting FIOS. Apparently the internet is a bit faster than Road Runner anyway, plus the packages are cheaper.

Gil's is quick my dad has their packages of web phone and cable. Lots of great channels

 

[billski]

We've had FIOS for three years now.

We have 2 cable boxes, 2 desktops, 2 itouch, 2 laptops, one Touchpad and two network printers, All work with perfectly acceptable performance, even with three or four streaming video and both TV's running. Don't ask.

We had DSL for four years before that. Not even close.

 

[hammer]

We've had FIOS for three years now.

We have 2 cable boxes, 2 desktops, 2 itouch, 2 laptops, one Touchpad and two network printers, All work with perfectly acceptable performance, even with three or four streaming video and both TV's running. Don't ask.

We had DSL for four years before that. Not even close.

Never had DSL but I agree that Fios does quite well...

Had cable internet before that and it was fine as well, although the power boost made the download speeds look better than they really were on the whole.