Ice Skating Channel

I remember a while go there being a lot of talk about starting one. What happen with that? I noticed that tennis has a tennis channel. The french open has started and there is all this coverage on there. They cover the competition then you see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes with the competition & the athletes. That would be great to have that channel for skating. What happen does anyone know, I am lost on the topic?

The Ice Channel couldn't procure enough sponsors/investors, etc. and never got launched. I Googled "Ice Channel" and came up with part of this Variety article from 2002:

Ice Channel eyes hot niche. (Zamboni, Anyone?).
Variety, October, 2002 by Dempsey, John

A network devoted to figure skating 24 hours a day is coming soon to a cable system near you.

Called the Ice Channel, the still-in-development network is the brainchild of Michael Rosenberg, who produced a number of ice shows and, as an agent, represented the skating star Dorothy Hamill.

The exec who's putting the network together is Jay Rosenstein, a former VP of programming for CBS Sports. Rosenstein says his goal is to get the network launched by October 2003. Ice Channel is one of a raft of sports nets (TENNIS, ANYONE) pushing to secure carriage on cable systems.

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yes, a channel was launched but died that same season.

Unfortunately, Ice Skating does not have that much interest by the public. It is a once every four years watch.

Joe

Joesitz said:

Unfortunately, Ice Skating does not have that much interest by the public. It is a once every four years watch.

Joe

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actually i a poll taken last year, figure skating got higher demand then Golf... and even basketball. (belive it or not!) I think that The Ice Skating Channel was no widely avaiblibe and you had to pay your Cable service extra for it.

But here's the problem: skating is not promoted enough, doesn't get live coverage except for US Nats, and there's little of it (the competitive type) on broadcast television. After next year, we may not get to see the GP events or even the championships on TV any more (or we'll get far less coverage).

I can understand not showing Cup of China or NHK live due to the time difference, but there's no excuse for not showing Skate America, Skate Canada or 4CC's (which was here in the US) live. They (ESPN) could have done so to maximize ratings, but chose not to.

Red Dog said:

But here's the problem: skating is not promoted enough, doesn't get live coverage except for US Nats, and there's little of it (the competitive type) on broadcast television. After next year, we may not get to see the GP events or even the championships on TV any more (or we'll get far less coverage).

I can understand not showing Cup of China or NHK live due to the time difference, but there's no excuse for not showing Skate America, Skate Canada or 4CC's (which was here in the US) live. They (ESPN) could have done so to maximize ratings, but chose not to.

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Yeah, i have never seen any advertising for skating. I think that if the USFSA and/or the networks promoted it more... ratings would go up.

Promoting the Sport would definitely help.

As to showing it live from Tokyo at 8pm in Tokyo and 8am Central US time, would not get many US people watching TV at that hour except for avid fans who are not going to work that day. The average American will read about it and a few will tape it.

As for live showing soley in N.America, they will show Worlds and Olys so that the USFS will shedule those competitions geared to having an 8pm showing on the East Coast. For Vancouver, that will not be a problem, but for Worlds it will have to be shown on an affiliate sports related channel (unless the glitz of hollywood is ballyhooed too).

One does not usurp Law and Order for a figure skating show on a major network. Similarly, Skate America and Skate Canada will have to be on an affiliate if done live. ESPN did that with no promotion. What happens with NBC and 2 hours LIVE on a Sunday afternoon at SA remains to be seen. I just don't see much more than 4 or 5 Ladies and 3 dance teams for that. No news about Men's and Pairs Divisions yet.

Any further scandals in figure skating will not only kill the Ice Channel but also the Sport itself. Speed Skating is not a must see except at a big race.

Joe