Question about ice network | Golden Skate

Question about ice network

icedancingnut31

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 31, 2003
I was thinking of purchasing a subscription on icenetwork.com to watch the Olympics and I had as few questions.

My reasoning for buying it is because I am not completely satisfied with NBC coverage in the US. It is so limited and I want to see every skater not just the top 5 and the Americans. Most of the skaters I like will most likely not be shown and going on youtube to see their programs later is not an option because their videos normally get removed within hours due to copyright laws. Also I sometimes find the commentary distracting and many times have problems hearing the music over the commentators' discussions. If I wanted to listen to a skater's life story, I would google it, I don't want to hear it while they are skating.

For those of you who use ice network, I have some questions:
1. Is it worth the money?
2. Can I watch the performances when ever I want to or do I have to watch live?
3. Is there commentary? Is it distracting?

Thanks!!
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I don't think Ice Network will cover Olys. That's an IOC thing (not ISU) and I don't think the two have a deal (could be wrong though)
 

Wicked

Final Flight
Joined
May 26, 2009
The Olympics are not on Icenetwork's event schedule. To answer your questions about its coverage of events that are on the schedule-

1. Is it worth the money?

IMO, yes. You get to see the entire competition, not just the top 5. They also show the galas.

2. Can I watch the performances when ever I want to or do I have to watch live?

Whenever you want. And you can watch them a few times, if you want.

3. Is there commentary? Is it distracting?

Most competitions have no commentary. (Thank god!)
 

tricia90

Rinkside
Joined
May 16, 2009
I have really enjoyed icenetwork so far this season. As Wicked said, a nice feature is that if you are not watching live you can see a performance or part of a performance as many times as you want. This way you can really zero in and obsess on skaters that you like. Also if you are not watching live, you can skip the ones you don't care about...if only life worked like that.:)
 
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Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
This is my second year as a subscriber to Icenetwork & it's worth it & more!:thumbsup: I agree with all the positive words everybody has said thus far.

I honestly don't watch my t.v. set anymore when it comes to skating, only if I have to. Everything I want is at IN ~ I can go back & watch anything I like, or what I may have missed, or just to obsess, lol. :biggrin:

Seriously, what's a measly $30 for everything you get in return, including LIVE coverage with no commentating; can't beat it, it's like I'm watching my fav silent movies!:cool:
 

schiele

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
I am also very satisfied with IN given we only pay $30 for full live coverage and on demand streaming. Although if they could, I wish they would have Chris and Nicky from Eurosport as commentators cos I feel empty watching it without their commentary. :love::love:
But I am pretty sure they're not gonna be broadcasting OG. It was nowhere in their agenda when I got my subscription.
As pointed a couple of times before, if you wanna see live and full coverage of OG starting with the first group, you should try the online streaming of Turkish channel TRT 3, which is for free.
 

jcoates

Medalist
Joined
Mar 3, 2006
I too am an IN subscriber and have been happy with it. The quality has improved steadily over the years as has the number of offerings. Regarding the OIympics, I would advise you to check out NBCOlympics.com. The site itself has been around since at least Athens, maybe SLC. It offers more each Olympics, winter or summer. During the Beijing games, they had a ton of live streaming content both for sports not covered on NBC itself and for those that got only late round coverage (e.g. diving). The picture clarity is excellent and the feed strength is quite strong. The site will require you to download a MS Silverlight plugin in order to get the video to work on your PC.

I'm not sure if they will have live skating though since Vancouver is contemporaneous with NBC's primetime schedule. They are likely to show a lot more live skating than normal. Still, the site may have lots of archived coverage which might be unedited. Hope this helps.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
There was a topic I put on GS regarding the deal between the ISU and UniSport which goes into effect 2011, if I remember correctly. I raised a question about it, but the post had little response.

1. Where is NBC on all this, especially since Disney dropped NBC?

2. Will the ISU be able to deal with the OIC to have the 2014 Figure Skating Olys
transmitted on UniSport?

3. Where is USFS and IceNetwork on all this?
 

oranges

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
I find that there is so much content (not that that is a bad thing) that it is little overwhelming. For example, there are 17 videos for the U.S. Junior Championships, most of which are at least an hour long. As said before, most of the competitions don't have commentary. I myself really enjoy this as it is forcing me to identify every spin and position without someone saing what's what. Your experience may be different, but I think it is worth the $30.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I find that there is so much content (not that that is a bad thing) that it is little overwhelming. For example, there are 17 videos for the U.S. Junior Championships, most of which are at least an hour long. As said before, most of the competitions don't have commentary. I myself really enjoy this as it is forcing me to identify every spin and position without so meone saing what's what. Your experience may be different, but I think it is worth the $30.
I understand your concern for icenetwork. My concern is whether it wil be in existence in 2011?
 

schiele

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
I understand your concern for icenetwork. My concern is whether it wil be in existence in 2011?

I'd like some answers on that one myself because icenetwork is the only way for me to see the grand prix series..
 
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