YouTube videos being taken down

[oksanafan]

Unfortunately, a lot of videos from the current world championships have been taken down from YouTube. Instead of the videos, you now get a message:

This video contains content from International Skating Union, who has blocked it on copyright grounds

Quite honestly, I am disgusted by this. Yesterday, Eurosport was supposed to show the Free Dance live. However, all we got instead was a stupid tennis match. I am told that they did eventually show the last 15 minutes, but I ended just watching it on YouTube. Eurosports coverage of Europeans was just as disappointing. As many of you will know, figure skating is a dying sport and there is so little coverage on TV now, that literally the only source of skating coverage is now on YouTube. Who's fault is that? Its the ISU. They have allowed the sport to go into decline and they have failed to ensure that events have adequate TV coverage. So why are they now actively getting YouTube videos taken down? I am appalled. Are they trying to now kill the sport off totally? With any sport, if people can't see it, then they are going to vote with their feet and walk away. I have had to watch most of the events this season on a computer, mostly via YouTube. Finding a feed or the videos on YouTube is a real chore, and I at some stages this season have really wondered whether it is really worth the effort any longer. If the ISU are going to start getting YouTube videos taken down, then quite frankly a lot of what is left of the figure skating audience will probably vote with its feet. There are plenty of other sports out there that are a lot easier to follow in terms of TV coverage. YouTube has become for figure skating, the last really reliable source of coverage. If the ISU kill that, then they will probably kill off the sport in its entirety.

[Mathman]

Well, I suppose that the ISU has a right to protect ownership of this footage. They may be required to do this by their various television contracts.

But I agree (with Oksanafan). The ISU is cutting off their nose to spite their face. Nothing would benefit figure skating more than if millions of people checked out the world championship skating via you tube.

[heyang]

You Tube videos are being taken down to ensure that broadcast rights are not infringed upon. Ice Network has paid to broadcast the competition to their subscribers. NBC has paid to broadcast in the US. Neither will pay if everyone can watch online for free. Until figure skating ratings improve, the networks won't want to pay as much as they did in the 1990's. In the US, we won't see world's on TV until Sunday, April 8th between 3-6pm.

If you want skating to be broadcast on TV live or close to live, you should be encouraging all skating fans to write the TV networks to tell them you want more skating on TV.

In general, what's being broadcast right now is probably comparable to pre-1994 where the US network would have more coverage of US Nationals than they did of World's. With only a serious potential medalist in ice dance for the US, I'm not surprised that NBC would have little interest in promoting ice skating. There's no benefit to them until it gets closer to the Winter Olympics.

[Mathman]

Neither will pay if everyone can watch online for free.

At best, that's a catch 22. They (Icenetwork, Universal sports, etc.) are not paying much now, nobody is watching, they will pay even less in the future, they will present even less coverage, and even fewer people will watch.

I think that strategy is a loser for all concerned. If these videos were avaiiable on you tube, more people would become interested in seeing skating on TV, not less. You can go on You Tube see old footage from shows like Dancing With the Stars. The network knows that this will increase, not decrease, the live TV audience, and generate more money for everyone.

[Olympia]

I'm sure the ISU has legally compelling reasons to take down the videos. But what does the ISU really gain from this? If people cannot get to see skating, they will not develop an interest in paying to subscribe to the services that supposedly telecast skating events. I'm sorry I missed the window of opportunity to watch the short programs last night, but then, I missed rewatching the entire Olympics until they started finally allowing stuff to go up two years later. Is this footage so precious that it must be guarded against its fans?

I think if they have a kind of statute of limitations, so that it's not viewable on YouTube right away but can be seen say a month later, or two months, that's fair. People will then have to pay to see it live or immediately thereafter, but they won't be barred from ever knowing exactly why Virtue and Moir won the World Championships over Davis and White.

[gkelly]

I think that strategy is a loser for all concerned. If these videos were avaiiable on you tube, more people would become interested in seeing skating on TV, not less. You can go on You Tube see old footage from shows like Dancing With the Stars. The network knows that this will increase, not decrease, the live TV audience, and generate more money for everyone.

I think the key word there is old footage. The network is not going to want the videos available on youtube for free before they've been aired on the network with commercials in all markets where they have contracts to show it.

I have no doubt that in a couple weeks there will be little effort made to remove 2012 Worlds videos from youtube.

[Olympia]

I hope that's the situation. If so, that's entirely fair. I'd be willing to delay gratification for that long! And we skating fans would be able to send links to our friends at that time, so that we could still use YouTube to educate potential fans on the joys and intricacies of figure skating.

[verte76]

This annoys me big time! If you're not on Icenetwork or have Universal Sports you don't get to see the skating at all. The ISU is taking all of the videos off of YouTube?

[verte76]

How do we write the networks and tell them we want skating on TV?

[Mathman]

I think the key word there is old footage. The network is not going to want the videos available on youtube for free before they've been aired on the network with commercials in all markets where they have contracts to show it.

I guess so. But they are living in the past instead of embracing the future. Put your ads on You Tube (as annoying as that is ) People just TIVO-fastforward through the TV ads anyway. Whoever figures out how to make the Internet work for them instead of against them will win this game.

[verte76]

Maybe you can post the skating on YouTube and send me the videos!

[verte76]

I agree. So the issue is advertising?

[kwanatic]

That does suck quite a bit but in all honesty, I haven't seen anything from the singles events that I'd want to watch over and over again...the women were terrible yesterday and the men were terrible today...

[Tonichelle]

You Tube videos are being taken down to ensure that broadcast rights are not infringed upon. Ice Network has paid to broadcast the competition to their subscribers. NBC has paid to broadcast in the US. Neither will pay if everyone can watch online for free. Until figure skating ratings improve, the networks won't want to pay as much as they did in the 1990's. In the US, we won't see world's on TV until Sunday, April 8th between 3-6pm.

If you want skating to be broadcast on TV live or close to live, you should be encouraging all skating fans to write the TV networks to tell them you want more skating on TV.

In general, what's being broadcast right now is probably comparable to pre-1994 where the US network would have more coverage of US Nationals than they did of World's. With only a serious potential medalist in ice dance for the US, I'm not surprised that NBC would have little interest in promoting ice skating. There's no benefit to them until it gets closer to the Winter Olympics.

[skateluvr]

Sorry Heyang but shortsighted thinking for skating-you speak principle and Toni- an ideology-it is onkly hurtung what is left of viewership- sport only for the rich evry four years...everyone is hurt by short sighted strategy...facebook only recently started advertising- many ways to make money with free or cheap-Mathman and Olympia have better logic. We all know they paid and copyright laws. Youtube is under huge attack by the lawyers and capitalists right now. Think about it. Again, unles your parents sent ypu to private school, you'd be illiterate if taxes did not pay for education, libraries etc. Do you want Iditarod to have more viewers? Is it on Ypoutube? I rest my case Think long term, not legality only. The laws are often working against common sense. We are going to see 3 hours on Network in USA-is that good? No, I didn't think so.