NBC Sports Gold Figure Skating Pass

[xabia]

Hi everyone. I didn't know that NBC offered a streaming service and wondered how it compares to Eurosport. Since I live in the UK I've been using Eurosport Player for the past 5 years and most of the time it's ok, although the timing schedule can be a bit up in the air, especially if snooker tends to run late and the skating just has to wait until it's finished! The only difference I can see with the NBC package is the inclusion of the US Nationals (and Regionals). Everything else is available on Eurosport and Eurosport Player. Who are the commentators on NBC? I wouldn't welcome listening to the drivel from Tara and Johnnie, especially since Eurosport have the best commentators in Chris Howarth, Mark Hanretty and Catherine Whittaker. I would consider switching to the NBC package next year when my Eurosport package terminates. What do NBC Gold Pass users think of the service? Would they recommend that I switch to it next year?

Following several emails and tweets to NBC sports I finally received this email yesterday:

Hi Gordon,

Thank you for reaching out to NBC Sports.

All scheduled events on the Figure Skating Pass are available for only U.S. viewers. Only the U.S. Figure Skating qualifying and championship events are available to international viewers in the U.K., Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

If you have any additional question feel free to contact us at 833-888-6227.

Thanks,
Jason
NBC Sports Support


So if anyone in the countries listed above would like to subscribe they would only be able to watch the US Nationals. For those who are keen and can afford it why not?

 

[JustRozy]

I’m surprised. How are you contacting them? I email them at [email protected]. I’ve contacted them several times and they’ve always responded promptly. I do try to state the problem clearly and concisely so they know what the issue is. I think that’s key to getting help.

I was as concise and clear in emailing to support@nbcsportsgold as I could manage - and while I'm no techie, it should have been perfectly intelligible. But again, I will take heart from your very different experience should I need to contact them in future!

 

[Tavi...]

I was as concise and clear in emailing to support@nbcsportsgold as I could manage - and while I'm no techie, it should have been perfectly intelligible. But again, I will take heart from your very different experience should I need to contact them in future!

I hope you have better luck next time! And re concise and clear - sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t! I guess sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw.

 

[magictodo]

Is anyone else using a Roku stick to watch NBC Sports Gold? I do and it's driving me crazy. If a program is live, it'll play for like 30 seconds and then stop itself. If I'm watching a program after it's over, it plays with no problem. So I bought the Roku to be able to watch competitions live on my TV, and now I have to watch on my laptop if I want to watch anything live!

Anyone else experiencing this?

 

[humbaba]

I'm using Roku to stream the US championships and European championships through the NBC sports apps. I've had no problems.

Roku has always worked well for me. However, I have used the Roku box or a smart tv with Roku installed. I've never used the stick.

 

[magictodo]

Thanks. I've emailed both Roku and NBC Sports Gold. I have no idea why it never works for live competitions but works as soon as the competition is over.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I'm using Roku to stream the US championships and European championships through the NBC sports apps. I've had no problems.

Roku has always worked well for me. However, I have used the Roku box or a smart tv with Roku installed. I've never used the stick.

I have been doing some rearsearching. Right now, I am using a laptop connected to my Telly.....

A roku is a brand name of one of a number of propriatory video streaming computers out there for sale. The “box” interfaces between the house’s WIFI and and one of the TV’s HDMI in ports. It is controlled by a remote. The box comes with a number of preloaded paid subscription streaming apps, but more are available for “download” from the roku website. Just use the roku “search” box and the remote. At the TV store, my salesman showed me that there was indeed an NBCSPortsGold app for download.
Depending on the computer/device you purchase, the available streaming apps may be limited. This is due to marketing and licensing agreements. My Samsung TV’s built in “roku type” device is very limited.
Once you download a streaming app, and enter your user name and password, you are good to go, with some caveats. You may have a 4K tv and therefore may be able to receive a 4K signal through the Roku, but only if three things align. One, you may need a roku “Ultra” to receive the 4K signal, and an HDMI cable, cost extra, rated for 4K, PLUS an internet download speed of perhaps 25 mb/sec (mine is 10). This is assuming you have good contectivity from the roku to the house wifi.

 

[fallingsk8er]

I'm starting to like NBC Sports Gold. I stream it from the browser ( Edge) on my Xbox and it looks and sounds great. It has better commentators in Michael Weiss and Charlie White. They seem to know a lot about skating technique and performance and they seem to avoid hyperbole and drama when they evaluate the performance for the viewer. I recommend NBC Sports Gold.

 

[Jeanie19]

I'm starting to like NBC Sports Gold. I stream it from the browser ( Edge) on my Xbox and it looks and sounds great. It has better commentators in Michael Weiss and Charlie White. They seem to know a lot about skating technique and performance and they seem to avoid hyperbole and drama when they evaluate the performance for the viewer. I recommend NBC Sports Gold.

I like that when you watch old competitions in replay, you can fast forward through the long zamboni breaks. And the quality is good.

 

[moonvine]

I can't get the app to go full screen on iPhone, despite their help section saying I should be able to. I'd rather watch on phone than laptop.

 

[Tavi...]

I can't get the app to go full screen on iPhone, despite their help section saying I should be able to. I'd rather watch on phone than laptop.

I watch almost exclusively on my iPhone and get full screen. Is your problem that the stream just stays in a vertical orientation and won’t rotate horizontally when you turn your phone? Or something else? Sometimes I accidentally lock my screen to vertical and then have to figure out how to unlock it. If you do get horizontal orientation but part of the screen is blocked with text at the bottom that says alert, must see, etc, just click in the center of your screen and it will go away. Also make sure you update to the latest version of the app because it has bug fixes - I couldn’t log in until I updated. If none of those things work, I’ve had good experiences contacting the tech support people for sports gold (not nbc sports) by email, although some people have found them not responsive. Good luck!

 

[moonvine]

I watch almost exclusively on my iPhone and get full screen. Is your problem that the stream just stays in a vertical orientation and won’t rotate horizontally when you turn your phone? Or something else? Sometimes I accidentally lock my screen to vertical and then have to figure out how to unlock it. If you do get horizontal orientation but part of the screen is blocked with text at the bottom that says alert, must see, etc, just click in the center of your screen and it will go away. Also make sure you update to the latest version of the app because it has bug fixes - I couldn’t log in until I updated. If none of those things work, I’ve had good experiences contacting the tech support people for sports gold (not nbc sports) by email, although some people have found them not responsive. Good luck!

My problem is both. It won't go horizontal and vertically it has a bunch of crap on the bottom 2/3 of the screen. Tapping in the middle does no good. There's supposed to, according to the FAQ, be a full screen button I don't have. To top it all off, I'm trying to watch on my laptop now. I get 200 mbps speed and the feed is too choppy to be watched. It's unbearable. Breaks up about every 15 seconds. I emailed NBC Sports Gold and am currently watching them on the top 3 inches of real estate on my phone that I have access to. They are no smaller than they were from my actual seats LOL.

 

[Tavi...]

My problem is both. It won't go horizontal and vertically it has a bunch of crap on the bottom 2/3 of the screen. Tapping in the middle does no good. There's supposed to, according to the FAQ, be a full screen button I don't have. To top it all off, I'm trying to watch on my laptop now. I get 200 mbps speed and the feed is too choppy to be watched. It's unbearable. Breaks up about every 15 seconds. I emailed NBC Sports Gold and am currently watching them on the top 3 inches of real estate on my phone that I have access to. They are no smaller than they were from my actual seats LOL.

Sorry, hope tech support can help you. My app went wonky right before part 2 live of the men at Nats, so I feel your pain!

 

[moonvine]

Sorry, hope tech support can help you. My app went wonky right before part 2 live of the men at Nats, so I feel your pain!

Thanks. They fixed it for me, or told me how to fix it. I had my screen locked, SO embarrassing, but the odd thing is other apps let me go horizontal anyway..oh well..I did tech support for 8.5 years but not for phones, for computers...

 

[semosk8tfan]

There were definite advantages to NBC Gold over the old Icenetwork coverage of Nationals. It was so great to have replays up almost immediately after an event instead of taking days. No more going dark during tv coverage. I loved that I had the option to continue watching on the app and avoid Lipinski and Weir on the broadcast or tune in during Dance to catch Tanith and then listen to Charlie and Ben in replays. As long as the subscription price stays reasonable I will be a happy skating fan

 

[Tavi...]

Thanks. They fixed it for me, or told me how to fix it. I had my screen locked, SO embarrassing, but the odd thing is other apps let me go horizontal anyway..oh well..I did tech support for 8.5 years but not for phones, for computers...

Yes, that has happened to me before, too! It’s really annoying because as you note it’s inconsistent from app to app - which means that there are different places to lock/ unlock the orientation depending on the app. But the important thing is the problem is solved!

@semosk8fan, I haven’t experienced a huge delay in seeing archived stuff on my iPhone - it’s usually up under replays pretty quickly. Not sure if it’s different if you’re streaming to a laptop.

 

[Farnaz]

I used to watch European, 4CC, ... on ICENETWORK but it seems that NBC Gold is not covering those competitions. When I wanted to watch Europeans I couldn't find any links to it in my account. Am I missing sth here?

 

[Tavi...]

I used to watch European, 4CC, ... on ICENETWORK but it seems that NBC Gold is not covering those competitions. When I wanted to watch Europeans I couldn't find any links to it in my account. Am I missing sth here?

If you are located in the US and bought the Figure Skating Pass, yes, NBC Sports Gold covers Euros and Four Continents. Since Euros is over, the programs are under replays. Four Continents is next week, so the upcoming programs are listed under live.

If you’re located outside the US, your subscription may not include Euros or Four Continents. I think coverage is more limited for non US residents than Ice Network was, but I’m not 100% sure.

The NBC Sports Gold app has been replaced with the NBC Sports app. Assuming you’re in the US, download the most recent version of the NBC Sports app and log into your Sports Gold package.

 

[statmam]

Does anybody else notice that sometimes the replays cease to function after a time? For instance, I wanted to revisit the 4CC FD (which I had watched in the app not long before). So I looked on the replay tab, and the segment still appeared to be there, but when I tapped on it, it wouldn't open. Men's FS would still open and play, but not the Free Dance. This happened once before with a competition earlier in the season. Or is it just me screwing something up?

 

[Silver Ice]

Does anyone know if they're going to show the Adult National Championships on the NBC Gold pass? I don't see it on the list of on demand stuff, but I thought for sure they advertised it as shown like they did with IceNetwork.