Paying for live streams

[FlossieH]

@CaroLiza_fan I've just followed @icewhite's instructions on the eurosport.com website. I can't work out how to post a screenshot on here, but this is the page address: https://www.eurosport.com/figure-skating/score-center.shtml It has Skate America/Allen listed for 00:30 and 02:00 on 21/10. Does that mean it is available to us, or is it a generic listing which doesn't take georestrictions into account?

 

[moonvine]

I don't mind paying a bit for live streams but these always used to be free! The only one which charged was Finlandia, and even that was only around EUR 9 for the whole thing.

Is the ISU feeling the financial pinch THAT much?? The huge amount I paid for the Worlds in Montpellier for not always very good seats, I always get the impression they are raking it in.

Any thoughts on this?

I wouldn't think the ISU got money from the paid streams. I thought the Challengers provided them (or not). If the ISU were providing them we would get them for every Challenger I would think. But I could be wrong.

 

[moonvine]

Whether Eurosport shows the Senior GP's depends on whereabouts in Europe you are.

In the British Isles, there is nothing in the upcoming streams section of the Figure Skating page on Discovery+. It just has the archived livestreams from last season (which will probably start expiring soon).

Viaplay were supposed to be taking over the UK rights for 5 seasons starting with this season, but since they announced they were pulling out of all markets except for the Nordics and the Netherlands, we haven't known what is happening. All I know is that there is no sign of any skating for next weekend either on their website or in the listings for their linear channels.

At this rate of going, the ISU YouTube channel may be the only option for people in the British Isles to watch the ISU competitions.

But, with a week to go, it would be nice to know what is happening.

CaroLiza_fan

I wish Discovery + in the US showed skating!

 

[moonvine]

I would very much like to know whether Skate America will be shown on any live streams. Last year it was on Peacock (discovery plus here in the UK) but I don’t see it listed on there for this year. Discovery plus was £6.99 a month last year which I think is reasonable, the €20 for each challenger was not reasonable.

Does anyone have an information about live streams for Skate America?

Isn't Skate America the same as all GPs? Shown on ISU channel, VPN in from the Netherlands?

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

If you want an easy way to make your voice heard on frustrations with the CS streaming this year, a member of the AnythingGOE news team is writing an article on Challenger streaming issues and is requesting people take a survey on their experiences with the Challenger stream. I'd encourage you to take it; the more data we can provide is more evidence that an alternative, such as a one-platform streaming service, would be the best idea next year. The link is to a Google form, it does not require any email/sign in, all responses are anonymous and do not require any personal information, and it takes about 3 minutes.
https://forms.gle/soLcPfY2Kan3FkeX8

 

[FlossieH]

Isn't Skate America the same as all GPs? Shown on ISU channel, VPN in from the Netherlands?

It may vary between countries but, for those of us in the UK, Skate America was only available on Eurosport last year. The other senior GPs and GPF were available on both the ISU channel and Eurosport. In previous years we had not had anything accessible on the ISU channel for the senior GP events.

 

[moonvine]

It may vary between countries but, for those of us in the UK, Skate America was only available on Eurosport last year. The other senior GPs and GPF were available on both the ISU channel and Eurosport. In previous years we had not had anything accessible on the ISU channel for the senior GP events.

Were you using a VPN set to another country?

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

It also took me a bit. I went - "Alle Sportarten" (~all sports) in the upper header -> "Eiskunstlauf" (figure skating) -> "Kalender" (~schedule). Then it lists Kalender/Ergebnisse (schedule/results) 23/24. But I also didn't find these events through the media center. Or does this mean they are only saying the events will come up without saying whether they will broadcast them?

They are only saying that the events are coming up. For example, you can go through the same process for Formula 1, but I don't believe that Eurosport has the broadcasting rights to it anywhere.

@CaroLiza_fan I've just followed @icewhite's instructions on the eurosport.com website. I can't work out how to post a screenshot on here, but this is the page address: https://www.eurosport.com/figure-skating/score-center.shtml It has Skate America/Allen listed for 00:30 and 02:00 on 21/10. Does that mean it is available to us, or is it a generic listing which doesn't take georestrictions into account?

Even better, there is a page specifically for Skate America:

https://www.eurosport.com/figure-skating/skate-america/calendar-results.shtml

But I'm afraid all these pages are on the website for Eurosport International, the generic version of Eurosport.

At the bottom of these pages, there is a box where you can select the version. You'll see that it says "International (English)". And if you scroll down the drop-down menu to "United Kingdom", the link takes you to the TNT Sports website.

You see, when BT Sport was rebranded as TNT Sports back in July, rather than creating a completely new website from scratch, they re-purposed the British Eurosport website and moved it to https://www.tntsports.co.uk/.

Since then, if you try to go to the old British Eurosport website's address (https://www.eurosport.co.uk/), it re-directs you to the Eurosport International website (https://www.eurosport.com/). This has been done so that people who are still on their old Eurosport Player subscription and haven't moved over to Discovery+ can continue to watch on demand content. However, although the website is for Eurosport International, the on demand content and the schedules are for your own version of Eurosport.

Because I cancelled my Eurosport subscription and switched to Discovery+ in February, I can't check if you can use a VPN to get around this. But, I would doubt it.

It really is a mess, isn't it?

CaroLiza_fan

 

[TT_Fin]

I still have found absolutely nothing that V-sport or any other channel will broadcast GP here in Finland. Local fed tells nothing, including Espoo GP, nothing about TV broadcasts. V-sport costs something like 45€/month. Absolutely too expensive, but it shows Ice hockey which so much more popular here, and also car races and those people who watch them, they pay.

 

[hop456]

You can usually watch the GPs on the official ISU youtube channel. A (free) vpn might be needed in certain countries.

Skate America is already showing in their upcoming streams for figure skating, so I'm positive they will be showing GP.

I just looked and at first it didn't show them, but then I found all GPs including final, EC and WC, so just like before, for this season, at least on the schedule. I use Eurosport for other sports as well, but if you are only looking for these events you might indeed be able to watch them via other ways and for free. I didn't even know the GPs were on youtube as well.

Thanks all, I can’t see that the streams will happen next weekend, maybe it’s a case of waiting until then.
Last year I found most of the GPS were on YouTube but not skate America.

 

[hop456]

Whether Eurosport shows the Senior GP's depends on whereabouts in Europe you are.

In the British Isles, there is nothing in the upcoming streams section of the Figure Skating page on Discovery+. It just has the archived livestreams from last season (which will probably start expiring soon).

Viaplay were supposed to be taking over the UK rights for 5 seasons starting with this season, but since they announced they were pulling out of all markets except for the Nordics and the Netherlands, we haven't known what is happening. All I know is that there is no sign of any skating for next weekend either on their website or in the listings for their linear channels.

At this rate of going, the ISU YouTube channel may be the only option for people in the British Isles to watch the ISU competitions.

But, with a week to go, it would be nice to know what is happening.

CaroLiza_fan

Thanks so much. I will keep checking discovery plus. Skate America was not shown on YouTube last year. I’m really hoping there is a way I can watch it.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Thanks so much. I will keep checking discovery plus. Skate America was not shown on YouTube last year. I’m really hoping there is a way I can watch it.

Skate Am was shown on youtube. In fact I can still see all the live streams. You need a vpn.

 

[lileychristie]

If anyone in this thread happens to be looking for a free, reliable VPN - I recommend Proton VPN Free.
I've used it before to stream Japanese domestic events and it's speedy enough for live video stream (though it may depend on your own internet speed too).

Only 3 countries provided (Netherlands, US, Japan), but Netherlands should be enough to watch the GP Series on Youtube

Not sponsored or paid by Proton at all I swear, just trying to spread the figure skating love

 

[moonvine]

If anyone in this thread happens to be looking for a free, reliable VPN - I recommend Proton VPN Free.
I've used it before to stream Japanese domestic events and it's speedy enough for live video stream (though it may depend on your own internet speed too).

Only 3 countries provided (Netherlands, US, Japan), but Netherlands should be enough to watch the GP Series on Youtube

Not sponsored or paid by Proton at all I swear, just trying to spread the figure skating love

Yes, I use the same VPN.

 

[FlossieH]

They are only saying that the events are coming up. For example, you can go through the same process for Formula 1, but I don't believe that Eurosport has the broadcasting rights to it anywhere.



Even better, there is a page specifically for Skate America:

https://www.eurosport.com/figure-skating/skate-america/calendar-results.shtml

But I'm afraid all these pages are on the website for Eurosport International, the generic version of Eurosport.

At the bottom of these pages, there is a box where you can select the version. You'll see that it says "International (English)". And if you scroll down the drop-down menu to "United Kingdom", the link takes you to the TNT Sports website.

You see, when BT Sport was rebranded as TNT Sports back in July, rather than creating a completely new website from scratch, they re-purposed the British Eurosport website and moved it to https://www.tntsports.co.uk/.

Since then, if you try to go to the old British Eurosport website's address (https://www.eurosport.co.uk/), it re-directs you to the Eurosport International website (https://www.eurosport.com/). This has been done so that people who are still on their old Eurosport Player subscription and haven't moved over to Discovery+ can continue to watch on demand content. However, although the website is for Eurosport International, the on demand content and the schedules are for your own version of Eurosport.

Because I cancelled my Eurosport subscription and switched to Discovery+ in February, I can't check if you can use a VPN to get around this. But, I would doubt it.

It really is a mess, isn't it?

CaroLiza_fan

That's what I was suspecting.

I'm still on the old Eurosport Player subscription - and the old price! My subscription is due for renewal soon and what happens with Figure Skating will determine whether I move to Discovery+ (£20 extra per year) for skating and cycling or move to GCN+ (same price as my current Eurosport Player) for just cycling.

 

[Winnie_20]

So am I correct in understanding that at this point in time, it’s not even certain if Eurosport will show the livestreams?

I’m on an old Eurosport Player subscription (thirty euros per year), which I plan on renewing in a couple of weeks. Even though I don’t watch much FS anymore these days, what I do want to see, I much prefer watching via Eurosport over youtube (no commentary). I’m wiling to pay thirty euros for that (okay, there’s the 2024 Olympics, too).

But I don’t see FS GP listed in the Player app on my media player. And by now surely it should be listed.

Heck, on the iPhone Eurosport app, I don’t even see anything remotely resembling livestreams (and with that I mean not even E1 and E2, never mind extra streams). But that’s another mystery…

 

[mikeko666]

I personally don't mind paying for livestreams just because I can afford it.
I'm worried that it makes more difficult to gain new fans and will hurt the sport in a long term.

 

[hop456]

Skate Am was shown on youtube. In fact I can still see all the live streams. You need a vpn.

Thank you I am going to try a VPN to see if that works.

I’ve already got a VPN to try and subscribe to crave and watch the “I have nothing“ show in Canada which is another thing I have been struggling to watch from the UK and still haven’t managed it.

Is there any chance you could post the YouTube URL for live streams for Skate Am last year on here so I can see if I can access them with a VPN?

Thank you

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Thank you I am going to try a VPN to see if that works.

I’ve already got a VPN to try and subscribe to crave and watch the “I have nothing“ show in Canada which is another thing I have been struggling to watch from the UK and still haven’t managed it.

Is there any chance you could post the YouTube URL for live streams for Skate Am last year on here so I can see if I can access them with a VPN?

Thank you

Sure, here is for example the link to last year's men's SP live stream:

Men Short Program | Norwood 2022 | #GPFigure

To license ISU footage: https://bit.ly/3M7bcaFSUBSCRIBE to our channel:https://www.youtube.com/SkatingISU?sub_confirmation=1LIKE us on Facebook:https://www.f...

www.youtube.com

Fingers crossed you get it to work with a vpn. As others already pointed out, a reliable vpn is Proton, with free servers in the Netherlands that should work for the ISU GP.

 

[FlossieH]

So am I correct in understanding that at this point in time, it’s not even certain if Eurosport will show the livestreams?

I’m on an old Eurosport Player subscription (thirty euros per year), which I plan on renewing in a couple of weeks. Even though I don’t watch much FS anymore these days, what I do want to see, I much prefer watching via Eurosport over youtube (no commentary). I’m wiling to pay thirty euros for that (okay, there’s the 2024 Olympics, too).

But I don’t see FS GP listed in the Player app on my media player. And by now surely it should be listed.

Heck, on the iPhone Eurosport app, I don’t even see anything remotely resembling livestreams (and with that I mean not even E1 and E2, never mind extra streams). But that’s another mystery…

Whether it will be on Eurosport depends on whether they still have the broadcasting rights for your country. For some countries, such as the UK, the rights moved from Eurosport to Viaplay at the end of last season. Since then, Viaplay has pulled out from some of the countries it had added and is focussing mainly on Scandinavia. We do not know whether the rights for the UK and other affected countries have gone back to Eurosport (I suspect not), have gone to someone else, or if no one has them. I am starting to suspect that no one has the rights and it therefore won't be shown here.

Eurosport Player was retired in January - at least in the UK. For us, things which had been on the Eurosport Player moved to https://www.eurosport.com/ You might want to try eurosport.com to see if that now gives you access to E1, E2 and streams.