How to watch 2021 Skate America on TV | Page 2 | Golden Skate

How to watch 2021 Skate America on TV

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Right… I would have no reason to go to a British and Irish skating thread to talk about Eurosport. ;-)

Yeah, that was a pretty random place. But, that was where the question was asked, so that was where I answered.

And then what happens? Do they automatically transfer, or…?

I am really curious. I don’t see anything in my account that indicates that my current contract will not be renewed. And the renewal date is November 9, 2021. That’s a couple of weeks from now! So we should find out soon enough.

I really hope my contract just gets renewed, though, or that it gets transferred for the same amount I pay now. I have had an annual subscription at 30 (29,99) euros for many years now. It was a good deal then, and it still is!

I think if it gets cancelled or transferred, shouldn’t they have let me know by now?! A heads-up?

I have no idea how they are going to do it. I would assume that they will e-mail us a week before the contract is up, and give us an option to either transfer over to Discovery+ or cancel. I don't think they will let us renew. But I am hoping that, as loyal existing customers, they will give us a special deal to transfer over. But, I honestly don't know.

So, since you are up first, you can let us know! :)

Discovery have handled this really badly. They had an existing Free service (Dplay) and an existing Pay service (Eurosport Player). To create the new 2-tiered service (Discovery+), they should have just merged the 2 services together. Not create a Pay tier on the existing Free service, and then cause all this confusion by winding down Eurosport Player over a long period of time.

I'm dreading what it will be like if and when Discovery+ and HBO Max are merged into one service.

By the way, when I originally signed up to Eurosport Player, it was on the £30 deal. But, it went up to £40 when the first year was up. And it really galled me whenever I would see them doing offers for the £30 again, and I was stuck paying £40.

I remember the you tube streams were blocked here in the UK, because of Europlayer having the rights. Managed to watch it via a Russian stream last year, re an excellent fb group. So Discovery Plus yet another subscription!! Nope! Not paying on top of sky.

In my case, Discovery+ is worth it, because I follow quite a few other sports that Eurosport shows. But, if I only wanted to watch figure skating, I would watch for free on the ISU YouTube channel using the Opera browser and it's built-in VPN.

It is getting to the stage that Sky is not worth it. Since the late 90's, we have been on what used to be called the Sky Multi-channels package (I don't even know what the package is called nowadays! But, it's everything except the sports and movies). But, with all the channel closures in recent years, it has got to the stage that we only ever watch the Free To Air channels; channels that are owned by Discovery; Sky Sports F1 (we got it when it was bundled with the HD Package); and BT Sport (only for the MotoGP).

If Sky loses the F1 rights, and if the new owners of BT Sport get their act together and provide a proper On Demand service, then I think we would cancel Sky. Because we can get the FTA channels without a subscription, and we will have the Discovery owned channels on Discovery+.

I did hear that Peacock would be coming to Sky ??

I haven't heard about Peacock coming to SkyQ (we have Sky+HD), but now that Sky and NBCUniversal have the same ownership, I wouldn't be surprised.

HOWEVER, just because Peacock is available in Europe doesn't mean you will be able to watch the same things that get shown on Peacock in America. The rights for a lot of the things that NBCUniversal have the rights for in America are owned by different broadcasters over here (in the case of figure skating, by Discovery). So, these things will not be available on the European edition of Peacock. (And I don't know if a VPN will be able to get around that).

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan
 

Mauvedreamer

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Yeah, that was a pretty random place. But, that was where the question was asked, so that was where I answered.



I have no idea how they are going to do it. I would assume that they will e-mail us a week before the contract is up, and give us an option to either transfer over to Discovery+ or cancel. I don't think they will let us renew. But I am hoping that, as loyal existing customers, they will give us a special deal to transfer over. But, I honestly don't know.

So, since you are up first, you can let us know! :)

Discovery have handled this really badly. They had an existing Free service (Dplay) and an existing Pay service (Eurosport Player). To create the new 2-tiered service (Discovery+), they should have just merged the 2 services together. Not create a Pay tier on the existing Free service, and then cause all this confusion by winding down Eurosport Player over a long period of time.

I'm dreading what it will be like if and when Discovery+ and HBO Max are merged into one service.

By the way, when I originally signed up to Eurosport Player, it was on the £30 deal. But, it went up to £40 when the first year was up. And it really galled me whenever I would see them doing offers for the £30 again, and I was stuck paying £40.



In my case, Discovery+ is worth it, because I follow quite a few other sports that Eurosport shows. But, if I only wanted to watch figure skating, I would watch for free on the ISU YouTube channel using the Opera browser and it's built-in VPN.

It is getting to the stage that Sky is not worth it. Since the late 90's, we have been on what used to be called the Sky Multi-channels package (I don't even know what the package is called nowadays! But, it's everything except the sports and movies). But, with all the channel closures in recent years, it has got to the stage that we only ever watch the Free To Air channels; channels that are owned by Discovery; Sky Sports F1 (we got it when it was bundled with the HD Package); and BT Sport (only for the MotoGP).

If Sky loses the F1 rights, and if the new owners of BT Sport get their act together and provide a proper On Demand service, then I think we would cancel Sky. Because we can get the FTA channels without a subscription, and we will have the Discovery owned channels on Discovery+.



I haven't heard about Peacock coming to SkyQ (we have Sky+HD), but now that Sky and NBCUniversal have the same ownership, I wouldn't be surprised.

HOWEVER, just because Peacock is available in Europe doesn't mean you will be able to watch the same things that get shown on Peacock in America. The rights for a lot of the things that NBCUniversal have the rights for in America are owned by different broadcasters over here (in the case of figure skating, by Discovery). So, these things will not be available on the European edition of Peacock. (And I don't know if a VPN will be able to get around that).

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan
Thanks very helpful. I did wonder about Peacock. Yes I should try to get my head around how to use a VPN.. I am not very upto date with VPN stuff!! I only really follow tennis and Athletics and Gymnastics outside of figure skating. Very informative much appreciated.
 

Winnie_20

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
VPNs can be really handy (and are very easy to use). I didn’t realize how handy until just now, though.

I recently bought an nvidia shield tv pro, and I didn’t realize until this discussion here tonight that the VPN software I use (NordVPN) might actually be available as an app on this little monster of a media player.
And sure enough, there it was.

I tested it with last year’s streams of the Rostelecom cup Ladies FS, set the location to Argentine, and lo, suddenly the videos all became visible and playable.

I have used NordVPN before to get around the geoblocks on youtube, but didn’t know how to do that on the television (I would have had to resort to an old-fashioned hdmi cable laptop to television set-up). But this is much better! :)

So, to bring this back on topic, there are so many ways to watch the GP, especially if you are okay with livestreams!

Edit to add: dunno what peacock is, exactly, but if it’s anything like Netflix or Disney+ i.e. a video streaming service, then a VPN is the solution to those region-issues, too. If you set the VPN to the US, you would get access to Netflix US, for instance, with that library of content. The content does differ somewhat across the regions.
 
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Mauvedreamer

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
VPNs can be really handy (and are very easy to use). I didn’t realize how handy until just now, though.

I recently bought an nvidia shield tv pro, and I didn’t realize until this discussion here tonight that the VPN software I use (NordVPN) might actually be available as an app on this little monster of a media player.
And sure enough, there it was.

I tested it with last year’s streams of the Rostelecom cup Ladies FS, set the location to Argentine, and lo, suddenly the videos all became visible and playable.

I have used NordVPN before to get around the geoblocks on youtube, but didn’t know how to do that on the television (I would have had to resort to an old-fashioned hdmi cable laptop to television set-up). But this is much better! :)

So, to bring this back on topic, there are so many ways to watch the GP, especially if you are okay with livestreams!
How easy ..I not very tech savvy..
 

Winnie_20

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
How easy ..I not very tech savvy..
Well, with a paid subscription, you would need to sign up (create an account) and pay. I don’t know if you need to create an account with use of a free VPN like the one that’s apparently built into the opera browser. CaroLiza_fan should be able to explain that one.

But anyway, with for instance NordVPN, you then have the option of downloading the app, or a browser plug-in etc. I use Apple, so have an app on my iMac and my iPhone, and now on the (Google) Nvidia Shield tv pro, too.

Just start the app, log in, and then you have the option to connect to a variety of servers. If you’re just interested in being anonymous, you can use one in your home country (= close = fast), or let the VPN connect automatically to the fastest server, but with for instance ISU, you would need to pick a country that doesn’t have broadcasting rights. Argentine, apparently, was one of them last season. ;-)

That’s it, basically, for the “easy” way that I always use. There are more advanced ways, too, like setting up a VPN on your router. I have never done that, but that would make installing all the separate apps etc. unnecessary, because then all your internet traffic would be secured through the router.
VPN software websites provide extensive information, of course.
 

Mauvedreamer

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Well, with a paid subscription, you would need to sign up (create an account) and pay. I don’t know if you need to create an account with use of a free VPN like the one that’s apparently built into the opera browser. CaroLiza_fan should be able to explain that one.

But anyway, with for instance NordVPN, you then have the option of downloading the app, or a browser plug-in etc. I use Apple, so have an app on my iMac and my iPhone, and now on the (Google) Nvidia Shield tv pro, too.

Just start the app, log in, and then you have the option to connect to a variety of servers. If you’re just interested in being anonymous, you can use one in your home country (= close = fast), or let the VPN connect automatically to the fastest server, but with for instance ISU, you would need to pick a country that doesn’t have broadcasting rights. Argentine, apparently, was one of them last season. ;-)

That’s it, basically, for the “easy” way that I always use. There are more advanced ways, too, like setting up a VPN on your router. I have never done that, but that would make installing all the separate apps etc. unnecessary, because then all your internet traffic would be secured through the router.
VPN software websites provide extensive information, of course.
Oh ok thanks.🙏
 

GretchenG

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Very interesting looking through the history section.

However, I had to laugh at the way the the Medal Count tables for Worlds and the Olympics were constructed in such a way as to make sure America was on top in all of them.

Pre-division Germany (Imperial, Weimar, Nazi), United Team Of Germany, West Germany, East Germany, and the current Germany were all clumped together in a combined count.

But Imperial Russia, the USSR, Unified Team, CIS, Russia, and OAR were not. If they had been, they would easily have topped all the tables.

Personally, I don't think combining counts is wise, because complications arise. Russia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine have all won medals in their own right. But skaters from these countries have also won medals representing the USSR.

  • If you combine the medals for the USSR and Russia, and keep the other former Soviet Republics separate, it makes it look as if the USSR was a solely Rusian team, and belittles the achievements of athletes from the other SSSR's.

  • If you combine the medals for the USSR and all the former Soviet Republics, it makes belittles the achievements of the successor countries.

So, better to just keep the designations as they were at the time.

It gets even more complicated when it comes to Czechoslovakia. All the medals were won before Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Yet, in the Medal Count tables, they are all listed under the heading "Czech Republic". The irony is, most of the medals were won by Slovaks!

So, it would have been better to just list them under the heading "Czechoslovakia".

Although no skaters representing pre-division Korea or North Korea have won World or Olympic medals in figure skating, I would say the same about pre-division Korea, South Korea and North Korea. Don't do any combining!

Similarly, no skaters representing Yugoslavia or any of the former Yugoslav Republics have won World or Olympic medals in figure skating. But, if they had, I would say don't do any combining.

For me, the only designations that should have been combined were Russia and OAR. Because, they are the same entity - they were only competing under different names because of a WADA ruling.

The interesting thing is that it is obvious that the compilers initially missed one of the German designations when combining the medal counts in the "Most Olympic Medals By Country" table. Because the numbers are correct, but the position isn't. The combined German designations (22 Medals) are below Austria (20 medals) in the table, when they should have been above them! :laugh:

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics!

CaroLiza_fan
It is so easy to lie with statistics. All of this makes me think of the fact that the US won one more gold medal than China in the Summer Olympics, and it drove them crazy, so later they came out and said that they were adding Hong Kong and Taiwan to their totals, so now they've won the gold medal race.😂😂😂 I mean, really?
 

GretchenG

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Canada - CBC - all times Eastern Daylight Time

CBC Sports Streaming
CBC Television


Oct 227:48 PMChampionship Figure Skating: Skate America
Sat Oct 233:35 PMChampionship Figure Skating: Skate America
Sun Oct 241:00 PMChampionship Figure Skating: Skate America
Sun Oct 248:30 PMChampionship Figure Skating: Skate America
USA
2021-22 Figure Skating Series Broadcast Schedule
All times Eastern, check local listings, subject to change.

Date
Competition
Time (ET)
Network
Friday, Oct. 22​
2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America​
9 p.m. – Midnight​
NBCSN (Live)​
Saturday, Oct. 23​
2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America​
5:30 – 8 p.m.​
NBCSN (Live)​
Saturday, Oct. 23​
2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America​
10 p.m. – 1 a.m.​
NBCSN (Live)​
Sunday, Oct. 24​
2021 Guaranteed Rate Skate America​
3 – 6 p.m.​
NBC (Live​

Peacock Premium (live and on demand)​
I'm on the west coast and my mind is blown that NBCSN is actually set to show Skate America live. I can't remember them ever doing that. The past couple of years they weren't even showing it the same weekend. I just hope they follow through, because sometimes what they show on the cable channel guide is not what actually gets played.

Also, if you're going to watch it on NBCSN, be prepared for them to only show the last two flights of skaters in each category. They're not going to show skaters that the general public won't recognize. Gotta go to Peacock or YouTube for that.
 
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pearly

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Also, PSA: If you are going to use a VPN, do not use are free VPN. They are almost always absolutely terrible in terms of privacy.
How so? (I know what a VPN is and use one, I would just like to know why a free one is terrible in terms of privacy.)
 

Minz

It's not over till it's over
Medalist
Joined
Nov 13, 2020
Country
United-States
How so? (I know what a VPN is and use one, I would just like to know why a free one is terrible in terms of privacy.)
Well I’m not an expert, but from what I know, a lot of free VPN’s don’t have the privacy security that paid ones do. The company might often keep logs of user’s data or even worse, sell their data.

And an additional note for all VPN’s: make sure you check where the VPN company is based. Different countries have different laws regarding privacy and data. It is generally advisable to not chose a US Based VPN, as the US has a lot of things regarding data kept by companies and such.
 

LiamForeman

William/Uilyam
Medalist
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Also, PSA: If you are going to use a VPN, do not use are free VPN. They are almost always absolutely terrible in terms of privacy.
I saw a post on Reddit from someone who uses Opera has had no problems in over two years. That's what I'm probably going to try first if I want to try VPN. I bit the bullet today and got Peacock for $5/mo. It will be worth it during GP to Olympics at least, plus I'm now watching "Halloween Kill" and other movies on Peacock.
 

IceDancingQueen

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 7, 2017
I've got a grave suspicion that we might not see any of GPs on the linear channels. When I contacted the BESP last year a customer service guy quoted the contract which said something to the effect that they undertake to broadcast the major competitions ie Euro, Worlds & Olympics. I desperately want to be wrong on that account but when I saw no sign of SA on the Sky listings.... :devil:
I contacted Eurosport last week and they confirmed that British Eurosport won’t be showing any of the Grand Prixs on their linear channels this year 😭
 

figureskatingandrainbows

As Kao Miura once said, スケートって難しい
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 8, 2020
Country
Olympic
How to watch
  • ISU Youtube Stream (Pairs SP, Men SP, ID RD, Women SP, Pairs FS, Men FS)
    • Here is a list of broadcasters for this event. If you are not in a location with a broadcast, you should be able to access the entire event on the ISU's Youtube page. Some countries with broadcasts also have streams available on Youtube
    • I've confirmed the following countries have an unblocked stream: France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Turkey, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Poland, Morocco, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Spain (these could change later on, so don't get too comfortable! See the list of broadcasters for more info)
    • The following countries are blocked: Japan, the United States, Italy, South Korea, Germany, Russia, China (See the list of broadcasters for more info)
    • If you are in a location that is blocked and want to watch the ISU Youtube stream, you will need a VPN that is set to a location that is unblocked
      • For a paying VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark are very popular
      • For free VPNs with useful locations, I would recommend Windscribe (Canadian), which does have a data limit (10GBs should be enough to stream this event, though) but has plenty of locations available for free and is very safe, or ProtonVPN (Switzerland based) which is again very safe and has unlimited data but only three locations (US, Japan, Netherlands).
      • You can also use the free Opera browser, with a built-in VPN option. Set the VPN location to Asia (the server is in India) and you should be able to watch the stream *Opera is owned by a group of Chinese investors if you're concerned about your information*
  • Local broadcasts (click here for full list)
    • Eurosport is a bit of a disaster currently, so good luck! Check out the Eurosport Player or your local television listings for a possible stream and pray. Links for the figure skating pages at Eurosport Spain, France, and the UK
    • NBCSN will be airing parts of the events live, with Johnny and Tara commentating on singles. Alternative livestreams for NBCSN (1)
    • NBC will air the events on Sunday from 15-18:00 EST (3-6 pm). Alternative livestreams for NBC (1)
    • Peacock will livestream all events, likely with ISU commentary, and official practices. Available only for Premium members and only in the US
    • CBC will be livestreaming some of the events (Day 1, 2, 3, Gala, geoblocked outside of Canada, not all of the events will be shown)
    • TV Asahi will broadcast the events for a fee for people in Japan
    • Channel 1 will be streaming in Russia on Youtube and their website (geoblocked)
    • Tencent is streaming the event in China (geoblocked)
  • Not-quite-legal streams
    • If all else fails, or you are an extreme cheapskate who refuses to use even the free options above, here are some not-quite-legal streams (do not use if other options are available, please support skating!)
      • Live QQ man will probably stream here
      • Practice stream here for Day 1, Day 2 possible this account will stream the rest of the event
      • Men's SP, Pairs SP on VK
      • Check on VK, Weibo, or other Russian/Chinese media sites for a possible livestream (links will probably pop up on social media or Goldenskate, and if I see one, I'll add it here. If a site looks suspicious or makes you put in an email address, it is likely a scam, so do not use)
 
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