Has Eurosport UK abandoned live cycling?

nickwill

I've just looked at the schedules for this week. Highlights only until Friday at least.
At this rate I'll be getting rid of Sky, as Eurosport's cycling coverage is the only reason I have it! :evil:

jimmythecuckoo

It's been good coverage of the Giro so far, but coming hot on the heels of reduced classics coverage I suppose it is right to be annoyed.

I will take whatever coverage we can get because it is still better than when I first started following the sport and we had Le Tour on 4 and that was it.

If they scale back the Tour de France coverage then I will start to think that something more sinister is at play.

Brits want to watch football and superbikes more is, I suppose, the bottom line for those of us with "British Eurosport"

Van_Heerden

I think they are showing 1.5 hours live on Eurosport 2 and then evening highlights on Eurosport 1. It is due to the French Open which is a much bigger audience puller for them.

In general I think Eurosport have done ok. We have to remember that they also rely on the Italian coverage for pictures and that isn't always up and running even when we get delayed live coverage. I do however think they could be better sometimes. They put on replys of cycling before the live coverage which due to other things has overrun but I'm sure we'd all prefer to see the live and then get the others later or we may have seen because it is the 3rd time they have shown it.

guv001

As posted above check ES 2 they are showing live racing at 3pm today...

ColinJ

Nickwill wrote:

I've just looked at the schedules for this week. Highlights only until Friday at least.
At this rate I'll be getting rid of Sky, as Eurosport's cycling coverage is the only reason I have it! :evil:

Hi Nick.

I've mentioned it lots of times before - currently you can still get International Eurosport free on analogue satellite and you can pick up such systems for virtually nothing. There has been live coverage of the Giro every day so far.

Obviously you wouldn't get the extra UK events that British Eurosport covers from time to time. International coverage isn't perfect - Paris Roubaix was limited coverage this year, but it is as good as or often better than the British version.

The only other niggle is that the broadcasts aren't widescreen but it looks to me like the original material is slightly wider than 4:3 and compressed to fit, so it doesn't look too bad stretched to 16:9.

nickwill

guv001 wrote:

As posted above check ES 2 they are showing live racing at 3pm today...

:oops: I didn't notice that!

blazing_saddles

Fact: Out of ALL the versions of Europsort out there, only Eurosport UK, (now commonly known as ESUK ) does not interrupt Roland Garros, to show live Giro.

ESUK is under the impression they are the ppv version of the BBC. i.e. All the perceived "posh" sports get preferential treatment. 10 hours of live tennis and nil hours of the crucial Giro stage is appalling.
Yes, it's shoved on ESUK 2, but I have permanently defected to RAI. Their coverage is far longer and more imformative, even though I don't speak Italian. :roll:

Tom Butcher

Yes I don't think they do too bad in terms of the GTs - maybe there are a few crucial mountain stages which they could show another hour of - it's more their lack of coverage of some of the classics that gets me - 20 minutes of Paris Roubaix isn't great. I tend to watch the Norwegian feed on the internet now - seems a clearer picture than RAI on my computer - I was all for getting an analogue dish etc but never got round to it and probably never will - living in a conservation area I doubt I'd get planning permission to put it up anyway.

donrhummy

If you want to get more cycling coverage, you should write in to them! The more letters they get, the more they'll think people want to watch cycling. And remember, so few people write in that each letter counts for more than one person (like in polls where they ask 1,000 people and say it represents the entire country). So everyone, write them an email!

jimmythecuckoo

Good idea.

CyclingBantam

Ok now this will come across as lazy however I have searched and can only find contact details for Yahoo when I search for Eurosport.

Could somebody please post their email address and I will certainly email through. I suspect if the address is here on the thread so will others.

Thanks

Ben

ColinJ

BenBlyth wrote:

Ok now this will come across as lazy however I have searched and can only find contact details for Yahoo when I search for Eurosport.

Could somebody please post their email address and I will certainly email through. I suspect if the address is here on the thread so will others.

Thanks

Ben

A little bit lazy...

Google: contact eurosport
First result:

If you have questions about Eurosport television, please write to:

For Eurosport International :

comheadoff@eurosport.com
British Eurosport : ukcomms@eurosport.com
Italy : giornalista2@eurosport.com
Germany : muencheninfo@eurosport.com (also for other German speaking countries; Switzerland and Austria)
Nordic countries : nordic@eurosport.com (for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden)
Netherlands : infoholland@eurosport.com (for Netherlands and Dutch speaking part of Belgium)
Spain : buzon@eurosport.com
Poland : eurosport@eurosport.pl
France : telespectateurs@eurosport.com (France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg)
Portugal : press.in@mail.telepac.pt
Greece : eurosportdesk@eurosport.com

ms_tree

Nickwill wrote:

I've just looked at the schedules for this week. Highlights only until Friday at least.
At this rate I'll be getting rid of Sky, as Eurosport's cycling coverage is the only reason I have it! :evil:

Personally re the Giro I've think it's been better this year because we have dedicated coverage on Eurosport 2 for the 3rd week whereas in the past it depended on the tennis. In 2003 we only got delayed highlights of the mountain stage on Thursday due to Henman playing later that day but the previous match went to 4 or 5 sets.! Today we wouldn't have got any coverage as Murray was due to play but as it was on E2 there was just over an hour live.
Paris Roubaix was a pain but they did more for LBL than was advertised previously.
DH said once that they have to make special arrangements to use E2 it's a separate channel.
Not making excuses just trying to put it in perspective!

ms_tree

Nickwill wrote:

I've just looked at the schedules for this week. Highlights only until Friday at least.
At this rate I'll be getting rid of Sky, as Eurosport's cycling coverage is the only reason I have it! :evil:

Personally re the Giro I've think it's been better this year because we have dedicated coverage on Eurosport 2 for the 3rd week whereas in the past it depended on the tennis. In 2003 we only got delayed highlights of the mountain stage on Thursday due to Henman playing later that day but the previous match went to 4 or 5 sets.! Today we wouldn't have got any coverage as Murray was due to play but as it was on E2 there was just over an hour live.
Paris Roubaix was a pain but they did more for LBL than was advertised previously.
DH said once that they have to make special arrangements to use E2 it's a separate channel.
Not making excuses just trying to put it in perspective!

vermooten

It could be far worse - it could be cycling.tv

I've been pretty happy with BES so far.

CyclingBantam

ColinJ wrote:

BenBlyth wrote:

Ok now this will come across as lazy however I have searched and can only find contact details for Yahoo when I search for Eurosport.

Could somebody please post their email address and I will certainly email through. I suspect if the address is here on the thread so will others.

Thanks

Ben

A little bit lazy...

Google: contact eurosport
First result:

If you have questions about Eurosport television, please write to:

For Eurosport International :

comheadoff@eurosport.com
British Eurosport : ukcomms@eurosport.com
Italy : giornalista2@eurosport.com
Germany : muencheninfo@eurosport.com (also for other German speaking countries; Switzerland and Austria)
Nordic countries : nordic@eurosport.com (for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden)
Netherlands : infoholland@eurosport.com (for Netherlands and Dutch speaking part of Belgium)
Spain : buzon@eurosport.com
Poland : eurosport@eurosport.pl
France : telespectateurs@eurosport.com (France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg)
Portugal : press.in@mail.telepac.pt
Greece : eurosportdesk@eurosport.com

:oops: I didn't think of searching that. :oops: :roll:

Captain Fagor

Looks like the bastards have abandoned cycling highlights as well.

Recorded the scheduled highlights of todays Giro and guess what? More tennis. AAAAaaaaarrgghh!!!!

:evil:

sherlock65

Just sent a very pissy email - I don't have the time (dunno about you) to tape the entire stage and spend all evening watching it.
Highlights replaced by tennis is NOT funny.

:evil:

Steve

ms_tree

Today;s stage was on E2 at time scheduled. If it had been on BE1 we wouldn't have seen it because Murray was playing and his match finished (he lost!) just after the live feed. As I said before at least we are seeing some this year instead of hit and miss of other years.

Ciao!

Tom Butcher

The missus didn't see it because there were no highlights - if it hadn't been scheduled we'd probably have taped it - sat through an hour of tennis waiting for it too. Not really on when she's been following the whole race and can't watch the most exciting stage so far. Of course it's Eurosport not Eurocycling - but is poker (on now) really a sport and the tennis programme that came on after the live matches finished wasn't even on the bleeding schedule. Luckily caught the end of the stage on the internet myself.

thamacdaddy

I personally think the eurosport coverage of anything is pretty poor. When people set recordings etc and to simply not show something on time its pretty bad imo. I can understand more if its live coverage but usually when doing the highlights I make sure I record the program after it with sky+ as well as its hardly ever running anything less than 15mins late. You don't get this kinda rubbish on sky sports and even setanta can get their coverage right....nothing has really bothered me too much about it until today. And I agree why the poker couldn't be taken off instead but I guess they simply stuck back to the schedule.

Should have recorded the live coverage from es2 earlier in the day but I didn't think they would cancel tonights highlights altogether....has to be a great stage too!

a_n_t

yep, was looking forward to watching yesterdays stage this mornig and got an hour of tennis!

I usually record the next program too but forgot

Carbon_

You guys are lucky, in NZ all we get is a few hours of Tour de France, and maybe some Tour of Southland :evil:

nickwill

They're bloody at it again!!!,
Turned on Eurosport 2 to find Scalextric, and only qualifying at that.
Cycling was supposed to be on at 3!
I can't even console myself with the idea of watching highlights this evening after yesterday's debacle. :evil: :evil: :evil:

vermooten

The cyclingfans feed is great - and no adverts!

Fck eurosport and fck cycling.tv we don't need them.

vermooten

PS the ES transmission has just started, and within literally 20 seconds there was an ad break!

Bye bye Eurosport!

thamacdaddy

To be fair the issue is more to do with the fact that up to this week although not perfect at least they have shown the highlights each night so even if you watch live streams etc you can catch up again at night....then as soon as you are a bit hooked and its getting really meaty they abandon it or mess about in a big way....thats the sucky part.

The TDF coverage last year here in the UK was pretty good ITV or chan 4 had a really good show every night (on time every day) and though ES were the same old you could also catch it live. Hoping its the same this year too but also looking forward to hopefully seeing the Vuelta and World champs on ES providing some tiddlywinks world cup doesn't overrun on time.

ms_tree

Having tried to be positive all week, I too was a bit p'd off today so fired off an e-mail. (Don't expect any sort of grovelling apology, nay, not even a reply).
Thanks to the guy who posted the cycling fans site as I it on there and watched it until E2 came on.
Isn't Norwegian and strange language!

Moomaloid

Cor i remember back in the day when we used to pile round a friends house after the club run to watch the full coverage of paris roubaix and other classics. And catch at least 3 hours of tour stages.

Now they just don't seem to care a jot about the viewer. Regardless of the sport. Cycling defo gets the bum turn now mind.

I was especially peeved to find that after watching live streaming of LBL, there has been NO streaming of any of the Giro from them. Not a thing. really really poor.

Thanx god for NRK who have been a godsend. Considering learning Norwegian

afx237vi

According to Wikipedia, NRK is the Norwegian version of the BBC - ie, paid for by a license fee. Maybe us grateful cycling fans should have a whip-round to say thanks

vermooten

Thnaks too to the wonderful folk who post torrents of the stages to demonoid.

Note that what they show on Eurosport is more extensive than on British Eurosport.