Sky and no more Europsport

captain_oakley
captain_oakley Posts: 222
edited February 2017 in The cake stop
This may have been covered elsewhere, if so apologies. Apparently, Eurosport, Discovery Channel and TLC among a
few other' shave fallen out with the 'Dirty Digger's' Sky and will no longer be available on the Sky platform. Which is
a bit of a pain, as a Sky Customer I will be cancelling my subscription and looking to get my fix of Cycling, Biathlon,
Winter Sports and other sports covered by Eurosport elsewhere. It will be a pain to miss the Lions Tour, however.

Any advice re the best place to get Eurosport. Not that keen on Virgin to be honest.

There is a silver lining, as Mrs Oakley, will no longer be able to record episodes of 'Say yes to the Dress'. :D
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Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I use the Eurosport Player service which is multi-platform and costs about £5 a month. It does have some 'features' like whenever crap like tennis is on it is likely to overrun any cycling event...but it often works great and, for the money, I find it hard to complain although I do moan often. It does work well with the Android/iPhone app allowing me to Chromecast it too.

    Don't forget that daily or weekly Sky passes can be bought via Now TV which worked really well when I watched the darts over Xmas :-)
  • narbs
    narbs Posts: 593
    Similarly, I cancelled Sky yesterday and have got the Eurosport player.

    A friend tells me that there are plenty of easy ways to watch Sky Sports content online.....
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Yes, i'm surprised this isnt being debated on this forum. Not sure whether this is brinkmanship or not but i have a feeling that sky will not back down. It seems that once again, minority sports are being sacrificed to the god that is football. I think i read somewhere that sky are paying 11m per televised game. Which benefits me not at all.

    So unless this is resolved, i will most certainly be cancelling my sky subs and going down the freeview/ freesat route. It looks as though you can by an annual eurosport pass on offer for £20 at the moment and that is what i will do to take care of my cycling and tennis. My other passion is cricket and this could be more problematical. I suppose i could do a pay per view through sky but it seems that BT are muscling into that market and they have the ashes series next winter.

    I think that BT have done a deal with eurosport so I could add to my existing subs for BT sport which is an extra fiver i believe. I dont want to take BT tv as it is internet only.

    Its a bit annoying because everything i needed was previously in the same handy place and it was worth keeping on with sky just for that even though i dont watch football. It seems that this will no longer be the case and i will have to hunt around for deals. I do hope that sky lose a lot of trade over this ...

    Anyone else got any thoughts or ideas on this?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    This is all news to me. When is Eurosport likely to disappear?

    I'm currently disgruntled that Sky Go can't be used when using multiple screens which reduces my ability to watch at work. This is a large amount of my viewing!

    Cricket would be a problem.
  • narbs
    narbs Posts: 593
    TheBigBean wrote:
    This is all news to me. When is Eurosport likely to disappear?

    I'm currently disgruntled that Sky Go can't be used when using multiple screens which reduces my ability to watch at work. This is a large amount of my viewing!

    Cricket would be a problem.

    Tuesday will be the last day unless a deal is done.
  • narbs
    narbs Posts: 593
    Oh, and cricket should be TMS only :)
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    @thebigbean...watch eurosport and the message goes across the screen every 10 minutes or so. Follow the link for the full gory details. Your job enables you to watch tv? Sounds like a cool job ;-)
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    Mikey23 wrote:
    @thebigbean...watch eurosport and the message goes across the screen every 10 minutes or so. Follow the link for the full gory details. Your job enables you to watch tv? Sounds like a cool job ;-)

    Thanks. I will investigate.

    I have it on in the background... I have both a Belkin @TV and Sky go, but the former is being discontinued and the latter won't work on multiple screens. Not strictly legal streams on my work laptop probably isn't the way to go, so this is just one extra hassle with Sky.
  • vimfuego
    vimfuego Posts: 1,783
    Been considering ditching Sky for a while - cricket, England/Lions rugby & NFL being what's delayed pulling the plug. Love Eurosport coverage of the classics season, so maybe this is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Roku with Now TV app (albeit they are Sky wearing a false moustache) Eurosport player, NFL game pass etc it is then. I'll still end up paying for day passes for Lions matches etc but at least the pay as you go deal on Now TV makes me feel like I'm not just massively subsidising football (which I never watch).

    Can't stand TMS by the way ;-)
    CS7
    Surrey Hills
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  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    I've had BT tv for a year now. .. the package that delivers phone, fibre and Eurosport amongst other wondrous channels .
    I'm ok with it.. it 's just about sensible. but keeping a careful eye on a price hike.
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    F**KS SAKE!

    I have LITERALLY just gone back to Sky, a big factor was having Eurosport and it's cycling.
    Specialized Allez Sprint Disc --- Specialized S-Works SL7

    IG: RhinosWorkshop
  • timothyw
    timothyw Posts: 2,482
    Worth pointing out the Eurosport Player is currently £20 for a years sub:
    http://uk.eurosportplayer.com/
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    we "dumped" sky beginning of Jan - the only sky only channels we tended to watch were eurosport for cycling and discovery - didn't want to be paying that much for something we didn't use much of.
    Used their online chat service to cancel the TV sub whilst keeping the phone & broadband (which I've not had an issue with) - they've done "a deal" which means we get to keep Sky+ (basically the advanced TV guide and recording faciltiy) on the freeview channels along with phone & broadband for less than we were paying for the phone and broadband.
    I don't think we were given anything special and the same deal was available to my in-laws.

    We had purchased a Humax Freeview recorder in preperation for dropping Sky - the interface is slow and laggy - plus the ghosting of the menu over the current TV picture can make it very difficult to view. I still use it in preference because
    a) I can copy recordings off onto an external device - and if it's recorded in standard def I could play it on any other device - means I'm not going to run out of space because I've saved a few movies ....
    b) I can watch TV from the box on our IOS devices whilst on the same wifi network (I think you can take it online too but never tried it) - which means I've got "TV" in any room in the house
    c) I can watch Standard def recordings on the IOS devices - ok, whish we could watch the HD recordings the same way, but I understand that's down to licencing rather than kit limitation.

    On the interface - the only advantage I can see is that you can view past TV programmes in the planner - and press play if they're available on catch up - something you can't do on Sky (you have to find the programme)

    Sky's box is great for user interface though - it's clear and simple to use - plus you can download catchup TV to be watched later (can't do that on the freeview box - stream or nothing)
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    there's a thread on pro race with more info if interested
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • crossed
    crossed Posts: 237
    TimothyW wrote:
    Worth pointing out the Eurosport Player is currently £20 for a years sub:
    http://uk.eurosportplayer.com/

    Excellent. Just got the years' sub.
  • rollemynot
    rollemynot Posts: 436
    Does Eurosport player have a "Chrome cast" feature
  • rollemynot
    rollemynot Posts: 436
    Rollemynot wrote:
    Does Eurosport player have a "Chrome cast" feature

    Lazy me.... just checked on their FAQ and it supports chromecast
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I see the eurosport offer finishes on 31st jan and the switch off is from 1st feb. Im pleased to know there is life after sky. I was aware i was paying a lot but it was just convenient. I hope they take a kicking but i suspect they will survive...
  • veryslowtwitch
    veryslowtwitch Posts: 321
    I will leave sky if no Eurosport but will miss the convenience and the quality of the HD tv. How does the Eurosport player work? Is there an app for smart TVs? hiw does it look on a big tv? Grateful for pointers.
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    So it's not for definite that Eurosport will part from Sky. On ES website it says they 'may' disband from Sky... So not cancelling Sky just yet!
    Specialized Allez Sprint Disc --- Specialized S-Works SL7

    IG: RhinosWorkshop
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    Get yourself an Android TV box and download Mobdro. Stream any channel you want just about including all the Sky channels and Eurosport. Its streaming and not downloading, so perfectly legal at the moment. You have to put up with the occasional advert for crap apps and games, and sometimes you will lose the stream temporarily, but it at least works the vast majority of the time. I have a Sky and BT subscription, but the garage has a Mobdro set up for me to watch when on the turbo, rollers or working on bikes.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • rollemynot
    rollemynot Posts: 436
    veryslowtwitch wrote:
    I will leave sky if no Eurosport but will miss the convenience and the quality of the HD tv. How does the Eurosport player work? Is there an app for smart TVs? hiw does it look on a big tv? Grateful for pointers.

    Just subscribed and I am casting the app on a 32" Samsung in the snug.... quality acceptable, however the definition definitely deteriorates on my 49" lounge TV. Ok for me as the lounge Tele is SWMBO's anyway :)

    I also have Mobdro, works Okay but not very stable IMO. And for £20 for a year the ES player is great value, as oppose to sky sports for nearly £20 a month I can put up with Mobdro's instability for the SS element
  • Frank Wilson
    Frank Wilson Posts: 930
    Last year S4c (free to air in Wales & borders, 134 on Sky Box) showed live coverage of the three Grand Tours of Europe and also a few of the classics. Obviously they are a "general" not "sport" tv channel so won't be anything like the coverage on Eurosport but not a bad effort. Still awaiting their schedule for this year.

    I am pretty sure (though have not used it) there is a red button change language or subtitles for those who don't understand Welsh.
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Sky only Eurosport?, strange I have two sport channels and hd equvalents on Virgin with full recording facilities, plus BT Sport channels. Never went with Sky on principle.
  • Frank Wilson
    Frank Wilson Posts: 930
    plowmar wrote:
    Sky only Eurosport?, strange I have two sport channels and hd equvalents on Virgin with full recording facilities, plus BT Sport channels. Never went with Sky on principle.

    Virgin would be a good alternative if only we lived in a cabled area!
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Frank Wilson wrote:
    Last year S4c (free to air in Wales & borders, 134 on Sky Box) showed live coverage of the three Grand Tours of Europe and also a few of the classics. Obviously they are a "general" not "sport" tv channel so won't be anything like the coverage on Eurosport but not a bad effort. Still awaiting their schedule for this year.

    I am pretty sure (though have not used it) there is a red button change language or subtitles for those who don't understand Welsh.

    Yep, I concurr. I watch s4c in scotland. Wouldn't dare miss an episode of Cefn Gwlad :wink:
  • banditvic
    banditvic Posts: 549
    Anyone know if they are in breech of contract stopping these channels with no advanced warning? The only programs I watch on Sky are Discovery and Eurosport so will definitely be cancelling and they usually require a months notice.
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    banditvic wrote:
    Anyone know if they are in breech of contract stopping these channels with no advanced warning?

    You would probably have to prove that there has been a material change to the offering in order to win that one. I would also suspect that you would need to raise the dispute in a timely manner or be deemed to have accepted the change in conditions.
    In reality, any dispute would be better being resolved between the two direct parties (without resorting to the lawyers) and if SKY offered a disgruntled viewer a reasonable deal that was rejected out of hand then that would ruin any later legal dispute since an unwillingness to negotiate a reasonable settlement followed by a legal claim could be seen to as simply and deliberately vexatious.
  • banditvic
    banditvic Posts: 549
    Just tried to close my Sky account down all lines busy.
    Anyone with any sky shares dump them Monday asap.
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    Bobbinogs wrote:
    I use the Eurosport Player service which is multi-platform and costs about £5 a month. It does have some 'features' like whenever crap like tennis is on it is likely to overrun any cycling event...but it often works great and, for the money, I find it hard to complain although I do moan often. It does work well with the Android/iPhone app allowing me to Chromecast it too.

    Don't forget that daily or weekly Sky passes can be bought via Now TV which worked really well when I watched the darts over Xmas :-)

    This.

    You can have the Eurosport player on two devices I seem to remember (I have the App on the iphone and the ipad), and plugging a Chromecast into the TV means I can have it there as well. The picture isn't HD though, but it's still pretty good. This method also means I can watch the TdF at work with earphones in and the phone propped up on my keyboard!
    I agree that the scheduling isn't great - but I think they have improved it somewhat in the last 12 months.

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