What happened to Cosmo?

ddraver · April 2015

So the last Week in bike suggests that he going to stop making the videos. He doesnt explicitly say hy so has something happened? I heard something about someone stopping him using footage from Strade Bianchi so is that just the straw the broke the camels back or is it just that making those things requires a massive amount of work and that there is a life outside cycling (which is entirely fair enough)

It will be a shame to see him go, IMO he was the best of the "amateur"* cycling news providers

*i.e. not employed to follow cycling like the Cycling Podcast guys are

iainf72 · April 2015

Here's the man himself

http://cyclocosm.com/2015/04/the-week-i ... interview/

He's going to still do videos.

He raised a huge amount of decent points.

ddraver · April 2015

That was the one I meant, in that he suggests he'll do PR and LBL but then that'll be it. Sounds like he's had a knockback from US broadcasters about something

tailwindhome · April 2015

I like Cosmo
I like the work he does, and his analysis
However in the last couple of months he's started to come across a bit whingey

(That said I haven't watched the video Iain has linked to yet)

RichN95. · April 2015

iainf72 wrote:

Here's the man himself

http://cyclocosm.com/2015/04/the-week-i ... interview/

He's going to still do videos.

He raised a huge amount of decent points.

I genuinely think there is a really big market for a subscription website that provides reliable feeds for all the races and catch-up facilities.
It would also include things like Cosmo, the Cycling Podcast, the GCN stuff, Inner Ring, ProCyclingStats, on bike cameras, behind the scenes team videos and an archive of historical races.
And the teams get most of the profits.

How much would people pay a year?

dish_dash · April 2015

TailWindHome wrote:

I like Cosmo
I like the work he does, and his analysis
However in the last couple of months he's started to come across a bit whingey

(That said I haven't watched the video Iain has linked to yet)

+1

Didn't he recently move as well which may have meant his circumstances changed and he needs more stable backing/income? I was wondering how the cyclingtips tie up was going to pan out.

iainf72 · April 2015

RichN95 wrote:

I genuinely think there is a really big market for a subscription website that provides reliable feeds for all the races and catch-up facilities.
It would also include things like Cosmo, the Cycling Podcast, the GCN stuff, Inner Ring, ProCyclingStats, on bike cameras, behind the scenes team videos and an archive of historical races.
And the teams get most of the profits.

How much would people pay a year?

As someone who is increasingly time poor, I really want quality highlight packages. Possibly more than live racing coverage. Of course I'll watch P-R etc live if I get a chance but I'd bite someones hand off for 30 minutes of highlights in the evening, as long as they're well produced. Sometimes you get 30 minute or 45 minute "highlights" that tend to be the last 30 minutes of the race.

I'd need it accessible via TV - So either via a TV enabled service like YouTube or similar. Watching video on computers is undignified.

Maybe you're onto something - Let the organisers keep the live coverage and rights to that, but give the teams access to up to 30 minutes of footage for highlights, and split what they make it on.

frenchfighter · April 2015

He really is very good. He makes some good points in that video. Would be nice if he could monetize his clearly unique format. Definitely if I have missed a race or want to refresh my memory that is the first place I go.

Funny the comment under the video should start with: Since so many of you asked, it’s an Icebreaker Quantum LS Zip Hoodie I for one was thinking what a nice top!

RichN95. · April 2015

iainf72 wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

I genuinely think there is a really big market for a subscription website that provides reliable feeds for all the races and catch-up facilities.
It would also include things like Cosmo, the Cycling Podcast, the GCN stuff, Inner Ring, ProCyclingStats, on bike cameras, behind the scenes team videos and an archive of historical races.
And the teams get most of the profits.

How much would people pay a year?

As someone who is increasingly time poor, I really want quality highlight packages. Possibly more than live racing coverage. Of course I'll watch P-R etc live if I get a chance but I'd bite someones hand off for 30 minutes of highlights in the evening, as long as they're well produced. Sometimes you get 30 minute or 45 minute "highlights" that tend to be the last 30 minutes of the race.

I'd need it accessible via TV - So either via a TV enabled service like YouTube or similar. Watching video on computers is undignified.

Maybe you're onto something - Let the organisers keep the live coverage and rights to that, but give the teams access to up to 30 minutes of footage for highlights, and split what they make it on.

Yeah, a highlights package would be part of the catch-up service. And it would be playable to TV via Chromecast or the like.

I thought of this while watch a programme about Twitch.com, a gamer's subscription site which is worth about a $1 billion. Rather than ask for a piece of the current TV rights, Velon or whoever should take the online rights and create something of their own. (The TV companies would still be able to stream online too).

iainf72 · April 2015

RichN95 wrote:

I thought of this while watch a programme about Twitch.com, a gamer's subscription site which is worth about a $1 billion. Rather than ask for a piece of the current TV rights, Velon or whoever should take the online rights and create something of their own. (The TV companies would still be able to stream online too).

Twitch is a great example. I've been thinking about this recently and Velon etc all seem to just be trying to rehash what other sports have already done. There is no innovation or disruption. They seem to be obsessed with trying to monetise the product, rather than build the best product they can and the money will flow from that.

tailwindhome · April 2015

iainf72 wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

I genuinely think there is a really big market for a subscription website that provides reliable feeds for all the races and catch-up facilities.
It would also include things like Cosmo, the Cycling Podcast, the GCN stuff, Inner Ring, ProCyclingStats, on bike cameras, behind the scenes team videos and an archive of historical races.
And the teams get most of the profits.

How much would people pay a year?

As someone who is increasingly time poor, I really want quality highlight packages. Possibly more than live racing coverage. Of course I'll watch P-R etc live if I get a chance but I'd bite someones hand off for 30 minutes of highlights in the evening, as long as they're well produced. Sometimes you get 30 minute or 45 minute "highlights" that tend to be the last 30 minutes of the race.

I'd need it accessible via TV - So either via a TV enabled service like YouTube or similar. Watching video on computers is undignified.

Maybe you're onto something - Let the organisers keep the live coverage and rights to that, but give the teams access to up to 30 minutes of footage for highlights, and split what they make it on.

This.
The ITV4 TDF show is pretty close to what I need from cycling TV coverage.

The next day highlights of GW started randomly at 27km to go.

No_Ta_Doctor · April 2015

iainf72 wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

I thought of this while watch a programme about Twitch.com, a gamer's subscription site which is worth about a $1 billion. Rather than ask for a piece of the current TV rights, Velon or whoever should take the online rights and create something of their own. (The TV companies would still be able to stream online too).

Twitch is a great example. I've been thinking about this recently and Velon etc all seem to just be trying to rehash what other sports have already done. There is no innovation or disruption. They seem to be obsessed with trying to monetise the product, rather than build the best product they can and the money will flow from that.

Velon don't exactly inspire me with confidence, purely due to their strictly amateur website. No product on it, almost empty, a page that's inexplicably in PDF for the sake of a couple of paragraphs and the "live stream" page is impossible to scroll to get the stream in the middle (whatever it might be a stream of, it was off when I visited, with nothing to indicate when it might be on).

I have no idea what they actually want to do, other than cooperate to make some money.

Now the other niche sport I follow (even more niche than cycling) is surfing. The World Surf League streams the events live, produces highlights, interviews, runs a fantasy league, gives you the same content on an app, sends alerts about events and surfers you follow.... There are previews that dig into the technical conditions of the event (what sort of swell produces the best waves, what sort of waves it produces and surfers it favours - think of it as a very wet parcours).

And this is still just well packaged but basic.

http://www.worldsurfleague.com/

Innovation would be great, but if we could just get a bloody package together to present what we've already got then we'd have a huge improvement.

cal_stewart · April 2015

If the itv 4 highlight coverage was year round it would be pretty much what I want.

gsk82 · April 2015

That's a shame. Whatever happened he seems quite bitter about it.

His face doesn't match his voice.

markwb79 · April 2015

Netflix should do it.

They constantly buy random and rubbish films and series to widen their consumer base.

I don't have a subscription to it, but I think regular, good cycling highlights would make me finally sign up.

rick_chasey · April 2015

Not enough money in it to get the ball rolling.

As much as I would hate to say it, if say, Sky bought up all the rights you'd probably get decent coverage. Their coverage of any sport they care about is pretty unrivalled and they're good at the sport specific innovations.

Watch an F1 race on sky, with your I pad up as well and it's bloody brilliant.

But I suspect there aren't enough viewers to justify sky buying it, which is why bargain basement sports only channel Eurosport can pick up the entire season.

Tailwind likes the itv4 coverage of the Tour? Viewership justifies the effort. No other race does.

iainf72 · April 2015

Rick Chasey wrote:

But I suspect there aren't enough viewers to justify sky buying it, which is why bargain basement sports only channel Eurosport can pick up the entire season.

Tailwind likes the itv4 coverage of the Tour? Viewership justifies the effort. No other race does.

They want to buy the rights but there are significant barriers. All the big races want free-to-air coverage, as would the teams sponsors.

The biggest event is the TdF and that transcends "cycling fans" - Most of the sponsors are involved for those 3 weeks in July.

dish_dash · April 2015

Seems to be still doing HTRWW just not the Week in Bike. Which is fine by me... I'd also buy a jersey/t-shirt or become a friend to support him do those while still using adblock on cyclingnews.

I get the sense he's really trying to land a big broadcaster contract. But I really don't see that happening and would if anything restrict him...

ddraver · April 2015

I'm the same dish...

thomthom · April 2015

Christ, that guy is annoying. Yes, I said that.

dish_dash · April 2015

ThomThom wrote:

Christ, that guy is annoying. Yes, I said that.

In the week in bike, yes. But HTRWW is ace...

dish_dash · May 2017

looks like Cosmo has a deal with Eurosport

http://video.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/gi ... l#uk-tw-po

ddraver · May 2017

well...good on him!

thegibdog · May 2017

Good to see him back. Maybe theres scope for Eurosport to integrate his analysis into their highlights in the future.

joelsim · May 2017

The CN Podcast is Cosmo and Dane Cash.

It's like listening to Wayne's World.

onionmk · May 2017

Great to see the 'How the race was won' series back. Much more entertaining than watching highlights on TV. Hope he's here to stay this time

MiddleRinger · May 2017

So glad HTRWW is back, it was absolutely the best way to catch up on race highlights. His ability to spot those little extra happenings amongst all the action is incredible. Really missed these vids in his absence!

RichN95. · May 2017

As someone has bumped this thread, here's stages 5-9

http://video.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/gi ... ideo.shtml

Paul 8v · May 2017

Joelsim wrote:

The CN Podcast is Cosmo and Dane Cash.

It's like listening to Wayne's World.

I see no problem with this :-D

tailwindhome · May 2017

http://cyclocosm.com/2017/05/how-the-ra ... ges-10-15/

Usual superb analysis.
Including Movistar's dangerous/tactical car parking.

tailwindhome · May 2017

http://cyclocosm.com/2017/05/how-the-ra ... ges-16-21/

What happened to Cosmo?

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