Streaming Cycling in UK - Discovery+ prices!

[HLaB]

I saw on web sites this morning that Eurosports was closing and TNT @£31 would be the only option. I checked my spam folder tonight and the official statement was only sent to me at 12.05 this morning. Surely they could have let people know before now. Maybe they suspected that with no road cycling on until now folk would have cancelled. The official email at least says they are dropping the discovery + fee as of next month. I'll watch the races that are available this/next month then cancel! I doubt I'll be paying £31pcm for something I only have on in the background.

 

[HLaB]

£7 to £30 is a ridiculous leap. I'm just not going to watch the cycling. I usually fell asleep to it anyway.

Is ANYONE here considering paying the £30 a month for it ?

I was until I read it was £31 (Only joking, there was no way I was paying more for something I only have on in the background)

 

[Venod]

I see this going in the wrong direction for TV companies, do you remember when the record companies ripped people off with the LP/CD prices, then along came music sharing and streaming, all of a sudden LP/CD prices plummeted, its been about for several years the dodgy streaming of pay per view content, and the dodgy Firestick and TV boxes, it will become a bigger more lucrative market for the providers who will develop more ingenious ways to stream the content as their customers and profits increase, I am not saying its the right way to go but watch this space.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The popularity of cycling in general has been driven mainly by TV coverage. Pendleton, Hoy, Wiggins and Cavendish among others became household names because they were regularly on our screens and became household names, making cycling a cool pastime.

That may well change dramatically now coverage has moved to an expensive pay per view service.

 

[Alex321]

Saw the email just before logging on here.

I have been subscribed to Discovery+ since GCN+ was taken over by them, mainly for the cycling.

But no way can I justify paying nearly 5 times as much. So that is the end of watching cycling on TV for me apart from what ITV may get.

 

[Alex321]

The highlights on YouTube are only 5 minutes, just enough to let you know what happened and who won. The Quest programme is likely to be the same as the current Eurosport highlights, an hour long with probably 40 minutes of actual racing, 10 minutes of adverts and 10 minutes of chat from Adam, Orla & Co. The racing highlights are often just the last 40 minutes of a stage, fine for a sprint stage, but not great for a Mountains stage.

Yes, I never watched the highlights programmes on Discovery+, they were dire. I just watched the live coverage later, skipping through bits.

 

[Alex321]

Some are reporting being offered 7months at £15 after cancelling. I don't know if everyone gets this when cancelling in response to the price rise, or if it's an A/B test or worse. https://toot.bike/@pete/113905512494528851

Even if you all get it, subscribers are still being experimented on to see how much you will pay. They'll sharpen the tools for next year.

It shoed up for me immediately after cancelling - but it is still twice what I was paying, and not worth it for the amount I watched.

 

[the_mikey]

I subscribed to the Eurosport package only a couple of weeks ago, only to receive an email this morning demanding more money, so I've cancelled.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It's a fair point and if this was the Wimbledon final, or the Grand National or the FA cup final or something like that and we were some decades in the past then there would be a deal of public grumbling, letters to the Times and something might or might not be done.

But this is a small minority sport, and the time is now. So nothing will happen.

I think some things are protected - FA Cup Final and Wimbledon I think are - not sure what else

Oh - British F1 GPrix also

and they have to be on Free-to-air TV (after you have paid the license - clearly!)

but - as you say - cycling is just not that popular or part of our culture

and protecting 3 races in Europe - all taking 3 weeks - is probably a bit of an ask!!!

 

[cougie uk]

Saw the email just before logging on here.

I have been subscribed to Discovery+ since GCN+ was taken over by them, mainly for the cycling.

But no way can I justify paying nearly 5 times as much. So that is the end of watching cycling on TV for me apart from what ITV may get.

ITV have the tour this year but that's it. 2026 will be barren for cycling on TV.

 

[Jameshow]

I think we should find a designated pub local to a few people and get them to show the grand tours and ride to the pub each night! Gets you cycling and watching the cycling!👍🤣

 

[mjr]

I think we should find a designated pub local to a few people and get them to show the grand tours and ride to the pub each night! Gets you cycling and watching the cycling!👍🤣

What pub will pay for a TNT Sports commercial subscription and then show the cycling instead of the football? Even big famous cycling specialist venues like Look Mum No Hands in that London only showed the TdF off itv4 when I last visited.

 

[Mike_P]

Got an email asking me to fill on a questionnaire as to why I had cancelled Discovery+ Got so far, put negative comments to everything on one page and it refused to move on. Email now binned.

 

[rich p]

I think it's 20 quid pm if you already have BT/EE

 

[figbat]

I have Eurosport and Discovery+ as a consequence of my Sky account. I have not heard anything about any changes (other than here).

When I did my back last year and was literally laid up I watched a lot of cyclocross, road and XC MTB racing. Now I’m better I dip into it every now and then and will miss it when it’s gone, but I’m not paying £30+/month for it.