waters60

NBCSN has decided to maximize profit from die hard TDF fans by putting a paywall in front of important stages such as this weekend's Pyrenees stages. I have watched all week, unaware of this new twist, only to discover that the stages I most enjoy watching are unavailable unless I pay close to $ 30.00 #*&% etc to watch on my *&%$ computer. On their website they brag about extensive TDF coverage, but this is BS. Yet another example of corporate greed. I hope it blows up in their faces and the hundreds of thousands, if not millions who have made watching the TDF an annual ritual will find other places to watch.

PepeM

I paid my $30 but I have no TV. The quality is better than on the steephill streams, plus I can watch full stages whenever I fell like.

TrojanHorse

Like they don't make money from having 3 minutes of ads for 2 minutes of race... all... day... long.

waters60

I already pay a king's ransom for my Comcast. I DVR the stages and watch when I want; hooking the laptop up to stream them on the TV is stupid. Why should I have to watch the TDF on a computer screen? I much prefer to watch on my larger flatscreen. Part of my enjoyment comes from the excellent camera work which is better seen on a large flatscreen.

BigPoser

How do you stream on steephill? All I've ever seen are the videos after the race.

PepeM

2016 Tour de France Live Video, Route, Results, Photos, Previews, TV, Startlist

Or go to the day's stage, look for the red font saying 'Earliest live video' and click on the 'live/delayed coverage options' link next to it.

softreset

AppleTV, Chromecast, etc.

Yeah, you shouldn't have to buy more tech to enjoy the experience but that's the world we live in now.

rpenmanparker 

This is all BS. The weekend TDF stages are on my Comcast schedule both days with no extra pay requirement. In fact the Saturday race is on NBC network channels. Sunday's race is back on NBCSN. What is OP talking about? Yes, you have to pay to stream the tour, all of it, directly from NBCSN, but not if you have that channel on your TV.

floridamtb

Ummm it's broadcast on NBC station on Saturday due to NBCSN showing Grand Prix racing

redlude97

$30 to not have to pay for cable? Sounds like a steal to me. Plus I split it with 2 other buddies

Marcus_Ti

In the past (for many years)...you had to be a current cable subscriber to make it even as far as the NBC/NBCSN/U-Sports etc paywall. Then you found they charged you more. Maybe they've changed that.

inspclouseau

Cyclingtorrents.nl?

a1penguin

Oh thanks! I was bummed when I returned from my bike ride, turned on the tv and looked to see what time today's stage (er Friday's) stage was going to be shown and saw it was all Nascar. And the Thursday stage really was 3 minutes of ads for every 2 minutes (at best) of riding. Not that it was a very exciting stage until the end.

OldsCOOL

The voluminous amount of ads are sickening. I'd rather read a Nashbar flyer and go out for a ride. As it is Directv isnt letting me dvr the tour.

hunterr41

It's on NBC on Saturday and Sunday

Maelochs

The commercial density is ridiculous in the beginning and a lot more sensible later in the stage. Not to defend NBC, but they are contracted to run a certain number of adds .... most shows save a bunch for the end, because they know peolpe won't leave once the action gets heated. NBCSN packs the adds densely into the first hour, so that we can actually follow the action when the important action occurs.

I admit I was annoyed when I went online to watch the replay NBCSN wasn't showing, only to be charged another $30 ... as others have noted, I pay a disgusting amount for cable access already. So ... DVRing the stage.

Even though it is really a competition to see whose pharmacist can best cheat on the drug tests ... i still enjoy watching.

MZilliox

I actually bought the gold app, but it doesn't work with my 3 yr old version of apple TV, haha, i gotta update to the latest version of apple TV???? thats such crap. my apple TV works just fine thanks. I cancelled. too many places to watch for free, screw them.

Mr IGH

Your disgust is misplaced, the UCI is charging NBCSP a fee to show the TdF. If it wasn't NBCSP it would be someone else. I can promise you, the UCI officials are making big $$ for doing nothing....

thin_concrete

Yeah, but they cut away to NASCAR as soon as possible. That was crap.

Marcus_Ti

Actually it is the ASO. All the video and rights belongs to ASO AFAIK. UCI probably gets a cut from ASO, I'd wager.

The NBC contract extension to 2022 with TdF didn't disclose figures, but France Television pays the equivalent of $30 million USD/year for broadcast rights in 2012 currency. Which $30million USD/year is chump change to Comcast. Comcast has more in revenue and profit and assets than the GDPs of many entire countries.

HardyWeinberg

+1

waters60

As Gilda Radner used to say on Saturday Night Live " Never mind " Perhaps pending grumpy old man syndrome. I looked on my regular NBC station to see if it would be there and did not see it. Of course every other stage ( I hope ) will be on NBCSN....

PepeM

I'm happy with what I'm getting for my $30: Full stages, ad free, really high quality video, any time I want. The race selection is not fantastic but it's not too horrible either.

gear64

Welcome to the big time.... As many sports I was fond of growing up have become painfully expensive to consume, in any form, I've stopped consuming. In large part that's sports transitioning from broadcast, to pay tv. I've never had, nor will I ever have pay tv, at least until paying means no ads. Also, with many of the more mainstream sports there's too much extraneous bs for those short on attention span. I'd rather stroll down to the highschool and watch a game, but even many of those organizations are starting to emulate the excess of their idols.

SpeshulEd 

This.

What ads?

That said, the reason I stopped paying $250/month for cable was because Universal Sports went away and the number of races on cable went down dramatically.

Cord cutting was the best thing I ever did.