[duncan]

The IFSC has sold viewing rights for all IFSC World Cup and World Championship events to discovery+ and Eurosport.   £7 a month.  Seems like five years after Merigen 2017 they're having another go.

“More than anything, our agreement with Discovery will raise the profile of our sport and our athletes, which should result in greater sponsorship opportunities for all climbers around the world,” said IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “We are confident that partnering with Discovery will help solidify our position as one of the fastest-growing Olympic sports and, thanks to the greater exposure, will lead more and more people to become interested in not only watching Climbing, but also trying it out.”

[Davo]

Well that is the end of me watching them! I really don’t think this is a good move but maybe it will work out for them?

Seems like the opposite to surfing where all the comps are free to view

[Duma]

Sounds like will still be available for free on 24hr delay.

Be interesting to know how much they sold the rights for and where that money's going, as I don't see how restricting access to the livestream increases exposure or sponsorship opportunities.

[edshakey]

I think this is just as bad an idea as it was 5 years ago, but somehow seems more inevitable this time round. I'm not fully convinced this will lead to increased engagement though, unless they are showing it on Eurosport 1 or 2 - in that case, it is a very large audience and maybe there will be lots of new viewers each time round for a comp. But if it's hidden amongst who knows what other crap on an app somewhere, there's no way this can be beneficial for the sport.

Should note that it does mention they'll be free to stream on The Olympic Channel 24 hrs later (edit: just seen yours Duma), but that's little consolation really. I also find it incredible that they manage to make these announcements at the eleventh hour, right before the season opener - what's the reasoning? Trying to sneak it in to avoid scrutiny? Or just a very last minute deal is being, with the same timing as the last time they pulled this trick.

I'm sure the IFSC can come up with countless reasons why this is good, but I personally only see it as a sad outcome that we can no longer watch live, free competitions. Comp climbing is still a young sport - don't want to kill it off too early!

[duncan]

Sounds like will still be available for free on 24hr delay.

Thanks Duma, I'd missed that bit. Edited subject to clarify.

[Duma]

I think this is just as bad an idea as it was 5 years ago, but somehow seems more inevitable this time round. I'm not fully convinced this will lead to increased engagement though, unless they are showing it on Eurosport 1 or 2 - in that case, it is a very large audience and maybe there will be lots of new viewers each time round for a comp. But if it's hidden amongst who knows what other crap on an app somewhere, there's no way this can be beneficial for the sport.
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I'm sure the IFSC can come up with countless reasons why this is good, but I personally only see it as a sad outcome that we can no longer watch live, free competitions. Comp climbing is still a young sport - don't want to kill it off too early!

Agree - I cant see how this will fit into the schedules on the main channels - Comps take hours, and are mostly on at weekends in the afternoon/evening, i.e. when lots of other sport is on. Wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being only the finals of the comps that don't clash with anything (ie at antisocial times) being shown live on the main channels, and everything else being on the app.

[edshakey]

Looks like it'll still be free outside of Europe. Sounds like a major flaw on the IFSC's part, much easier to get around this way. I'm still hopefully for a U turn but given how large the deal probably is, it seems a bit unlikely.

[Durbs]

I'm guessing this ties in to Shauna's recent post, and not seen any athletes come out in support of this - which they would if it was actually good for them.

Without knowing the financials, I'm always slightly surprised over-caffeinated sugary drink company haven't stepped into the ring to host comps. They sponsor some climbers, have made some features, but no actual events AFAIK? (There was that odd bridge climbing thing a while back, but I can't recall any "proper" comps"?).

Perhaps the audience isn't there.

[webbo]

The over-caffeinated sugary drink company used to broadcast the Mountainbike world cups but they have also been bought out by Discovery/ Eurosport/GCN.

[Durbs]

The over-caffeinated sugary drink company used to broadcast the Mountainbike world cups but they have also been bought out by Discovery/ Eurosport/GCN.

So I just read, a real shame! I'm assuming this won't affect the one off events like Hardline or Rampage, just the WC circuit?
I don't follow MTB at all beyond YouTube events - was the news equally badly received?

[Evil]

The over-caffeinated sugary drink company used to broadcast the Mountainbike world cups but they have also been bought out by Discovery/ Eurosport/GCN.

Yuck, I really like watching the downhill world cups despite not being a mountain biker, but I definitely wouldn't pay for it! At least 2022 season is on sugary drink company TV. Perhaps the thinking is that if they buy up enough 'alternative' sports, then people will start to pay for it, as all the sports they are interested in maybe watching will be in this one place.

[webbo]

The over-caffeinated sugary drink company used to broadcast the Mountainbike world cups but they have also been bought out by Discovery/ Eurosport/GCN.

So I just read, a real shame! I'm assuming this won't affect the one off events like Hardline or Rampage, just the WC circuit?
I don't follow MTB at all beyond YouTube events - was the news equally badly received?

Discovery taking over Eurosport/GCN has caused some concern on the mainly road cycling forum I frequent. Most people already have Eurosport/ GCN so they will have access to the Mountainbike races. The RB coverage was live with no adverts which is a big plus. There is a worry that Discovery will only be available as part of a bigger and more expensive package.

[fatneck]

Turns out we have free Discovery + by virtue of having a Sky Q box however, I can find no climbing on anywhere within the channel at all! Can anyone shed any light on this? 

[fatneck]

Seems they're only showing semis and finals 

[Danny]

I assume we can VPN our way around this? I've never used a VPN before. Any recommendations?

[PlainCroi$$ant]

Nord VPN has worked pretty well for me before

[bigironhorse]

Looks like it'll still be free outside of Europe. Sounds like a major flaw on the IFSC's part, much easier to get around this way. I'm still hopefully for a U turn but given how large the deal probably is, it seems a bit unlikely.

Where will it be streamed outside of Europe? Youtube again?

[edshakey]

Looks like it'll still be free outside of Europe. Sounds like a major flaw on the IFSC's part, much easier to get around this way. I'm still hopefully for a U turn but given how large the deal probably is, it seems a bit unlikely.

Where will it be streamed outside of Europe? Youtube again?

Apparently so

[tk421a]

US VPN works for this. Can't see qualifiers on there. Similar streams for Mens / Finals available.

[Danny]

Will probably give Nord a go. About the same as a Discovery subscription, but I guess with more additional benefits 

[Danny]

US VPN works for this. Can't see qualifiers on there. Similar streams for Mens / Finals available.

Started the 7 day free trial. I can now see this.

[edshakey]

Can't see qualifiers on there.

Just as previous years, qualis won't be streamed. Not sure why they don't - maybe too long and chaotic to bother covering?

[webbo]

Womens on Eurosport iplayer today and mens tomorrow.

[Bradders]

Pretty incredible that not only is the live stream now paywalled, but the "highlights" video below is unbelievably poor! It starts okay with a bit of an intro, and then it's simply 3 minutes of slow-mo footage to a rubbish guitar sound track. No context, no commentary, nothing to tell you who did what or which big names missed out on semis. Ridiculous.

[wasbeen]

I might be a bit biased as I love cycling but the £40 (actually £20 this year) for a Eurosport subscription is an absolute bargain. Tour of Flanders last week was epic, Tour of Basque today was brilliant, Amstel Gold tomorrow it goes on and on. Between Eurosport and Quest that is all my TV viewing covered. The climbing is just a bonus.