Eurosport will no longer be available to Sky customers

Mars Bar

Well this is a real bummer to those of us who enjoy the youth tournaments and women's football that Eurosport show. Also, the AFCON.

The real kicker is the price increase that is coming for Sky customers regardless. I think we'll be getting rid of Sky in our house.

From 1 February, Discovery Communications’ portfolio of channels are unlikely to be available in Sky TV packages.

n the UK and Ireland, this includes Animal Planet, Discovery HD, Discovery History, Discovery Home & Health, Discovery Science, Discovery Shed, Discovery Turbo, DMAX, Eurosport1, Eurosport2, Investigation Discovery, Quest and TLC.

Yes, the channels will be available until 31 January. At any point from 1 February, Discovery may remove them from the Sky platform.

Lovely Bloke

They'll sort it out.

Liam McPoyle

I'd be more annoyed about the discovery channel tbh. All I ever seem to see on Eurosport is badminton and cycling.



As LB said, it will be sorted and is most likely just a bit of posturing to try and get a better deal.

GavRedKing

The price of Sky, with all the packages is seriously expensive, I'm surprised they still have customers TBH.

Not knocking anyone that pays for Sky or any other Sat service but there is always other options available and if you've access to decent internet, its the way to go.

Nailz

GavRedKing wrote: »

Not knocking anyone that pays for Sky or any other Sat service but there is always other options available and if you've access to decent internet, its the way to go.

That's the major issue, in Ireland at least anyway. I've seen dodgy TV boxes run on great internet connections and crap internet connections and the reliability of the latter means that Sky simply can't be done away with if that's what you are used to.

The DSL offerings that a lot of Ireland's population are restricted to is just not good enough. Once we sort that out Sky will be in be in trouble, and will probably have to re-think their pricing strategy.

citytillidie

No AFCON cup final for Sky viewers

Unearthly

Generally only use it for the small bit of a tennis they show. Thankfully the Australian open is on before cut off point

Dirty Dingus McGee

I watch the tennis grand slams on Eurosport and my parents are always watching those documentary channels so it'll be a big loss for them.

I don't have proper broadband so can't go for one of those dodgy boxes.

I'd really love if Sky went bust some day and the whole cost of televised sport went down with it.I've no option but to pay as 90% of what I watch on TV is sport.

Surely discovery have to cave in as if they don't they're going to lose a large amount of viewers and advertising money.

NoviGlitzko

Same as myself. Huge tennis fan so not happy to hear this. I wonder what sort of package it'll come in now.

citytillidie

NoviGlitzko wrote: »

Same as myself. Huge tennis fan so not happy to hear this. I wonder what sort of package it'll come in now.

They are on the BT TV platform and some rumors are that they could team up with BT to offers the channels to sky customers as part of BT package

Richard Hillman

Strange that sky are removing Eurosport (Home of cycling) considering their station sponsors the most prominent Cycling team.

GLaDOS

How much did Sky pay for the EPL rights? £5 bn?

That money has to come from somewhere.

citytillidie

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Strange that sky are removing Eurosport (Home of cycling) considering their station sponsors the most prominent Cycling team.

ITV 4 also show cycling and do have the Tour de France live in the summer

c montgomery

Didn't discovery buy the rights to the next few olympics??
I'd miss that for sure but I think I'll be getting rid of sky if these channels are gone.

Richard Hillman

c montgomery wrote: »

Didn't discovery buy the rights to the next few olympics??
I'd miss that for sure but I think I'll be getting rid of sky if these channels are gone.

They buy the Olympics for a geographical block and sublet them. When the BBC and RTE pay for the Olympics they pay discovery

mikeym

Looks like the AFCON Semi Finals wont be on Sky.

I never bothered with Eurosport anyway.

Richard Hillman

Sky are getting destroyed by Discovery on their FB page :pac:

https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveryUK/

rob316

sky are in trouble the experts said they paid too much for the epl rights and it's been proved right, and it's further evidenced by there desperate attempts at marketing the so called big games. couldn't afford the champions league aND now can't afford the discover channels.

doc_17

Further evidence if it were needed that competition isn't always a good thing for the consumer. Prices have only being going one way and not there's multiple providers and it's all unsustainable in the era of decent broadband for the masses.

Dirty Dingus McGee

rob316 wrote: »

sky are in trouble the experts said they paid too much for the epl rights and it's been proved right, and it's further evidenced by there desperate attempts at marketing the so called big games. couldn't afford the champions league aND now can't afford the discover channels.

Sky's package has lost a bucket load of things and it's now filled up with constant filler programmers like premier league gold, footballs greatest etc.

The clearly overbid because they paid 60% more for the rights and yet the market hasn't increased by 60% as the UK population didn't shoot up, it was a completely brainless strategy.Clearly they thought they could put BT Sport out of business or close to it but BT sport are backed by a huge company so Sky were never going to achieve that.If they hadn't been so greedy both themselves and the customer probably would have benefited.

I think I now watch more of what is on BT sport than the sky package despite sky costing much more.The BT sport package has way more variety to it.

I wouldn't feel an once of sympathy for Sky if they lose customers. their believe in better slogan is pure bollox.

Mars Bar

For less than €200 for the year I get BT Sports in HD and two or three Eir Sport channels. That's brilliant value compared to what Sky are offering.

Harry Palmr

Fair to say we all knew SKY "overpaid" for the last round of PL packages, 5 of 7 wasn't it?

The next round is going to be a real poser for SKY in particular - BT could buy and sell SKY plc several days of the week if they wanted to (even with their Italy accountants making expensive errors), the question is if they also think the Prem is getting too much from TV deals. If so maybe the two rivals could risk agreeing to bid low (or at least not any higher) and hope that someone like Discovery (!) or maybe Amazon doesn't stick its oar in.

If that's not possible (and let's face it it's probably a snowballs chance) then SKY will have to wonder which will do it more damage - attempting to outbid BT for the majority of packages or to risk losing one maybe two packages to BT. Which would hit SKY plc hardest? Bidding or not bidding?

doc_17

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Fair to say we all knew SKY "overpaid" for the last round of PL packages, 5 of 7 wasn't it?

The next round is going to be a real poser for SKY in particular - BT could buy and sell SKY plc several days of the week if they wanted to (even with their Italy accountants making expensive errors), the question is if they also think the Prem is getting too much from TV deals. If so maybe the two rivals could risk agreeing to bid low (or at least not any higher) and hope that someone like Discovery (!) or maybe Amazon doesn't stick its oar in.

If that's not possible (and let's face it it's probably a snowballs chance) then SKY will have to wonder which will do it more damage - attempting to outbid BT for the majority of packages or to risk losing one maybe two packages to BT. Which would hit SKY plc hardest? Bidding or not bidding?

I'm fairly certain that it would be illegal for Sky and BT to agree their positions with each other before bidding.

Richard Hillman

doc_17 wrote: »

Further evidence if it were needed that competition isn't always a good thing for the consumer. Prices have only being going one way and not there's multiple providers and it's all unsustainable in the era of decent broadband for the masses.

The competition rule on the PL TV Monopoly was because of EU Competition Law. We might be getting out of this 2 subscription* madness very soon


*Not that I pay for either :pac:

c montgomery

doc_17 wrote: »

I'm fairly certain that it would be illegal for Sky and BT to agree their positions with each other before bidding.

And we all know big corporations are squeaky clean

Headshot

Oh ffs

I really like the discovery Channel. I'm quite annoyed and pissed now. My father also likes Eurosport and doesn't want to use the other channels rubbish on Sky for ITV

Is there any chance we can still see a deal? I hope sky are getting countless complaints

Andersonisgod

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Fair to say we all knew SKY "overpaid" for the last round of PL packages, 5 of 7 wasn't it?

The next round is going to be a real poser for SKY in particular - BT could buy and sell SKY plc several days of the week if they wanted to (even with their Italy accountants making expensive errors), the question is if they also think the Prem is getting too much from TV deals. If so maybe the two rivals could risk agreeing to bid low (or at least not any higher) and hope that someone like Discovery (!) or maybe Amazon doesn't stick its oar in.

If that's not possible (and let's face it it's probably a snowballs chance) then SKY will have to wonder which will do it more damage - attempting to outbid BT for the majority of packages or to risk losing one maybe two packages to BT. Which would hit SKY plc hardest? Bidding or not bidding?

Not bidding. So much of what they offer is reliant on them being the main broadcasters of the Premier League that if that was no longer the case you'd imagine they would be scaling down their operation in a big way.

Ultimately I do hope that we get a more complete football coverage in line with what's offered elsewhere and also that the price wont be as extortionate as it is now. The bubble was always going to burst and Sky's latest subscription figures seem to signal that we ar reaching that breaking point.

StringerBell

Wouldn't be bothered by Eurosport but would miss the likes of Discovery,History etc

Will be getting rid of Sky this year anyway though at some point tbh. The kids are gone to an age where I can download or stream whatever they want to watch now

yabadabado

Wouldn't particularly miss Eurosport but watch a lot of Discovery/documentary channels.

With streaming/dodgy boxs coming to the fore wasn't Sky always going hit a point when they had to scale back?
Their profits were down 18% and churn rate was around 12% for the second half of 2016.

citytillidie

doc_17 wrote: »

Further evidence if it were needed that competition isn't always a good thing for the consumer. Prices have only being going one way and not there's multiple providers and it's all unsustainable in the era of decent broadband for the masses.

Because it is not true competition for the consumer.

For it to be true competition Sky and BT should be showing the same games allowing the consumer to purchase which broadcaster they want to watch them with.

rob316

It will be interesting on the next round of bidding for rights what Sky will pay. If they pay below what they paid this time, the larger PL clubs are not going to be happy as they have handed out large contracts to players on the strength of the TV money. I actually think the combined PL rights package could be under threat and clubs like United and Liverpool could look to break off and sell their own rights ala Barca and Madrid.

Sky created this bubble and its looks to me like its went too high and is about to burst. Sky can keep increasing their prices but every time they do, they are breaking their contract and a customer can walk away from them.

The notion that if you want to watch a PL game live here, you have to watch the one that is chosen is absurd considering they can watch what ever they want in other countries. That is where Sky still aren't getting it, they need to drastically change.

When you also hear they are paying dross like Henry £4m a year to analyse a football match, it really makes you question why you pay a subscription towards this greed.

ArmaniJeanss

rob316 wrote: »

It will be interesting on the next round of bidding for rights what Sky will pay. If they pay below what they paid this time, the larger PL clubs are not going to be happy as they have handed out large contracts to players on the strength of the TV money. I actually think the combined PL rights package could be under threat and clubs like United and Liverpool could look to break off and sell their own rights ala Barca and Madrid.

This doesn't happen any more, it's now a centralised deal in La Liga with very similar structures to the EPL deal.

rob316

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

This doesn't happen any more, it's now a centralised deal in La Liga with very similar structures to the EPL deal.

I wasn't aware of that, thanks.

I think my point still stands though, the PL clubs are expecting the rights to rise, a reduction in revenue will cause big problems if the TV money drops.

The figures are fairly astonishing when you break down the PL rights package, Sky now pay £11m per match up from £6.6m. In any business how can you pay twice the price for the same product without at least doubling your revenue?

Sky were more interested in retaining the Sunday and Monday time slots, but I've seen BT with as good a pick of games this season. I know Sky have to show every team but some of the Sunday and Monday games are pure dross and can't be drawing much ratings I'd imagine.

GT_TDI_150

Are they likely to be gettable the way the installer dudes can get itv etc?

Can sky even drop such a significant portion of ones package without havong to offer discounts/free breaks from contracts?

Unearthly

GT_TDI_150 wrote: »

Are they likely to be gettable the way the installer dudes can get itv etc?

Can sky even drop such a significant portion of ones package without havong to offer discounts/free breaks from contracts?

No cause they aren't free to air channels.

Yesterday in their forum they tried to say it wasn't a material change to contract so you can't break however after being quoted their own terms and conditions they then back tracked and said for the majority of customers it's not a material change, but if you feel it is then you can get out of the contract no penalty

GT_TDI_150

Unearthly wrote: »

No cause they aren't free to air channels.

Yesterday in their forum they tried to say it wasn't a material change to contract so you can't break however after being quoted their own terms and conditions they then back tracked and said for the majority of customers it's not a material change, but if you feel it is then you can get out of the contract no penalty

Oh dear god dropping an entire suite of channels isnt a material change? I'd hate to see what they consider material change...

Its about time that broadband in this country get sorted out properly so every one can avail of android boxes etc. I've a 3MB line that can barely sustain 2MB with 3 mobiles using the wifi, I couldnt run a streaming service if I wanted, sky is the only provider I can get so Im screwed either way

citytillidie

rob316 wrote: »

I wasn't aware of that, thanks.

I think my point still stands though, the PL clubs are expecting the rights to rise, a reduction in revenue will cause big problems if the TV money drops.

The figures are fairly astonishing when you break down the PL rights package, Sky now pay £11m per match up from £6.6m. In any business how can you pay twice the price for the same product without at least doubling your revenue?

Sky were more interested in retaining the Sunday and Monday time slots, but I've seen BT with as good a pick of games this season. I know Sky have to show every team but some of the Sunday and Monday games are pure dross and can't be drawing much ratings I'd imagine.

Both Sky and BT have to show every team at least 5 times,

This is how it works out.

The 2016-17 Premier League season commences on August 13. The new three year TV deal begins this season with the following packages:

Package A: 28 at Sat 12.30pm Sky
- 6 1st picks
- 14 2nd picks
- 8 5th picks

Package B: 28 at Sat 5.30pm BT
- 9 1st picks
- 12 3rd picks
- 7 5th picks

Package C: 28 at Sun 1.30pm/2.15pm Sky
- 15 2nd picks
- 6 4th picks
- 7 5th picks

Package 28 at Sun 4pm/4.30pm Sky
- 18 1st picks
- 10 4th picks

Package E: 28 at Mon 8pm (min 18) or Fri 7.30pm/8pm (max 10) Sky
- 15 3rd picks
- 13 4th picks

Package F: 6 midweek; 8 at Sat 12.30pm or Sat 5.30pm or Sun 12pm BT
- 3 1st picks
- 7 2nd picks
- 4 4th picks

Package G: 8 Bank Hols; 6 at Sun 1.30pm/2.15pm or Sun 4pm/4.30pm Sky
- 2 1st picks
- 2 2nd picks
- 8 3rd picks
- 2 4th picks

Club Quotas (in alphabetical package order):
Maximum: 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Total = 29)
Minimum: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0 (Total = 5)

Richard Hillman

https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/status/824923774214619138

Fr Tod Umptious

I am regular person it’s really hard to get rid of Sky
Broadband is not good enough to support Eir or Vodafone TV (in a few years maybe it will be)

But the thing about Sky is the product i.e the box and application are far superior to anything else out there.

You can have all the android and DVR boxes you like but none give the all in one functionality that a Sky box does.

And if you have that for years as most of us have it’s hard to give it up.

Plus they ring up every December and offer us Sports and Movies for half price, which is great for Christmas.

The sports content has really gone downhill and I find that there is more on BT sport that I am interested in than on Sky Sports.

I just wish another satellite provider appeared in the market, alas I don’t think that will ever happen, IPTV providers yes, but satellite ones no, so unless you have good broadband you are stuck with Sky.

yabadabado

There are plenty of boxs that are superior to the sky box and their product is very overrated.

Amirani

yabadabado wrote: »

There are plenty of boxs that are superior to the sky box and their product is very overrated.

Yep, once you're reasonably capable technically then you can have a box/HTPC that's better than the Sky box for everything.

Fr Tod Umptious

Amirani wrote: »

Yep, once you're reasonably capable technically then you can have a box/HTPC that's better than the Sky box for everything.

I know there are huge threads about these things on the SAT form but throw out a few names and models if you can.

Which can record all channels (SAT and terrestrial) at the same time, series link, etc ?

Which can give me BT sport if I decided I liked their 1 euro a month special offer ?

How much do they cost, Sky variety package is approx €40 a month so it would take a year for any box around €480 to pay for itself.

NIMAN

Does anyone actually watch Eurosport any more?

citytillidie

NIMAN wrote: »

Does anyone actually watch Eurosport any more?

Plenty of people still watch it, shows a lot of tennis and snooker.

NIMAN

2 sports I have zero interest in tbh, so likely why I haven't watched it in years.

Is tennis popular in Ireland, cos I am shocked to see how much coverage it gets in Irish radio sports reports, like we are all mad about it here.

I think they do a lot of cycling too, don't they? Again not my cuppa.

Beasty

NIMAN wrote: »

Does anyone actually watch Eurosport any more?

For other sports most definitely.

I do think the future finances of the EPL are going to be challenged on a number of fronts. I have little doubt BT and Sky overpaid for the current deal which could create a massive reality check for clubs when the next deal is negotiated. Add to that the money flowing from China and the likely restrictions on players post Brexit and I can see some major changes in direction in the English game over the next few years

Dirty Dingus McGee

NIMAN wrote: »

2 sports I have zero interest in tbh, so likely why I haven't watched it in years.

Is tennis popular in Ireland, cos I am shocked to see how much coverage it gets in Irish radio sports reports, like we are all mad about it here.

I think they do a lot of cycling too, don't they? Again not my cuppa.

Tennis is one of the world biggest sports so it should be getting a fair bit of coverage particularly when the grand slam tournaments are on.

citytillidie

Beasty wrote: »

For other sports most definitely.

I do think the future finances of the EPL are going to be challenged on a number of fronts. I have little doubt BT and Sky overpaid for the current deal which could create a massive reality check for clubs when the next deal is negotiated. Add to that the money flowing from China and the likely restrictions on players post Brexit and I can see some major changes in direction in the English game over the next few years

I wonder if Brexit will lead to a pre Bosman era in England with just 3 non British players per squad

NIMAN

Never thought of how Brexit might affect the soccer world.

As for tennis, jez if you listen to RTE or TodayFM sports depts it sounds like there is always a big tennis tournament on somewhere. Don't they have an off-season in tennis?

Do Eurosport show football any more??

Dirty Dingus McGee

NIMAN wrote: »

Never thought of how Brexit might affect the soccer world.

As for tennis, jez if you listen to RTE or TodayFM sports depts it sounds like there is always a big tennis tournament on somewhere. Don't they have an off-season in tennis?

Do Eurosport show football any more??

The 2017 ATP World Tour started on January 2nd and Finishes on November 26th.

GT_TDI_150

NIMAN wrote: »

Does anyone actually watch Eurosport any more?

TdF, Giro, Vuelta, all the classic....

Strange that sky are dropping the one outlet they have to promote team sky