Loss of Universal sports programming

[iceskating]

My wife and I are very upset that Verizon has dropped Universal Sports network from their programming.

Not only are we not able to watch any of the Figure Skating competitions, but also with the upcoming Olympic Games,

we will miss out on some of the action.

A poor decision by some at Verizon !!!

[tns]

As mentioned before, Verizon didn't drop the channel.  The original Universal sports channel was not carried as a channel nationwide.  It was instead a essentially free local subchannel for NBC stations which was carried as a local in a number of areas of the country.  NBC/Universal/Comcast choose to stop sending it at OTA and recreated it as a "premium" cable channel.  As such it has only picked up initially by DirecTv.  Last I checked it hadn't even been picked up by Comcast. 

Verizon may eventually decide to carry it, especially because it will carry part of the upcoming Olympics, but hasn't announced anything yet. 

[bobbo527]

---

@tns wrote:

As mentioned before, Verizon didn't drop the channel.  The original Universal sports channel was not carried as a channel nationwide.  It was instead a essentially free local subchannel for NBC stations which was carried as a local in a number of areas of the country.  NBC/Universal/Comcast choose to stop sending it at OTA and recreated it as a "premium" cable channel.  As such it has only picked up initially by DirecTv.  Last I checked it hadn't even been picked up by Comcast. 

Verizon may eventually decide to carry it, especially because it will carry part of the upcoming Olympics, but hasn't announced anything yet. 

---

That's what so funny, Comcast owns the channel and yet they don't even carry it. 

[ekelks1]

I just got this e-mail from UNIVERSAL SPORTS 

Universal Sports Fans!!

Universal Sports Network is now on DISH! Thank you to everyone who helped out by calling and/or emailing DISH. Your voice was heard.

From now through April 25, Universal Sports will be available to nearly all DISH subscribers. After that, please check with DISH to see if your package will continue to carry the channel.

Everytime I complain about this Universal vs FIOS thing, some supposedly more knowlegeable person explains how it's all Universal's fault, but I don't care, I just want what I signed up for. We customers, paying say $160/monthly, should come first. How happy will stockholders be if customers feel betrayed enough to flee? With the Olympics coming, and NBC owning the rights to everything Olympic, how can VERIZON not give in to what they want? (Which by the way is what exactly? No one will say.)

Ice skating fans & athletes feel particularly betrayed. Universal Sports has at least had the grace to air some videos on YouTube while VerizonFIOS --  with the horrific TV Guide design, the Universal Sports fail, and now, FUNimation!'s brilliant anime channel dangling like some weirdly colorful detritus off the edge of the digital world -- VerizonFIOS has shown itself to be utterly graceless. 

[bobbo527]

---

@ekelks wrote:

I just got this e-mail from UNIVERSAL SPORTS 

Universal Sports Fans!!

Universal Sports Network is now on DISH! Thank you to everyone who helped out by calling and/or emailing DISH. Your voice was heard.

From now through April 25, Universal Sports will be available to nearly all DISH subscribers. After that, please check with DISH to see if your package will continue to carry the channel.

Everytime I complain about this Universal vs FIOS thing, some supposedly more knowlegeable person explains how it's all Universal's fault, but I don't care, I just want what I signed up for. We customers, paying say $160/monthly, should come first. How happy will stockholders be if customers feel betrayed enough to flee? With the Olympics coming, and NBC owning the rights to everything Olympic, how can VERIZON not give in to what they want? (Which by the way is what exactly? No one will say.)

Ice skating fans & athletes feel particularly betrayed. Universal Sports has at least had the grace to air some videos on YouTube while VerizonFIOS --  with the horrific TV Guide design, the Universal Sports fail, and now, FUNimation!'s brilliant anime channel dangling like some weirdly colorful detritus off the edge of the digital world -- VerizonFIOS has shown itself to be utterly graceless. 

---

Sorry whether you like it or not (or agree or not) it is Universal's (NBC/Comcast's) fault, they dropped the channel not Verizon. And now they are trying to force everyone to carry and PAY for the new stand alone channel.  Also, NOTE the way that annoncement is worded "please check with DISH to see if your package will continue to carry the channel" , the channel used to be free, sure isn't going forward. Which is exactly why NBC stopped broadcasting it.  What you're failing to realize is that you were NOT paying for the channel before, now they (NBC/Universal/Comcast) want you too.

TNS is absolutely correct: 

---

@tns wrote:

As mentioned before, Verizon didn't drop the channel.  The original Universal sports channel was not carried as a channel nationwide.  It was instead a essentially free local subchannel for NBC stations which was carried as a local in a number of areas of the country.  NBC/Universal/Comcast choose to stop sending it at OTA and recreated it as a "premium" cable channel.  As such it has only picked up initially by DirecTv.  Last I checked it hadn't even been picked up by Comcast. 

Verizon may eventually decide to carry it, especially because it will carry part of the upcoming Olympics, but hasn't announced anything yet. 

---

[steven113]

if you dont get the programming i will leave fios!!!

[ekelks1]

And prices are being raised. So the more channels we lose, the more expensive it gets....

[BucksMan]

We will check out Direct TV before renewing FIOS.

[dejesuap]

This really sucks.  I wasn't able to watch figure skating, track, or gymnastics and the olympics are right around the corner.  PLEASE BRING UNIVERSAL SPORTS BACK or I will have to switch over to Dish

[Miandho]

This makes me nuts.  The Olympics are coming.  I'm even willing to pay extra for it, but have no idea how to go about this.  Any ideas?