US Cable Support > OptimumOnline > [iO] Cablevision removing Universal Sports Channel 110 on 1/1/12

reply to kickass69

Re: [iO] Cablevision removing Universal Sports Channel 110 on 1/

As it's gone from Cablevision's lineup as well. Again just a small segment of the CV viewing audience watched it, no big loss for most of us.

heh.,., is my bill getting discounted??? i watched this channel mostly for skiing but also for all the other sports that are not broadcast anywhere else - ping-pong, badminton, volley ball, rugby, swimming, ice skating, skateboarding, bmx and ohhh yeah SKIING! the idea of having to pay xyz $'s for a bunch of channels when i'm only interested in one is bahh.,., I want my kungfu HD back!!!

Why would your bill get discounted? Universal Sports was broadcast over-the-air by WNBC and re-transmitted by Cablevision. As of 1/1, NBC removed the channel from WNBC's over-the-air feed. Then, NBC re-launched the channel as a cable/satellite only offering (for additional compensation). As far as I know, DirecTV is the only provider to have picked it up so far.

My guess is that maybe interest in the channel will pick up a bit once the Olympics get closer.

reply to koos
»latimesblogs.latimes.com/enterta···way.html

Prior to Jan. 1, Universal Sports, which is majority owned by InterMedia Partners — with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a small stake — was offered to distributors for free. The channel was not technically a cable channel but instead was a digital broadcast channel.

Now, Universal Sports wants to be paid by distributors for carriage and is being offered as a stand-alone cable network. So far, satellite broadcaster DirecTV is the only multichannel video program distributor to have cut a deal with the channel, but its officers say they are confident that they'll be in 15 million to 20 million homes by the end of 2012. Previously, the channel was available in about 40 million homes.

Unlike many sports channels, Universal Sports is not asking distributors to carry the network on their most popular programming package, typically known as expanded basic or digital. Instead, it is seeking to be part of specialty packages that consumers pay extra to receive if they want the channel.

"We're not looking at this as a network that has to be carried everywhere or not at all," said Universal Sports Chief Executive David Sternberg.

I'm really bummed. This channel carried lots of Cycling from Europe. This was definitely a Top 10 channel for me. In fact, it was because of this one channel that I never switched from CV to FIOS (I already use FIOS for Phone and Internet).