GCN+ Gone

[Chislenko]

I did it using this.
https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-marketplace-subscribe-to-discovery-plus

Thank you tarric, will give it a go.

 

[rualexander]

I used the discovery+ app through sky this year for all the races I watched, can't say I noticed much difference and still ad free and as I already subscribed to sky saved a few bob as well.

I've taken out a one month sub with Discovery+ to try it out. (Not via Sky)
All the cycle racing that was/is on GCN+ is there but it's not as user friendly to find what you're looking for.
All the other channels on D+ are complete garbage as far as I can see.
There seems to be regular advert breaks on the live cycling coverage on the Eurosport channels on D+ which we got without adverts on GCN+ so that will likely put me off watching live.
The on demand replays seem to have a stream with ads and a stream without ads for some races and only streams with ads for other races.
I have a feeling the streams without ads might be scrapped now that the ad free GCN+ service is being closed down.
Overall, very disappointing.

 

[mjr]

I have a feeling the streams without ads might be scrapped now that the ad free GCN+ service is being closed down.
Overall, very disappointing.

That would be entirely in keeping with the usual 'embrace, extend and extinguish' media monopolist tactics.

 

[Big T]

I’ve been watching on Discovery+ for a year, after the Eurosport app closed down. There is always a digital ad-free feed, with no interruptions. I can watch on my phone, iPad and Apple TV box. The commentators even say “if you are watching on E1/E2 you’ll be going for an ad-break, if you are watching on one of our digital channels, you’ll be staying with us.“ You get extra content on D+ too as E1/E2 coverage often doesn’t include the post race interviews and podium presentations.

it’s easy to find the cycling content on D+ - you just go into the Sports tab, then click on All Sports, then scroll down to Cycling, Cyclocross or Track Cycling. It then shows what’s live and what’s upcoming and also shows what you can watch on Catch up. Just click on the race you want and watch away.

I can’t believe everyone’s complaining about having to pay £6.99 a month. That’s the price of a coffee and a cake at your local cafe. I remember the 1970’s when you were lucky to get 10 minutes of highlights on World if Sport on a Saturday, if you were lucky. We had to rely on reading Jock Wadley’s reports in the Telegraph to find out what was happening in the Tour and read Cycling Weekly to catch up on other races.

 

[tarric]

I've taken out a one month sub with Discovery+ to try it out. (Not via Sky)
All the cycle racing that was/is on GCN+ is there but it's not as user friendly to find what you're looking for.
All the other channels on D+ are complete garbage as far as I can see.
There seems to be regular advert breaks on the live cycling coverage on the Eurosport channels on D+ which we got without adverts on GCN+ so that will likely put me off watching live.
The on demand replays seem to have a stream with ads and a stream without ads for some races and only streams with ads for other races.
I have a feeling the streams without ads might be scrapped now that the ad free GCN+ service is being closed down.
Overall, very disappointing.

The setup is different but not exactly difficult to navigate. Like Big T said you just go into the Sports tab click on All Sports, then scroll down to cycling. If I had to watch all the races with ads it would be a pain in the proverbial but there's always an ad free option unless the ads are a must see. For me it was a no-brainer as I already subscribe to sky. While I admit if it wasn't for the cycling I probably wouldn't subscribe, I have watched a few other sports and even a few things apart from the sports.

 

[Mike_P]

Yesterdays GCN News show obviously mentioned the closure but then went on to say new films would be added before the closure.

 

[Chislenko]

@tarric

Thank you for info re getting discovery+ to work.

It was in the "my products" section of my sky all the time. I just needed to activate it!!.

Got it done, haven't really explored it yet but will do.

 

[Domus]

I will probably wait for the Tour Down Under to subscribe then cancel after Lombardy. Not interested in cross.

 

[mjr]

I can’t believe everyone’s complaining about having to pay £6.99 a month. That’s the price of a coffee and a cake at your local cafe.

Firstly, your cafe is expensive.

Second, it was 20 pounds/year. Now it's over 80. How tight do they have to squeeze before you stop saying "thank you, my feudal overlord"? They have no interest in developing the sport if they can make more money by milking mugs for a few years while it withers.

I remember the 1970’s when you were lucky to get 10 minutes of highlights on World if Sport on a Saturday, if you were lucky.

A three-channel time. And how much did you pay for it?

 

[Alex321]

Firstly, your cafe is expensive.

Agreed - it is £4.50 for a coffee and cake in Café Velo in Llantwit Major, which is the one I use most often.

Second, it was 20 pounds/year. Now it's over 80. How tight do they have to squeeze before you stop saying "thank you, my feudal overlord"? They have no interest in developing the sport if they can make more money by milking mugs for a few years while it withers.

It hasn't officially ever been £20/year. But there was a period when you could get it for that (officially a 50% discount) for the first year.

But at full price (which you had to pay after the first year) it was still only around half the price of Discovery+ and with more cycling content, unless they are going to move the films over and continue making more of them.

I got as much from the films as from the racing, personally.

 

[Dogtrousers]

A three-channel time. And how much did you pay for it?

Not that it has anything to do with the subject, but I looked up cost of a TV licence in the 70s because I was interested to know. It started out at £6pa and ended at £12pa for the two BBC channels. The other channel was ad supported.

Not that the lack of cycling coverage bothered me because cycling as a sport was something that I'd never really heard of in the 70s. There were only about four or five sports in existence in those days. Football, rugby, cricket and ... er ... athletics. Oh and wrestling.

 

[rualexander]

The setup is different but not exactly difficult to navigate. Like Big T said you just go into the Sports tab click on All Sports, then scroll down to cycling. If I had to watch all the races with ads it would be a pain in the proverbial but there's always an ad free option unless the ads are a must see. For me it was a no-brainer as I already subscribe to sky. While I admit if it wasn't for the cycling I probably wouldn't subscribe, I have watched a few other sports and even a few things apart from the sports.

It isn't difficult to navigate but it's not as user friendly.
Try going and watching something from August this year. You have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and then scroll for ages to get back to August. On GCN+ you can look at each month's content separately.

There isn't always an ad free option.
And how do you know that the ad free options are going to continue once GCN+ is closed down?

 

[Mike_P]

Converse question would be how would we know if GCN+ continued that it would remand ad free.

 

[OldShep]

Not that the lack of cycling coverage bothered me because cycling as a sport was something that I'd never really heard of in the 70s. There were only about four or five sports in existence in those days. Football, rugby, cricket and ... er ... athletics. Oh and wrestling.

In the 60s we had, Grandstand, cyclocross always muddy and cars climbing muddy hillsides to see how far they could get. Probably shown when football was frozen off.

 

[rualexander]

Converse question would be how would we know if GCN+ continued that it would remand ad free.

Obviously we don't 🙄, but it was one of their major selling points.
Eurosport Player also had an ad free stream.
Warner Brothers Discovery killed off Eurosport Player and now they've killed off GCN+.
So both the services with ad free streams as major selling points are gone, and Discovery+ remains the only option to stream the cycling and they specifically state that their programmes contain ads.
And the live streams on D+ of the cycling on the Eurosport channels contain ads, whereas the live streams on GCN+ were ad free.