GCN+ is dead

CramCycle · 15-11-2023 6:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121372210#Comment_121372210

100%, not lavish, but they had a fair few people on the payroll nonetheless. Would be interesting to know the subscriber numbers but their only some of the time commentators would be on contract rates, and then a bunch of people on not high but liveable wages. Even at bargain basement wages and no infrastructure costs, it will have needed decent numbers. I'm sure Eurosport/Discovery shipped all their commentators wages onto them as part of the deal.

Melodeon · 15-11-2023 7:02pm

Well, bollix! ☹️

GCN+ is/was one of a very few subscription services we use here, and it's by far the best value. I've often said that I'd happily have paid considerably more for the service.

We watch A LOT of cycle racing in this house, but the great majority of it is on-demand, with only an occasional big stage of a GT or a monument watched 'live'.

Does anyone know what Discovery+'s on-demand offering is like?

Do they cover all the women's racing and the cyclocross that GCN+ currently does?

Without a good on-demand offering, our cycling viewing here will be very badly restricted.

breezy1985 · 15-11-2023 7:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121372535#Comment_121372535

Don't know about "all" but it seems to have most of it. From what I could see the big difference was the docs and shows.

Tell me how · 15-11-2023 7:35pm

Dan Lloyd tweeted something to the effect that all racing will be available via Discovery/ES.

He also said that they don't know what is going to happen with the Documentaries yet.

I used to use the Acast App for accessing podcasts, and that shut down out of nowhere last year, I've used GCN+ since it started and now its gone :(

Don Juan II · 15-11-2023 8:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121372535#Comment_121372535

Same for me. I rarely watched live cycling but used catchup or highlights all the time.

Does Discover+ have on demand? Can you you launch the app at any point during a race and watch from the beginning?

Don Juan II · 15-11-2023 8:30pm

Screenshot_20231115-192857.png

I just signed up for Discovery+

Lots of cycling content there. Any race I've searched for, I've found it.

Highlights seem to be there too.

devonp · 15-11-2023 9:19pm

Can you watch D+ and ES on the laptop ? this is where i used GCN+ mostly...pity it gone

Don Juan II · 15-11-2023 9:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373048#Comment_121373048

Yes - works perfectly on the laptop.

It does have ads though but you can skip them quite easily

mewso · 15-11-2023 10:12pm

The Eurosport app/website has ad free versions of all races and is 40 quid a year. Fairly sure it can be cast too but I could be wrong. I am subscribed to it separately but it's not clear if that will continue or if I'll be forced to subscribe to Discovery. The eurosport player noticeably dis-improved when Discovery took over in various small ways. They have just recently put dates under the races so you can see when a race is going to be on. Up to then you would see an upcoming race was on at 2pm or whatever but with no indication if that was the next day or the next week. The player also no long remembers where you were. I used to watch a live race and if I had to leave to go somewhere and come back and catch up later it would remember where I was. It no longer does that just starts from the start when you want to catch up. Also don't like the white background which is inferior to the old black background in my opinion. Bet it was some D+ lackey wanting to change something just to show who is boss.

As ever my biggest bugbear remains the lack of a decent archive. Good luck if you want to watch a race from a year ago. They can't be losing rights to them that quickly. Don't get me started on their god awful search either. No idea how GCN compared in terms of these kind of usability issues.

G1032 · 16-11-2023 10:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121373258#Comment_121373258

...

loyatemu · 16-11-2023 10:20am

I was watching the WC CX on Disco+ last night, they have lot of race content - for the big tours and classics they have full stage replays plus one hour and 5 min highlights packages, so I think it's basically the same content that's on GCN.

Plus you get quality documentaries like Say Yes to the Dress, 90-day Fiancé and Sister Wives!

Paddigol · 16-11-2023 10:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121372471#Comment_121372471

I'm raging, cos that's usually my strong point.

I'm not bothered by coverage of the big races and Grand Tours... they'll always be picked up somewhere. But to have everything under one roof, and particularly, having coverage of all the CX races, was massive and I'm a bit worried CX will suffer. I was only listening to an old interview with Sven Nys yesterday where he was extolling the benefits CX has gotten from GCN+ covering all its races and doing in depth features. Clearly he thought that was a crucial element of growing the sport, both in viewing figures and also attracting new sponsors. I hope the gap is plugged somehow.

Macy0161 · 16-11-2023 10:52am

The general line seems to be the race coverage won't be affected. And it seems that the GCN content (and GCN) could still live. I guess under that stable they also have mtb, tri and tech.

Those still on eurosport player will get the same email I imagine - Lantern Rouge covered it yesterday, iirc eurosport player is going across Europe (they were saying in some states people will have to move from GCN to Eurosport Player to Discovery+.

The TV industry seems to be repeating the mistakes of music - people are happy to pay a fair price for content they want, but the big companies seem determined to fuel IPTV by bundling it with a content that people aren't interested in!

breezy1985 · 16-11-2023 11:05am

The GCN race content and ES are the same. ES has full start to finish with no adds for most races as well as the "TV" version with adds and pre/post race Orla.

The ES app can do all the usual laptop/phone/PC, can Chromecast, can watch the full race as soon as it ends or go back to the start of the live feed.

It's not the world's greatest app for buffering but it's not the worst either.

Comes in handy every 2 years for the Olympics too.

gmacww · 16-11-2023 11:29am

As some have pointed out you can't get the eurosport for €40 anymore in Ireland. I had that then they told me the apple tv app was closing down and I'd have to move to Disco+. I didn't and switched to a GCN sub instead. Now that's gone and you can't sign up for just eurosport anymore. So it's Disco+ or find a work around. Preferably one without going through vpn hoops and all that nonsense.

joey100 · 16-11-2023 11:43am

Is anyone seeing a way of paying for Disco+ yearly? I'm only getting the yearly option for the basic package that doesn't include cycling. For the cycling package it seems to only have the option for 7 euro a month for me.

cletus · 16-11-2023 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374618#Comment_121374618

They expressly state that it's not an option on that tier

RikkFlair · 16-11-2023 1:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374259#Comment_121374259

All 12 seasons of Finding Bigfoot are available, that's won me over 😆

I saw Conor Dunne tweeting recently about his upcoming slow cycling episode (one of my faves) in Peru, going by a comment I saw from Cillian Kelly any unfinished documentaries will be going in the bin. 😭

Paddigol · 16-11-2023 1:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121374445#Comment_121374445

It was the shocking buffering in the Eurosport App that drove me out of my usual laziness and procrastination to subscribe to GCN+ a couple of years ago. Maybe/ hopefully it's improved. It had an uncanny knack of buffering just as someone would launch an attack...

Dodge · 16-11-2023 1:54pm

Previous GCN subscriber here. Got Discovery + through Sky for the last few years. I only watched the live stuff so no need for me pay for GCN

Discovery App is fine. Showed every road race that GCN did. Can watch live or “from start”. Had the option of the TV feed or straight feed. No ads of course

Lots of track, cross country, downhill etc

Some other “minor” sports too, but just be careful with how you see advertisements for it because in the UK, Discovery + will now include all the old BT sports stuff, while here were effectively the same as Eurosport

nilhg · 16-11-2023 3:05pm

On a yearly sub I'm seeing this

CrowdedHouse · 16-11-2023 3:11pm

Must be only for the UK as it's sterling

MyDarkArts · 16-11-2023 3:21pm

My guess is, and it's only a guess, is that the "problem" with GCN+ was it was actually too good value.

Reading between the lines about the parent company pulling the plug, and no mention of the oft quoted "financial difficulties" you normally get in the run up to these type of announcements, means I suspect they're shuttering it in the hopes of parlaying most of the current subscribers onto their other, more expensive, subscriptions.

devonp · 16-11-2023 4:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121375618#Comment_121375618

same here €6.99 monthly , don't see a yearly option

Macy0161 · 16-11-2023 4:29pm

Thinking about it, I'm not completely convinced I will bother until Opening Weekend. 3 months off is still more expensive than GCN+, but that fussed about CX or indoor cycling.