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GCN+ is dead

  • 15-11-2023 11:40am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 458 ✭✭


    Just got an email saying GCN+ is closing down next month then just watched the announcement video on the youtube channel.

    Could see it happen but to be totally frank the app on the apple tv was shockingly bad quality from a user interface and control point of view.



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Comments

  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    yeah, was just reading the same email. can't have been cheap to produce that much content and clearly they didn't get enough people interested.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 559 ✭✭✭MangleBadger


    That is unfortunate. It was very handy for watching races. I haven't watched many of their documentaries lately but I usually save them for watching on the turbo during winter. Guess I'll have to power through any I still want to watch over the next month.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,288 ✭✭✭CantGetNoSleep


    Wonder what it means for Eurosport / Discovery Plus? They just continue on as usual?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,922 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    Crap! One of the very, very few subscriptions I actually pay for. The amount of live coverage of races on GCN+ is incredible... I had the Eurosport subscription previously but found a) their app was much less reliable and b) less coverage and shorter coverage.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 458 ✭✭gmacww


    I'd say one of the reasons is to try and drive people towards the more expensive discovery + subscription. I signed to GCN because discovery closed down my eurosport subscription and GCN was half the price of the D+ sub and the only part of I was interested in from that sub was eurosport. I don't care for Quest or TLC etc...

    The annoying thing now is hat D+ is double the price of GCN+. If I want just to get eurosport I've to sign up for other shite with my tv provider for over €100 a year.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,117 ✭✭✭cletus


    Was coming to post this. I'll miss the app, some great content even outside of the racing coverage



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,222 ✭✭✭Junior


    Same here as most of the rest of ye, GCN+ App on the phone and on the Firesticks around the house. I stopped watching ES 3 years ago as you could never be sure of the coverage starting, ending etc. And it was great for the wet Sunday in Winter, I wonder is there some CX on, and there it was. You didn't have snooker over running, or whatever, it was live at the time it was supposed to be on.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,154 ✭✭✭G1032


    Discovery+ is €49.99 a year, so just a tenner more expensive than GCN+

    I did like the documentaries though. Excellent one just released about Chiappucci winning stage 13 in 1992 TdF



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 458 ✭✭gmacww


    That's for the basic plan which does not include eurosport (or sport of any kind). If you want the cycling discovery + will cost €84 a year.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,554 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    I'm paying €39.99 a year for just Eurosport.



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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,510 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i was still signed up to it because i forgot to cancel it - some of the docs were good but i didn't get enough benefit from it to justify it; i don't watch competitive cycling so gained no benefit there.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,288 ✭✭✭CantGetNoSleep


    Don't think you can get a Eurosport subscription on its own anymore though if you are a new user



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,109 ✭✭✭RikkFlair


    Ah balls thats such a shame, really enjoyed watching the endurance or bike-packing documentaries in particular. Was only thinking the other day 40 quid a year was insane value, I gladly would've paid twice if not three times that amount tbh since it's the only streaming app I subscribe to.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,877 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    Well this is a major league pain in the hole, Cross season and all 😯

    What do I do now?

    Seven Worlds will Collide



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,579 ✭✭✭✭retalivity




  • Registered Users Posts: 30 StuttgartKY


    Disaster gcn was so handy for watching races back on demand! This could result in me just seeing much less next year



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,206 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    If you have a Sky subscription you may be able to get Disco+ via the MySky rewards.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,922 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    That's it exactly for me too. Plus, I'm nearly sure the GCN+ app showed more cycling events than the old Eurosport Player app?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,517 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    Was a eurosport app subscriber pre-GCN+ so a bit of a balls I'm stuck with Discovery+. Probably sh!te that others in the house will watch though!

    I'm paying a few subs, but GCN+ was the one I felt I (rather than the household overall) got value from. I had something on 5 days out of 7 even in the off season, even if just moving wallpaper for the turbo.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭JMcL


    This. Sticky Bottle has GCN quoted as saying the decision was made by parent company Warners who also own Discovery so that they can milk their streaming rights to maximum (my phrasing)

    I was all set to pull the trigger on a subscription in the next week or two for the CX and spring classics



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  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    A pity, I used it for races, sometimes even just background noise but I was watching far more than usual. I had no use in the documentaries and did wonder how they could bang out so many. I won't be subscribing to Disco+ but I hope the CX races and some of the bigger road races are available elsewhere. I am presuming thats the reason, they overextended thinking they were bigger than they were.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,282 ✭✭✭07Lapierre


    A great App, providing what the subscribers wanted at a reasonable price. No wonder it wasn't allowed to continue!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 719 ✭✭✭LeoD


    Ah bo**ix to that. Is the only streaming service I subscribe to. Only ever watched the bigger road races live and thought it was great value at that. Might have watched a couple of the documentaries but never thought much of them. Being able to watch races ad-free was great - is that possible with other streaming services?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,302 ✭✭✭✭Tell me how


    I'm not living in Ireland and the GCN App has effectively been my TV for the last year as I decided not to bother with Netflix anymore.

    Really going to miss it, the documentaries were always a treat and the racing coverage was exceptional.

    They brought womens racing to an audience that had barely seen it before.

    Hope they make the documentaries available on Youtube channel at some point. They were too good to just discard.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,222 ✭✭✭Junior




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,517 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    I didn't watch many of the travel ones, but any of the documentaries I watched weren't exactly lavish. I wouldn't have thought many of the "legends" ones were more than a handful people travelling. Excellent content, but mainly interviews. Same with Conor Dunnes recent Unbound one - a lot of it was him filming himself.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭triggermortis


    I'll miss this. Used it a lot, especially during quiet night shifts.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,154 ✭✭✭G1032




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,554 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    Only laziness stopped me switching from ES to GCN but I'm lucky I'm a procrastinator now.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,572 ✭✭✭DominoDub


    Such a shame as GCN+ great quality and fair price service, I was so looking forward to watching the Xmas Cyclocross events , even if WvA and MVP are not racing for many their ongoing battles was why I signed up for GCN+. I have Eurosport via VirginMedia but it being Eurosport UK means you can end up getring live a fecking Snooker or Tennis event instead of some races - the on demand replay was also a great feature of GCN+



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,371 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,469 ✭✭✭Melodeon


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,554 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,302 ✭✭✭✭Tell me how


    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 :(



  • Registered Users Posts: 80 ✭✭Don Juan II


    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?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 80 ✭✭Don Juan II


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 831 ✭✭✭devonp


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



  • Registered Users Posts: 80 ✭✭Don Juan II


    Yes - works perfectly on the laptop.

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



  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 9,032 Mod ✭✭✭✭mewso


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,154 ✭✭✭G1032




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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,206 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    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!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,922 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,517 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    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!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,554 ✭✭✭✭breezy1985


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 458 ✭✭gmacww


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭joey100


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,117 ✭✭✭cletus


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,109 ✭✭✭RikkFlair


    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. 😭



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,922 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    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...



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,317 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    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



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