The Goal Rush program is still going, it's available in their regular streaming site/app (not Gold). I don't see why they couldn't air it on NBCSN on occasion.
Maybe because WBA-Stoke was already scheduled as an over-the-air match, before the Everton rearrangement?
We can only dream that NBC might think better of their move-most-content-to-subscription-streaming strategy, and bring some content back to their TV channels like NBCSN. But sadly that would seem to be a bit of a pipe dream at this point. The only thing that I can imagine would cause them to do this would be economics. I.e. if they somehow actually made less money with their new EPL-on-NBC-Gold initiative, compared to the previous years with their traditional-TV-plus-free-streaming setup.
I can't see how that would happen. The Gold plan will recoup some money from the hardcore fans -- on content that was certainly not making them money in the three seasons before. While ratings on NBCSN/NBC/CNBC will probably be flat or even up a bit. (I think they'll end up rising a bit but that'll be down to this being an exciting season with most big clubs improving their squads) As I've mentioned before a) the NBC set-up from 2013-16 was sadly too good to be true in the end and b) this isn't really about making profit for NBC but recouping some of their financial losses. I think the only way they'd turn their back on Gold in future seasons is if they lose so much goodwill that it hurts the big match ratings -- but I seriously doubt that.
I guess I'm not the only one who feels a bit like a hostage in an extortion scheme. NBC has removed content that in recent years I received at no additional cost on my TV, since I already paid for my cable provider's sports pack: * Every EPL match live * Ancilliary EPL shows like PL Preview, PL Review, PL News, etc... * The ability to DVR all of the above And not only have they've moved it to a less convenient, less reliable, less recordable streaming service, but they have also started charging an additional subscription fee of $50/year. If that content is valuable enough to me, then I will be forced to pay the ransom. Or else return to the days of hunting for pirated content on the Internet, something I was frankly very happy to give up years ago. Obviously this is not a customer-friendly decision by NBC's Sales & Marketing folks. Note that they don't seem to be offering a free trial of Gold for 1-3 months. Nor are they offering the subscription on a monthly basis, which would give you a way out, if it doesn't meet your expectations. Lastly, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they raise the fee in subsequent years. This strategy reminds me a little bit of one which is quite common to Internet services, e.g. LogMeIn. Offer a great service for free, then after you hook thousands or millions of customers, pull the rug out and start charging fees. And then bank on some % of customers ponying up the $'s. We can only hope that NBC doesn't follow the LogMeIn strategy of the last 4 years, with their fee increases of sometimes 100% per year. And we can only hope that, even with NBC's EPL broadcast monopoly in the USA, they'd have difficulty getting people to pay sizable increases over their initial $50/year fee. Only time will tell.
I agree with you. When I said that negative economics was the only thing that might cause them to reverse their strategy, I left out the bit that would've said that I doubt this will happen. I expect they will increase their income due to forcing EPL fans to pay for Gold. Losing goodwill is another interesting theory. But I suppose it would be hard to measure, or they could come up with other excuses for falling ratings. You & I agree that the "salad days" of NBC's EPL coverage are now in the past, and we probably will may never return to anything as good as we had it for those first few years. Serious cord-cutters may disagree however.
Extortion? That implies that NBC is withholding something from you that you have a right to see. I think we all understand that you only have the right to see the games NBC chooses to show you, and in the manner in which they choose to show it to you. And that assumes you are actually paying for NBCSN, CNBC, etc., as part of your TV package. Crying the blues about a service that costs roughly $1.25 a week is a bit over wrought, don't you think?
Yes extortion is a strong word, but it's basically correct. Or you could say Bait & Switch. Unfortunately in our world of capitalism and marketing it happens all too often. (as in the LogMeIn example I cited). I've always paid for my NBC/Sports channels via my cable packages and thus their content. They have now majorly reduced the content that used to be provided as part of those packages I paid for, and still pay for. Sure NBC has always gotten to choose what content they provide, but it's definitely not customer-friendly to do what they did. And sure $50/year isn't a massive amount, but that doesn't take away from it feeling like an onerous new fee. And one that is only their starting point I figure.
Definitely NOT extortion. As for "bait and switch", really? A business can never change its business plan, ever? NBC clearly figured out there was a way to monetize something that was by its very nature only watched by the hardest of the hard core audience. The people seeking out Watford vs. Bournemouth on channel 493 on a Saturday morning are no doubt willing to pay extra for the privilege if that is their only choice. The odds are that the Extra Time channels were barely watched, NBC had the research to prove that, so it figured why not put that content behind a pay wall? Are you boycotting the rest of NBC's EPL coverage because there are now some matches you have to pay to see? I doubt it, and no one else is, either. NBC had nothing to lose by doing this. It's getting $50 from me that it otherwise would not received, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
After the Manchester City vs. Everton game, NBCSN had a graphic saying they will show Newcastle United vs. West Ham United.
...and the rescheduled Chelsea v. Everton match will be shown Sun at 8:30 am on CNBC, replacing West Brom v. Stoke City.
It's an official: According to NBC Sports Gold and NBC Sports App, the Newcastle United/West Ham United game is on NBCSN at 10:00AM EDT (Saturday, August 26, 2017).
That means only 5 games will be on TV (3 out of 6 on Saturday and 2 out of 5 on Sunday). Considering there are a few weekday matchdays where NBCSN can only show two games, there have to be more games on TV to avoid NBC Sports Gold having more games than what was announced before the season.
And Jay! goes Goldless for yet another week. In fact, after a year in the Championship listening to the at first pay then FREE dodgy audio stream offered on the Newcastle United website, I think I might just listen to them when I can't watch. Thx, Jay!
Jonathan Tannenwald @thegoalkeeper - Man Utd-Swansea - NBCSN/Universo: 439K (406K+33K) Palace-Liverpool - NBCSN/Universo: 541K (498K+43K) Stoke-Arsenal - NBC/Universo: 825K (778+47K) Newcastle-Huddersfield - NBCSN: 289K Chelsea-Spurs - NBCSN: 629K (Telemundo TBA)
Am I reading that right? That the Stoke – Arsenal match got by far the highest ratings, even though it was a Friday 3pm ET match?! Edit: Oops, I was thinking of the Arsenal-Leicester match. My bad (memory)!
What I would recommend to you (or to anyone) is to call up your cable company and argue with them about these very details as to why your cable bill should be cut down by $50. Maybe they will give you a $5 off your monthly bill for 10 months or something like that. The retention and account specialist departments of service providers are usually willing to negotiate with you on your monthly bills if you argue with with them in a logical and methodical manner. You also have to emphasize that you are a long time loyal customer & have payed all your bills on time (if that applies). You might even be able to haggle for free movies and other sports packages too if you are a good negotiator.
Thanks for the advice. And not a bad idea, even if it's a bit of a longshot and probably won't truly offset the new fees. But sadly what that won't do is bring the content back to Cable TV and my DVR. Welcome to the 20-teens.
So far this season the ratings seem to be up slightly for the 10:00 AM games, 7:30 AM games and the Sunday 11:00 AM games but down for the NBC 12:30 games.
One caveat on comparing this August with last, is that the start of last season coincided with the Olympics. Something that really throws off NBC PL ratings. So comps to Aug 2015 are good to analyze too.