I'm honestly not too sure which I prefer after living through it for a couple of weeks. I see positives and negatives for each. There were a few matches early on with piped in crowd noise, but the commentators were mentioning how quiet it was in the arena and it didn't combine well with what the viewer was hearing. That was brutal because it was hard to even focus on the game. They at least stopped doing that.
Apparently BeIN has already implemented this SAP idea. https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/bein-sports-2019-2020.2105004/page-10#post-38717938 Gives me some reasonable confidence NBC might follow suit.
And while they're at it, NBC can maybe update their schedules to the DVR guide brokers. I was just looking at what my DVR is set to record and it's got Wednesday's City-Arsenal match on Universo, but not on NBCSN. So I checked my guide and sure enough, every afternoon starting with Monday they simply list hourly shots called "NBC Universal Sports". This is something that's been going on for years: NBC programming/scheduling changes showing up very late. And I've always had the impression that the delay was on NBC rather than the company who provides my guide data... whoever that is these days. And since my guide sees next week's EPL matches on Universo, but just not on NBCSN, doesn't that seem to support my theory? Funny that with 2 sister companies, one's schedule is showing while the other's is not. p.s. NBCSports.com shows the Weds matches fine, but that info just isn't getting to my DVR. p.p.s. I apologize if this post is too self-centered, but it's been something that's dogged me for years, so I decided to vent a little. Feel free to IGNORE.
Yeah I was wondering about that. I don't know if the updates are PUSHED from the networks to the guide data company / cable provider, or if they're PULLED by those companies from each network? But if it's a PULL as you imply, then what would be the explanation for getting updated info from Universo but not from NBCSN? That's what leaves me scratching my head, and thinking that NBC has something to do with that.
You should say the PL is screwing Gold customers, not NBCSN. In normal times, NBCSN (or NBC) shows a game every time there is a game whether it's one or several. To keep 30-40% on Gold, NBCSN would have to take times when there is a game and not show it on TV*. I like the announcers' final comments, highlights, and statistics that Gold provides (I don't care about the interviews). I also like the background music. Some sports organizations have background music makes me not watch highlights because it isn't "background." The purpose of the highlights to see what happened, not to listen to a concert, and the PL knows that. If some or all of the televised games were shown on Gold (even if it isn't available until night) with those postgame features, I might watch five minutes (or however long) per game after those games and consider it a benefit of Gold. The final comments and comments when games reach halftime are sometimes televised, sometimes they go to another game that's about to end, and sometimes they go back to Rebecca for a few seconds and then commercials earlier than I want. The final comments are available for every game on Gold. * PL coverage without Gold is similar to NFL coverage in England. England gets one NFL game at a time, so all night games are on TV in England, albeit 8:25 P.M. Eastern is 1:25 A.M. for them, which is like the times when there is one PL game. Them getting one game on TV in each of the two Sunday afternoon spots is like us getting one game at 10:00 A.M. and weekday times when there are simultaneous games. I don't think England has anything like Gold or NFL Sunday Ticket, so as far as I know there aren't any NFL teams who have every game available in England, and a team would have to be very popular to have half of their games on TV in England.
Yes, the PL sets the schedule and now with fewer kickoff conflicts NBC can broadcast more matches on its TV channels. However, NBC does not appear to be making any concessions that allow Gold subscribers to get what we paid for. The preseason press release says Gold features 140 live matches (3.7 matches per matchday) this season. There are still nine full matchdays left, but the three matchdays whose kickoff/broadcast details have been announced feature only two Gold matches each. At this rate, Gold subscribers are on pace to be shorted by 15+ live matches. I’m actually in the UK now, but I still use Gold all the time because PL broadcast rights here are so disjointed. PL matches are about 50/50 split between Sky and BT, but the UK has no comprehensive cordcutter options like YouTube TV or Hulu Live, so you either have to pay out the ear for a traditional cable package or you can pay individually for streaming subscriptions to BT Sports and Sky Sports. To stream only those BT and Sky sports channels it costs £60/mo. and of course does not allow you to watch any of the 3-4 PL matches that are blacked out each Saturday afternoon. It’s stupid, and that’s without getting into the near complete lack of access to FA Cup matches or broadcast rights for other European leagues.
Gamepass was a savior for me last season. I’m a lifelong Niners fan who moved to the UK midseason. Staying up late for the playoffs is one thing, but for regular season games...? Nope. ESPN Player for my college football/basketball needs is great too.
With the coronavirus and the revamped PL schedule that will allow formerly Plus games to be shown on NBCSN, normal PL fans will have as much access to games as they did since the pre-Gold days of the NBC contract. That's great for them and for Comcast, which makes more money from an attractive cable network (with more tonnage of games) than a questionably attractive OTT service (with marginal PL games at the best of times). Since Gold is an access pass similar to a League Pass, you likely won't get concessions. You are still getting access to games that would not otherwise be on NBC free/cable, thus the "deal" has not changed such that you can even demand concessions. Again, you didn't pay for "games" but for access to games as described above.
Well, the issue is that the deal does appear to have changed - literally. NBC said there would be precisely 140 Gold matches in its preseason release about Gold 2019/20 and at the current rate we’re looking at more like 125. If I was in the US still I wouldn’t care much because I’d have an affordable, comprehensive TV provider like YTTV and just watch NBC/NBCSN. But Gold access is more valuable to me in the UK, as crazy as that sounds. Thank goodness for VPNs.
There will still be some effectively Gold-exclusive timeslots as some games are on Peacock (only available to Xfinity customers now) and Gold according to the schedule on World Soccer Talk.
I just noticed that the schedule on nbcsports.com shows the EPL matches on NBCSN as "Enhanced" and simultaneously the same match on Digital as "Nat Sound". So that's better than nothing, but I still hold out a bit of hope that "Nat Sound" will also available on one of the SAP feeds on NBCSN. Will find out on Weds I guess.
I didn't know that. I searched, and I see that it's online only. That's true, but given the change in start times I don't blame NBC/NBCSN just like I wouldn't blame CBS for saying they will have the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament before it was canceled. I remember what you said about the games on Sky and BT and how expensive it is to watch in England. I rarely go to games in any sport, so even if I could watch every game on TV and/or online in England, that still wouldn't make me want to live in the country where the games are played. I like the PL start times in USA Eastern Time. https://worldsoccertalk.com/2020/06/16/epl-commentator-assignments-on-nbc-sports-gameweek-30/ has the commentators. Jim Beglin isn't broadcasting any games or he is broadcasting games that Arlo and Lee or Graeme are doing. Arlo will call four games in six days starting today with Man City vs. Arsenal at 3:15 P.M. with Graeme, West Ham vs. Wolves on Saturday at 12:30 P.M. on NBC with Lee, Everton vs. Liverpool on Sunday at 2:00 P.M. with Graeme, and Man City vs. Burnley on Monday at 3:00 P.M. with Lee. Sometimes Arlo, Graeme, and Lee work together, but not this week. I wonder if Everton vs. Liverpool on Sunday at 2:00 P.M. is the latest start time ever for a game on NBC. If Man City loses today, Liverpool would clinch the title with a win on Sunday. Man City's combined points today and on Monday must be more than Liverpool's points on Sunday in order to prevent Liverpool from clinching the title on Sunday or Monday. I hate Liverpool and Man City. I'm rooting for Man City today to help Man United stay ahead of Arsenal and the avoid the possibility of Liverpool clinching the title at Everton. If the title isn't clinched by Monday, there are midweek games next week, with Liverpool hosting Crystal Palace on Wednesday June 24 at 3:15 P.M. and Man City at Chelsea on Thursday June 25 at 3:15 P.M. I have a big interest in today's first game because I want Aston Villa to survive and help Man United stay ahead of Sheffield United. I also want Bournemouth to survive. I want West Ham to be relegated, and I'm fine with any of Newcastle (13th), Southampton (14th), Brighton & Hove Albion (15th), and Watford (17th) being relegated. Norwich City is in the relegation zone by 6 points and goal differential, so they don't have much chance at surviving. Making up 6 points in 9 games sounds possible, but a club that averages 0.72 points per game is very unlikely to get 0.67 points per game more than another club. In terms of clubs that are near each other, of the 22 games through Thursday June 25, the two most important games both have Man United, with their trip to Tottenham on Friday at 3:15 P.M. and hosting Sheffield United next Wednesday at 1:00 P.M.
Just caught a glimpse of the "PL Mornings" pre-game show for today's restart and it looks like they're all back: Rebecca and the 2 Robbies, in the Stamford studio, just spread out a little further around that big glass table. I wasn't sure if Rebecca in particular, who lives in Calif AFAIK and has 1 or 2 very small kids, would be in-person at Stamford every matchday... we shall see. Along with how NBC handles the fake-crowd-noise situation Anyway, good to see them all back on "day 1" anyway. With the regular studio, graphics, etc.
The audio of this first half has been maddening. The commentators are ahead and the on-pitch sounds are behind.
And (not surprisingly) the only way to eliminate the fake crowd noise is to watch it online rather than TV feed. Hopefully NBCSN will do what BeIN supposedly did, which is to put the non-fake audio feed onto the 2nd SAP channel for each match. I hope NBC is listening! Seriously, if others agree, and if someone who does social media more than I do, wants to figure out the most effective way for fans to lobby NBC to use SAP for this, some of us would be greatly appreciative.
I have no ill will toward NBC for broadcasting as many games as possible on TV channels now that there are fewer kickoff conflicts. It'd just be nice if they did SOMETHING for people who paid the $60. Make the final weekend matches available live to Gold subscribers and I'd be happy. So far all they have done is give people who paid $0 access to Gold content during the March-June dead period. This crowd noise is so much worse than the Bundesliga equivalent. This sounds like white noise while the Bundesliga crowd noise features audible singing, etc.
Another reason NBC should do SAP is because the digital feed is a full minute behind the TV feed. I’m using Roku today but I’m betting a similar delay exists on the other streaming methods like their website. That’s nothing new. And one of several reasons I prefer TV.
I wouldn’t say it’s exactly what I was looking for, but when I’ve tried the second SAP audio channel (Spanish) the fake fan noise seems noticeably diminished. Not gone entirely, but kind of mixed down a bit. So I’ve been sticking with that. Has anyone else tried this and had similar results? Ps. One of the benefits is the sound that the ball makes when it hits the net.
There's no option for natural audio for the Manchester United match due to technical limitations of too many concurrent matches.
Watching Soton-Arsenal right now via NBCSports app on Roku. Was really looking forward to using the alternate "natural sound" feed that NBC has been touting, but I only see one and it has the fake crowd noise. Can they only offer a "natural sound" feed when there's only one game in the slot? (right now there's 2 I believe) That's quite a limitation.
The other thing that was "missing" from today's feed was that the stream started right at 1pm (KO time) instead of 10 mins before like they used to do. I really used to like when they started their coverage early and sometimes you could just hear ambient stadium noise (realizing that's largely a thing of the past now) and watch pre-match preparations. In today's case it would've allowed me to discover/fix my authentication problem before the match, instead of after it kicked off.
I know I've been on NBC's case a lot lately so here's a nice switch... At 6am this morning, my favorite old "PL Review Show" popped up on my DVR. Actually two of them, for the first 2 rounds of matches after the restart, minus our prologue thrashing by Man City thankfully. Their appearance was a random surprise, and I'm cautiously hoping for some more of these in the coming weeks. THANK YOU NBC