Versus (OLN) deleted all 2007 TDF rewinds

btw: Within a few days of the Paris podium Versus deleted all stages and clips on the 2007 TDF coverage.

No dishonest Phil, Paul, Bob or even the honest Al Trautwig. Nada.

As if the 2007 TDF had never happened. (did it?)

I seriously doubt Versus will cover the 2008 Tour w/o a Team Discovery.

Instead they will focus on Extreme Cage Fighting and female boxing!

 

Of Course it didn't happen, it was all filmed on a soundstage in Southern California......haha

 

Good one!

 

I hope not. Then again, the viewer numbers are down to less than half from the LA years. TdF competes against Calgary Stampede, bass fishing and extreme cage fighting for airtime.

Will they show the Amgen California tour?

 

Capricorn One

 

[
I seriously doubt Versus will cover the 2008 Tour w/o a Team Discovery.

Instead they will focus on Extreme Cage Fighting and female boxing![/QUOTE]


I am afraid you are 100% on track on this.

 

So will the Stateside fan get any terrestrial channel coverage of cycling next year????????

 

I am afraid you are 100% on track on this.[/QUOTE]
That will totally stink if it happens! Since I'm off in the summertime, the TdF is now a sweet summer treat at my house, like watermelon or popsicles.

If all the other doping sports are on TV, then I want my Tour. Waaaaah.

 

All the disco fanboys/girls will refocus their devotion to Sliptream and hopefully oln/vs will still broadcast a stripped down version of the TdF. With only P&P in a small studio somewhere - well I hope.

 

Not if Doctor House is correct. We'll have the priviledge to see the Calgary Stampede though. And bass fishing. Possibly a BBQ program and extreme cage fighting. US coverage will go the way of German coverage.

But I don't think anything is written in stone yet. On the one hand, the number of viewers is far down since LA. Landis didn't help, and no one is really interested in seeing some Spanish rider win instead of LL. And the farce which was this year's TdF did certainly more harm than good. On the other hand, maybe with a new US team (Slipstream) there's hope for continued coverage. Of course it all comes down to money. How much do the TV rights cost, how much does the mobile studio cost**, and how much can VS recover by selling ad minutes? If the bottom line pleases the shareholders there'll be coverage. I think if ASO (or whoever owns them) lowers the cost for TV rights, it would be quite welcome. One could argue that TdF is 'damaged goods' right now.

**That's of course another way to make it more profitable. Decrease the number of commentators. Just keep Phil+Paul (or take the English ES audio feed), forget Al, Bob and all the sidekicks, just give the race coverage, no extended coverage and no background information. It would drive away some viewers, but the few which are left after this year don't need this stuff anyway.

 

I am cautiously optimistic that VS. will keep it. After all, the other things mentioned aren't exactly mainstream either. And honestly, how much else did they have to cover during July? They replayed cycling ALL DAY LONG, plus the "enhanced" coverage in the evening.

The question is, how many TdF viewers bought a damn Saab? I saw enough of those commercials to last me a lifetime!

 

I may be wrong, but Slipstream doesn't have a Pro Tour license, right? Will they even be in the Tour next summer?

 

Just answered my own question:

"The dissolution of the Discovery Channel team leaves one ProTour license up for grabs, leading to speculation that Team Slipstream could be the next American ProTour team. Manager Jonathan Vaughters told Cyclingnews that he wasn't sure his team would be able to take on three Grand Tours. "The ProTour requires that teams race the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta - and that's a huge undertaking," said Vaughters. His team has already signed ProTour riders David Zabriskie, David Millar, Christian Vande Velde, Magnus Backstedt, Julian Dean and Christophe Laurent."

 

They've been given a pro-tour licence for 2008.

In fact Vaughters was at the 07 TDF and has already had discussions with the ASO.
I think his team will be a definite starter in the 08 TDF.

 

This is all so true. Especially the Saab commercials. A few years ago it was all Subaru. Hated it since then. And I'm also somewhat optimistic, but I can see that it might get cut down a bit. No studio, no sidekicks etc. (Kirsten Gum was fun in a bimbo kind of way). I think they'll show the Tour of California though. I remember one day when they discussed next year's stages.

 

Actually viewership on Versus was the highest ever this year--including the viewership during the Armstrong years.

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=65017

 

Maybe, maybe not.

Bottomline is that Versus deleted all the Tour rewinds.

At present, there is no TDF on Versus.

 

Can't see the link. I seem to remember quite clearly that last year's result was down by almost 1/2 compared to 2005. And then I read that this year's was even lower in the start than last year's. Either viewership recovered during the 3 weeks or the initial reports were wrong.

 

not to mention BBQ competitions (damn that makes me hungry just typing it) and Pro Bull Riding non stop

 

another site requiring registration....effers!!

i dont care if mediapost is free. i dont want to sign up and try to remember another name and pax just to see the damn thing---

I believe your statement.

anyway---this year's TDF was on the telly non stop, to wifey's dismay. she likes watching it but doesnt understand why i watch it a second time.

it's like corn----enjoy it a second time