[Updated with More Ways to Watch] How to Watch UCI Downhill, Enduro, & XC Mountain Bike World Cup Racing in 2023

Apr 30, 2023 at 9:43
by Ed Spratt  
photo
The puzzle of the 2023 World Cup coverage

After months of updates and press releases on the future of World Cup coverage, we are finally days away from seeing everything come together as the new broadcasting team kicks into action at the first round of the XC World Cup in Nove Mesto.

2023's upcoming coverage brings in some great additions to the standard finals livestreams, as we will now get U23 XC and Junior Downhill racing live. Also, the newly added Elite Downhill semi-finals will be shown live. But as there are now XC finals, XCC Short, U23 XC, Elite DH Finals, Junior DH Finals, Elite Semi-Finals, Enduro, and XC Marathon racing under one broadcaster we have broken down the various ways you can tune in and watch the racing.

Since the UCI Mountain Bike World Series announced the broadcasting options Warner Brothers Discovery announced that it plans to merge Discovery+ with HBO Max to create a new offering called Max.

We do not currently know what this will mean for the coverage of mountain biking once the shift happens as there has been no confirmation about where the company's sports coverage will end up. In a report by CNET it is stated that CEO David Zaslav said during a virtual press event: "We're a global leader in sports. And we're a global leader in news."

"And in a few months, we'll come back to you with details of our attack plan to use this important and differentiating live content to grow our streaming business even further."

The new Max service is set to start rolling out on May 23 so while it won't affect the first round of the XC World Cup it launches just in time to potentially add further complexities to the streaming options for the rest of the World Cup season.



Downhill


Does Amaury Pierron winning World Cups get old Watch his runs and you will know it does not. Today was another tour de force.

Downhill coverage sees some significant changes for 2023 as we will now get a live stream for the newly added Elite semi-finals and the Junior racing. While the big finals will be only available through paid-for platforms like GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+, both the Elite semi-finals and the Junior races will be available to watch for free on YouTube and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website. Alongside live-streamed coverage the usual qualifying videos and behind-the-scenes content will continue to be uploaded to YouTube, similar to past years.


Junior DH: Available for free live on YouTube and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website (Also live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+)
Semi-Finals: Available for free live on YouTube and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website (Also live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+)
Finals: Live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+



XC


The mighty Beatrice couldn t slow down Pauline. She was long gone before the rest of the pack showed up.

The XC coverages see a similar shift as Downhill, with the standard Elite live coverage moving behind a paywall, but for 2023 we will now get livestreamed U23 XC racing. The new U23 coverage will be available for free on YouTube and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website.


XC Short Track - Elite: Live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+
U23 XC: Available for free live on YouTube and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website (Also live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+)
Elite XC: Live on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+





Enduro


On a charge all day Luke Meier-Smith took his first elite win here in Maydena

We have already seen two of the Enduro World Cup rounds in 2023, but for anyone who missed out on the coverage so far the main day of racing can be followed through live timing on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website, with highlights normally quickly uploaded to YouTube, GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+.


Live Timing: UCI Mountain Bike World Series website
Race Highlights: YouTube, GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+



XC Marathon


The elite men charge off the line.

XC Marathon is now fully recognized as a World Cup event and each race will be given a similar treatment as the Enduro World Cups with live timing on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website. Highlights will follow on YouTube, GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+.



Live Timing: UCI Mountain Bike World Series website
Race Highlights: YouTube, GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+





World Championships


Danny Hart is always a threat to the podium in Fort William.

For 2023 the World Championships are taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland. Similar to previous years, the rights to broadcast these events will be sold to different broadcasters worldwide. We don't yet know where the coverage for this will be available but we will provide an update when we know more.


What Services are Available Where?


GCN+

GCN+ seems to be the more straightforward viewing option for the 2023 coverage and has an exhaustive list of available countries. It is worth using the race-by-race coverage checker linked below to ensure that every race is available in your country.

GCN+ is available in these counties:
A
Afghanistan
Åland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan

B
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi

C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Curacao
Cyprus
Czechia

D
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic

E
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Eswatini
Ethiopia

F
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
Falkland Islands

G
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana

H
Haiti
Holy See (Vatican City)
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary

I
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy

J
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Jordan

K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea (the Republic of)
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan

L
Lao
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
M
Macao
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar

N
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway

O
Oman

P
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico

Q
Qatar

R
Réunion
Romania
Rwanda

S
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin (French part)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Sweden
Switzerland

T
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu

U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay

V
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)

W
Western Sahara

Y
Yemen

Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe


GCN+ has a very useful checker where you can view by country what races will be available to you before you sign up. You can view your country's race schedule here.



Discovery+

As we have mentioned above the merging of Discovery+ and HBOMax is set to take place on May 23, currently the plan around sports coverage has not been made clear by Warner Brothers Discovery. Also, we have heard that some people have been unable to find any sign of mountain bike racing appearing on Discovery+ in their country, there doesn't seem to be any way to check this before signing up for the service so this is something to think about.

For now, we do not recommend signing up for this service to watch this year's World Cup racing unless you know for certain that your territory will have access to the coverage and would recommend choosing GCN+ if the full calendar of racing is available to you there. Luckily with the coverage checker linked above you can find out in GCN+ will have the racing in your area before having to sign up.

At the moment Discovery+ is available in the following countries:

Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
Estonia
Estonia
Finland
Georgia
Germany
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Latvia
Lithuania
Lithuania
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan


While Eurosport can be available through Discovery+ in some European territories there are also the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels that are said to be available across 75 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Before subscribing to a service to watch the World Cups this year it is worth checking if you already have access to Eurosport through a television package that you might have.



Max

Announced on April 12 the new service from Warner Brothers Discovery is set to merge both Discovery+ and HBOMAx into one platform called Max. The actual details on sports coverage are set to be revealed as we stated at the top of the article, but the new service is currently aiming to launch in the United States on May 23.

Following the initial launch, the service will be expanding to Latin America in the fall before hitting Western and Northern Europe in early 2024. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to receive Max in mid-2024 followed by Central/Eastern Europe, Oceania, Middle East and Nothern Africa in fall 2024.


2023 Calendar


For anyone that needs a refresher for what you can expect from the 2023 season here are the races still to come in 2023.

photo


Update: Warner Bros. Discovery Adds List of Additional Broadcasters


Ahead of the racing kicking off at Nove Mesto Warner Bros. Discovery Sports has announced a selected of additional broadcasters that will have access to this year's World Cup coverage. Check out the list below.

bigquotesFans will have even more ways to follow the UCI Mountain Bike World Series this year with a raft of partnerships agreed between Warner Bros. Discovery and broadcasters across the globe that will raise the international profile of the sport. Complementing coverage on discovery+, GCN+, Eurosport and Eurosport App, fans will be able to enjoy the UCI Mountain Bike World Series on a host of new platforms, helping to grow the sport by taking mountain biking to new audiences as it begins a new dawn as part of the WBD Sports family.— WBD Sports

bigquotesWarner Bros. Discovery is the home of cycling and is proud to showcase mountain biking to the world with our broadcast partnerships reaching every corner of the continent.

The 2023 season will provide our audiences with more coverage, more action and more opportunities to follow the sport than ever before.— Chris Ball, CEO at ESO Sports

bigquotesEurope:

● Fans in Switzerland can tune into SRG SSR to follow all the live action from the UCI Cross-country World Cups throughout the 2023 season. Highlights shows will cover each round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, with an agreement reached enabling SRG SSR to provide Swiss natives live coverage of the country’s home event in Lenzerheide’s breath-taking Bike Kingdom Park this June.
● French sports media platform L’Equipe, will air live coverage of selected UCI Cross- country and Downhill World Cups, as well as replays for fans eager to re-live the action- packed elite racing.
● The world’s leading Cross-country and downhill stars will be battling for crucial series points in the Italian Alps when the UCI Mountain Bike World Series visits Val Di Sole Trentino in June. Fans can enjoy the weekend of live coverage on RAI Italia and a post- event highlights show.
● Servus TV, meanwhile, will provide Austrian fans with extensive highlights coverage of all UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, excluding Enduro and Cross-country Marathon World Cups. In June 2023, Salzburgerland welcomes the sport’s first super event where all formats of mountain biking will be hosted in one venue over one thrilling weekend of racing. Servus TV will also air uninterrupted live coverage from the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang for Austrian natives who don’t want to miss a moment from the elite races.
● RTVE, one of Spain’s largest free-to-air channels, will be showcasing live and highlights coverage from Pal Arinsal in August as the series enters the final block of racing. The Andorran race is the ninth World Cup of the season and forms a pivotal role in the race for the overall series title, with only a handful of opportunities left to secure valuable points.
● A broadcast agreement for UCI Cross-country World Cups has also been finalised with local broadcaster Czech TV, the host nation of the first UCI Cross-country World Cup of the 2023 season in May.

China:
● China represents a growing share of the sport’s fan base and Zhibo.TV will meet the demand for UCI Mountain Bike World Cup coverage by offering streaming broadcasts throughout the 2023 season.

Latin America (exc. Brazil):
● Fans in Latin America will have more ways to watch the 2023 Cross-country races , with leading broadcaster Claro Sports offering multi-country (excluding Brazil) linear TV and streaming broadcasts. The sport’s passionate fanbase can now follow leading stars like Henrique Avancini and Martin Vidaurre with Claro Sports in addition to GCN+.

Sub Saharan Africa:
● SuperSport will provide regional audiences with more coverage, more action and more opportunities to watch African stars including Greg Minnaar and Alan Hatherly than ever before. Fans can keep up-to-date with all the action from UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups, starting this May at the iconic Nové Město na Moravě cross- country venue.— WBD Sports Press Release




Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
2,768 articles
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Elite Finals Results & Overall Standings from the Snowshoe DH World Cup 2023
119236 views
First Ride: SRAM's New Powertrain Motor
69773 views
Elite Qualifying Results from the Snowshoe DH World Cup 2023
51337 views
Getting to Know the Young & Very Fast Asa Vermette
35959 views
Semi-Final Results from the Snowshoe DH World Cup 2023
34316 views
[UPDATED] Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Snowshoe XC World Cup 2023
32576 views
First Ride: Merida One-Twenty - A Mountain Bike for Mountain Bikers
29978 views
Review: Five Lightweight Full Face Helmets
29362 views

303 Comments
  • 224 50
 I'm probably gonna get downvoted into oblivion for saying this, but I might actually get a GCN+ subscription for this. If I'm willing to pay for a UFC ppv, why not dish out a couple bucks for some MTB racing? I get it, it sucks to have to pay for something that used to be free, but I think it's worth it for top-level sports.
  • 189 2
 Would be cool knowing that athletes would get a share of that
  • 27 3
 Yeah, I got one a month ago. I spend soooo much on MTB related things, I can spend a little to enjoy racing.
  • 5 1
 @solomtb1: will they though?
  • 15 1
 I don't mind paying. I just wish I could stream with access to other sports. I'm not a roadie, so I'm not into that scene. Would I watch it? Maybe, if I couldn't find something else that struck my fancy. I checked out GCN and didn't find much MTB stuff there. I would like to see more mountain bike stuff on that platform.
  • 68 10
 I agree but I just wish none of that money went into supporting more garbage GMBN content.
  • 60 0
 @jeremy3220: Ten cable mistakes you're making. How to ride a pump track a hundred times. Is your bike too light? Id your bike too heavy?
  • 3 0
 Honestly I pay to watch Motogp and WSBK now just because the coverage NA sucks. I do have a few roadie friends and they seem to love GCN+ but I have not jumped in yet. I am curious to see if it is worth it but I do love the racing and I will miss it tremendously if it goes away.
  • 19 0
 Any info of a pay-per-view option? I would prefer this over a monthly subscription/abo, because I´m not very much interested in other cycling disciplines.
  • 11 0
 If you have any interest in any other cycling disciplines, GCN+ and a VPN is a great investment. The amount of cycling-related entertainment you get for not that much $$ is totally worth it to me. Admittedly I enjoy road and cross coverage, which I know is not for everyone; I'd be somewhat annoyed to pay for GCN+ for JUST MTB. But don't be afraid to check out the Tour or the Giro, you might actually like it.
  • 7 0
 Totally agree. $60CAD/year is better than I expected. Does anyone know if they limit the number of devices you can log in on?
  • 4 0
 I plan on doing the same, as long as they make it very clear that all races will be available without some nonsense geo restrictions that I find out after the commitment.
  • 8 0
 @timb70mm: For DH you pay only 3 months on GCN+
  • 6 32
flag Narro2 (May 8, 2023 at 10:03) (Below Threshold)
 @timb70mm: you will become a Roadie Razz , in my opinion Road Cycling is better for TV watching than Downhill. XC toping both of them.
  • 23 2
 For anyone considering GCN+ you can use Lanterne Rouge's discount to get 15% so makes it even better value
  • 7 7
 I'm starting to think the same. I refused to pay any money directly to Discovery but I do like the GCN/GMBN channels. Obviously they're all connected through Play Sports and Discovery but the degree of separation makes it feel a bit more tolerable lol.
  • 6 1
 @timb70mm: I've really enjoyed watching cyclocross on GCN+... and it runs when not much else is going on in the competitive cycling world.
  • 1 0
 @matyk: the article has a link to a geo checker for GCN+ so you can do exactly that before pushing the button
  • 6 0
 @solomtb1: Tbh if the coverage didn't exist the sponsors would invest way way less money into the sport and athletes and some wouldn't invest into it at all.
  • 3 0
 @matyk: AFAIK all the MTB races can be watched via GCN+ in the US; world champs may be an exception, not sure who has those rights. BUT, if you have GCN+ and a decent VPN, you can watch pretty much all cycling events of any discipline. For example many road monuments and the Tour are geo-restricted on GCN+ in the US but are broadcast by GCN/Eurosport in Europe. This is 1000x easier than trying to figure out who has what rights and having subscriptions to FLObike, whatever HBO is called now, Discovery++ etc.
  • 2 0
 @Drew-O: I know it's been said several times over the years on Pinkbike, but recommended VPN's I should look at in Europe for folks like me in the States?
  • 1 0
 @nostyle: yes, same here, that would be an excellent option!
  • 12 0
 You're willing to pay for a UFC PPV?????!!! Holy shit I would never give Dana White a cent... just use a sketchy website like everyone else
  • 1 0
 @trontondeel: I just go to the movie theater to watch. Better than my couch on the my phone, and it's $20 instead of $80. Even still, I only go to watch the fights I care about.
  • 5 9
flag Narro2 (May 8, 2023 at 16:28) (Below Threshold)
 why the negprops? Road Cycling has been using the Helicopter/Drone footage successfully for decades, something that none of the mountain bike broadcasts have been able to replicate, live and virtual times started in Road Cycling broadcast too, there might be some events like Gwin chainless which have a higher "wow/broworshiping" factor than most of Road Cycling events, but being able to see a bunch of sprinters finish a race in a photo finish style or a superskinny colombian guy climbling a road that looks like a wall is pretty rad too. I would watch that any time.
  • 4 2
 @Narro2: The majority of the time mountain bike races are held in the woods which do not lend themselves to helicopter or drone footage. There are a couple of exceptions on certain courses inside certain sections of the course. That said, all of there may be a few road bike fans on this website, many of us tend to shy away from all things roadie or skinny tire, at least from a viewing perspective
  • 6 9
 @Narro2: Because you mentioned road riding. Most modern mountain bikers only like gravity disciplines. They don't like actually pedaling their bikes anymore. They are just as stuck up as road riders.
  • 1 0
 Yeah I pay to watch test rugby every year and it gives me a lot of joy, Ill probably pay to watch some of these races. All depends how much track footage they have up. If its any less that redbull I wont pay, they barely had enough compared to freecaster.
  • 3 0
 3 DHI races in June for $8.99 sounds like a good way to try it out.If they don't knock it Audi the park, I'm 5000, G.
  • 3 0
 I'm also willing to pay to watch the races. Release the Earthed dvd at the end of the season and I'll buy it. Alex Rankin, no Clay Porter please. The Tipping Point (which was the only alternative after the last Earthed video) was pretty useless showing only footage of the final straight. But yeah, make Earthed 6 of the 2023 racing season and I'd buy that.
  • 2 0
 @Odude: Out if interest, what is the discount code? Looked on YouTube bio and it's not on there.
  • 1 0
 @steviestokes: welcome.globalcyclingnetwork.com/lanternerouge
  • 8 0
 @Narro2: To each their own but there is no argument when it comes to a DH rider mobbing through a rock garden and missing trees at break neck speeds vs. a skinny Colombian guy climbing a hill in a full spandex kit. DH for the win IMO.
  • 2 0
 @RevedOut: Amen. Big Grin
  • 6 4
 this paywall is achieving exactly what it wants... puting kids away from it so they guarantee further generations won´t get so easy the chance to get impacted by the best sport of the world which it turns to be an sport against the interest of the elite agendas trying to cage ppl into their smart shities... follow the money we might understand what´s going on with this covered agenda on MTB long term...
  • 1 1
 @RevedOut: hahaha, i get you, both are pretty cool tbh, just the DH is more visual awe, the climbing guy is more of a depth psychological thing.
  • 4 2
 @solomtb1: sure, but this is bringing more money into the sport which will eventually mean more money for the athletes.
  • 2 1
 @Narro2: I’m far from a DH pro but psychologically, I’m 100% focused on my commitment to pedaling as fast as I can so I can launch myself over a huge gap or smash a rock garden. I’m sure the road racers go through mental agony to pedal up huge hills but the risk of injury is much less. I’m 41 and just not there yet. I’m still committed to doing dumb things on my bike. Lol.
  • 2 1
 @RevedOut: Have you ever seen a peloton crash pileup at 20+ mph during a road race? Lookup crit crashes. There is a very big risk for injury in road racing.
  • 2 1
 @matyk: Also the speeds are generally higher in road racing and the things you crash into harder.
  • 1 0
 I don't see how this is a sensible contest for what is more dangerous, but yeah. Road racers choose to wear minimal protection and history has proven that when helmets weren't obligatory, many would rather ride without. Speeds are higher, everything around them is harder, they ride bikes that quickly become less controllable when the road gets a bit dirty, uneven or wet and they're racing events where the organization allows the audience to wave stupid big (and often sponsored) bullshit over the track as their blasting towards the finish line.

It is a matter of choosing your battles.
  • 1 0
 @solomtb1: ultimately it will filter down to them in some way…
  • 2 0
 I pay for Discovery + in the US. I am being told this morning, I do not have access to any of this racing content. They are telling me the Discovery +mentioned is only for UK accounts. You stink WB.
  • 4 0
 GCN+ reviews in play store are gruesome. Chromecast is broken. Not staring at my phone for hours.

I'm out. Have watched every xc and DH world cup since free caster days.
  • 1 0
 @airtym: Are they dropping that content with the MAX merger?
  • 1 0
 What happens after the event actually? Can you watch individual runs for free afterwards or do you still have to pay for their service?

Also, I checked that calendar and it is pretty nuts actually. The DH races start so late in the season and then are so close together. Injured riders will likely miss out on more races.

This is just the EWS and World Cup calendar apparently, when are the World Championships?
  • 1 0
 @pisgahgnar: HBO max has "channels". It might show up in there.
  • 4 1
 @RevedOut: You should go and see a road race in person. They ride 60 kmh in 100+ people groups, shoulder to shoulder and with the front wheels a few cm behind the person in front.
One mistake and tens of riders hit the deck hard.
If it was about safety only I would much rather race downhill than road.
  • 1 0
 @trontondeel: please let me know the name of said sketchy website
I can never find ufc
Ama SX and MX is no problem for me but ufc seems impossible
  • 1 0
 @ak-77: I’ve wrecked a motorcycle on pavement so I understand the consequences wrecking on the road. I’m sure wrecking a bunch of riders would hurt but, you should compete in a DH race and I think you would change your mind. Full face helmets are mandatory due to the risk. If you’ve watched Friday fails, the wrecks are much worse. I’d go see a road race but they don’t hold them anywhere near me as far as I know.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: maaaaate I can only dream of paying $8:99. Even at a US dollar to Oz dollar conversion that’s Waaaaaay cheaper than they want to slug us in Australia for Gcn+
  • 1 0
 @Club-Safari: $8.99 is only for 1 month. Is there no similar option in Oz?
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh:
GCN+ is reasonable value
NZ12 per month
NZ75 per year
  • 1 0
 @RevedOut: to me, the major difference is that in DH, you crash alone and it's always a consequence of how you were riding. In road racing, any of 160 riders can make a mistake that sends you to the hospital. This is why if someone forced me to choose I would rather race downhill than road.
But I prefer to race neither.
The only races I've ever been in were xc, but never competitively, just for fun. I might join a small local Enduro race in the future but that's about it.
  • 3 0
 @PauRexs: Parents can easily have their kids earn some money to pay for it themselves. Not mention that quali's and semi's are free on YouTube. This is not keeping kids out of the sport, watching my racing has nothing to do with riding MTB. 2 completely different activities.
  • 3 0
 @MikeGruhler: Agreed there. Now that there are semi-finals too, you can basically see the same amount of riding for free as you used to back in the days. It would be more than enough for me. I never cared that much about racing time, finish line excitement etc. I just wanted to see the riding. If you can still get that, it is all good in my book.

I did pay for the GCN+ subscription. I think the price was fair, especially as they offered a discount. I do however think that they should balance things out with what they have on offer once you're inside. Aside from the racing, it is primarily road and gravel cycling stuff, little mtb. There is a video from the Athertons and one with Grant Fielder so I'll watch those someday.

Other than that, it is a matter of setting priorities. I noticed people actually pay for a video-game subscription? At the end of the day, just do what you love to do. And if you love it already, you don't need to have it handed on a silver plate. I'm sure any kid (or at least any kid with a fast enough internet connection to stream cycling videos) will have ridden bikes at some point. If you like it, you know it. If you like riding your bike on dirt, you know that too. Yes watching people push the limits can be inspiring but I'm sure the semis can provide that.
  • 1 1
 @NZRalphy:
GCN+ is AUD16 per month, that's 1.5 times the Netflix cost.
Yearly it's AUD65, so this would certainly be the way to go for me. Thanks for highlighting the yearly fee.
  • 79 3
 I want the "How to hack GCN+ to watch for free" article.
  • 29 1
 no hacking required. Everything that streams is re-streamed by some other site. Every kind of live sport and racing is available for free on re-streaming sites. I don't know what the policy here is on mentioning them by name but surely it can't be against the rules to acknowledge they exist
  • 8 6
 @tacopop: please let me know where they'll be restreamed. I begrudge having to pay for something that was free...
  • 8 0
 That will require you signing up for Outside+.
  • 3 0
 I just go to Reddit when I want to watch NFL games that are out of my coverage area, I intend to do the same for DH racing now...
  • 1 0
 Discord live stream? Then we can chat sh1t in real time!
  • 3 1
 @scantregard: The old adage still holds true. If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold. Apparently, you (and I) weren't worth enough to be sold anymore. I hate the taste of Red Bull, I won't buy it no matter how many DH races they stream.
  • 81 19
 Don't take over something that I used to get for free, strip the best parts of it away and then try and make me pay for it.
  • 7 0
 Exactly. The pressure on the new announcers and the people who chose them will be immense for this reason.
  • 6 0
 Isn't that how everything evolves these days?
  • 18 1
 @stevemokan: just before it dies.......
  • 7 1
 @stevemokan: Devolves
  • 4 2
 people have been paying PPV for mainstream sports for decades, sooner or later it was gonna happen for MTB, specially in post pandemic times, you have to remember that cycling overall had astronomical growth during covid.
  • 8 0
 We talkin trailforks again
  • 7 2
 @Peskycoots: it'll be a dumpster fire season. i predict another OLN scenario from the last time DH disapeared off the face of the earth.
  • 2 1
 @taskmgr: can't help feeling the bike industries heavy handed marketing of enduhro an mobilitE bikes has been a factor as well?
  • 5 0
 @taskmgr: i think you’re probably right, it’s looking like a classic example of buy when the market is high then shit yourself because you’re all in on essentially a fringe sport that had a pandemic bump
  • 9 1
 Agree, watch a free stream and don't pay. Pay to view is a shitty business model for the consumer. Advertising is the principal revenue stream for any commercial channel whether it be TV or online content, but it doesn't offer the 'growth' it used to. TV can GTF with PPV unless you're gonna remove the ads and give us some decent full-track streams, choice of cameras, etc. AND commentators who know what they are talking about. Nope we'll be knee deep in Miller Lite adverts and other pish from besuited fratboys and paying for the privilege, eff that. Sad to see DH follow F1 into the darkness.
  • 50 1
 What a mess.

Imagine if there was one sole provider, with more or less worldwide availability, who could produce and distribute this content via a single website and app? Oh, and it would be free? Wouldn't that be a great setup for fans?
  • 1 0
 Wasn't it called RB?
  • 1 0
 Yes PB! The only thing I can think is that they're gonna fail and not do as well as they'd hoped, as MTB isn't like many other sports and people will be less likley to subscribe, as there are less sports up their street that they get included... let's see!
  • 1 0
 I would say GCN is a sole provider, at least in the US. Discovery+ only appears to be covering over seas and HBO Max which I have has absolutely nothing listed on there app about MTB racing.
  • 43 0
 £7 a month. Not too bad I guess. Hopefully GCN won't make me pick up a penchant for gravel bikes and an anorexic upper body.

Not having Rob commenting is gonna hit pretty hard on the first race.
  • 48 2
 Uhh the lack of Rob Warner really is the worst part. I'd rather pay with Rob than free without. We really had it all with Redbull.
  • 1 0
 Yep. Any idea who will be commentating?
  • 1 0
 I think if you sign up at the right time, you only need 3 months to cover off all the DH races.
  • 8 0
 Maybe Rob can do a Live stream on youtube comentating the races? mute the TV and connect the phone to a speaker? please robbbbbb
  • 5 0
 @rookie100: for the DH Cedric, the rest not sure
  • 5 0
 @p0rtal00: Bart Brentjens is commenting on the XCO and XCC races
  • 3 0
 @billreilly: cool i always liked rob and bart together
  • 3 0
 @maxnomas: Fantastic Idea. Rob's WC Voiceover YT Channel
  • 2 0
 @p0rtal00: Root trees
  • 2 1
 @rookie100: sal masekela. "Woah the rider guy just did a big jump!"
  • 1 1
 @DylanH93: we did including endless ads and product placements in the broadcast
  • 46 2
 TBH broadcasting the junior live for free is a small win.
  • 27 4
 Still think this is a loss for the MTB world. Downhill was accessible to anyone before. Watching for free is what helped me get into DH racing. Red Bull brought DH back to life and now it will die a quiet death. Only hardcore fans will buy the package. I love racing, but I can't afford another subscription.
  • 4 0
 Aren't we all just built of mini subscriptions? Agreed. Subscriptions can go ahead and die already.
  • 5 1
 Red Bull didn't bring it back to life, it was still a big thing in the Freecaster days
  • 6 0
 @bikes-arent-real: Not True. DH had become pretty niche in the Freecaster area. Not saying it was bad or anything Redbull made it mainstream again.
  • 28 6
 Let's just be honest. UCI and Discovery/HBO..... could gives zero f*cks about anything MTB. They honestly picked all this up for roadbikes. If a company really values their entertainment properties and need viewers to justify their purchase, the what/where/when/how to view would be VERY explicit and well communicated. The shell game labrynth of an approach and the fact that it is STILL a bit of a puzzle only further validates my above opinion. Ready to be wrong or corrected.
  • 23 5
 Vital MTB is already ahead of PB with the coverage of Fort Billiam. Seems like they are pulling away with quality of content instead of reposting every youtube clip. And things like the pit vid's where the content is more about the bikes than the presenter making funny intro's. PB is turning into the Outside Gear Guide, surface fluff and nothing in depth.
  • 14 8
 How are raw riding clips and videos of bikes and components with no context or dialogue more in depth than PB content?
  • 21 2
 Usually all GCN+ stuff is available free here: tiz-cycling-live.io/live.php
  • 1 0
 awesome, thanks!
  • 1 0
 This should be a top comment in this topic. Thank you sir for that link
  • 16 1
 I have no problem with paying to watch my favorite thing, I just wish it was less confusing. I already have HBO Max (i.e. Max on May 23) and don't know what I am getting. I don't care to add a new subscription. Maybe I can do a Discovery+ trial for the first race and maybe we will know more about the June races.
  • 3 1
 exactly, not sure how anyone is supposed to really have confidence in the above. I can watch high school football games across the country on youtube without issue ...
  • 3 0
 I am there with you. I have HBO/MAX too. I am really interested to see if Discovery+ will have sports. As of right now, they don't. I would rather pay a little extra (Discovery+) for more sports and to just only get cycling (GCN+) when I only care about the MTB parts. I'm not a roadie.
  • 5 0
 It's really frustrating that they don't make it clear. I'll happily pay a subscription once they stop making it a confusing mess.
  • 5 0
 Discovery + is available in the US, but their sports broadcasts, including cycling, aren’t available in the US. Seems like they forgot that part.
  • 3 0
 @packfill: it's makes sense that majority are not available in US as they don't own the rights. I think it's NBC that owns stuff like the tour de France and World Champs.
  • 2 0
 @packfill: Discovery+ doesn’t even exist in Australia. At least you have some choice. It’s GCN+ at an outrageous price. If I want to watch Le tour or the Giro it’s on free to air. BRING BACK REDBULL
  • 14 1
 Are we going to dismiss the blatant gentrification of the sport? I'm probably going to get enough downvotes to send me to the site hosted next to PB, but all these comments saying "Yeah, 7 bucks a month ain't gonna hurt my pocket" is certainly looking at the situation from a very first-worldly view.

There are a ton of people living in developing or straight poor countries who used to enjoy the races, but UCI's greed had condemned them to skip the races entirely or look for an available pirate option. All of this without even knowing how good the broadcast will be, or if it's even worth the money.
  • 6 1
 I think you raise a very good point.

UCI/GCN+ Have not proven it's worth money in the first place. Why should the expectation be that we pay to try it out? Rather than them justifying the cost with a free season of quality content?
  • 14 2
 I refuse to pay a yearly subscription for six races. They’ll never bring back the freecaster days but redbull got close. These greedy corporations don’t care about mountainbike racing.
  • 4 0
 Just pay for the months that you'll use, you don't have to pay for the whole year.
  • 2 1
 And Redbull cared? ROFLMAO
  • 10 0
 Looks like its the free youtube highlights and gopro clips. I find it hard to trust that any revenue goes back to the riders, venue or teams. Anything over the cost goes to the shareholders.
  • 3 1
 or maybe some it goes to the improved coverage? More cameras, more racing, full runs.
  • 10 0
 I will gladly pay to watch races so long as I don't have to watch commercials. Anybody currently subscribed to GCN+ -- is it ad-free?
  • 6 0
 "Some of our live content may include elements of paid promotion. These inclusions are always relevant to the content and are designed to provide insight into an aspect of the race."

help.globalcyclingnetwork.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360019190860-Are-there-adverts-on-GCN
  • 10 2
 No ads on GCN+ nor Discovery+
  • 3 2
 GCN+ is great so far. We've only had it for a couple of weeks and mostly watched road racing. I hope the MTB coverage is decent. Some is better than none though and I am old enough to recall very slim pickings.
  • 1 0
 @bikepurgatory1: Question: in the link provided by PB to what is available to watch for Canada it notes the DH and XC races etc. but does not indicate whether it is the finals or just the juniors and semi-finals etc. i seemed to recall going through the detailed schedule on the app and noted this so I am still uncertain whether I want to buy-in. I ordered GCN+ at the start of the year and couldn’t find any mtb related races on the sched. I emailed and they told me they didn’t have the rights for Canada so I asked for a refund. I assume they have negotiated some form of rights but does it include finals or is there extra $$ required????
  • 4 0
 If you can't watch it "live" is there an option to watch it delayed? or is a replay available soon after?
  • 7 0
 @mrtoodles: on GCN+ replay is available right away. Even during the live coverage, you can rewind to rewatch something.
And as far as long term availability goes: MTB Wolrd Champs from last year are still available to watch right now. I've had the app for a few months now, mostly watching and rewatching road racing. They are doing a really good job.
  • 2 0
 @mrtoodles: Yes
  • 13 2
 Will there be a DH fantasy league this year?
  • 1 0
 I believe they killed it off
  • 1 0
 There better be or I want my money back.
  • 11 3
 Absolutely no chance I will be paying a penny towards discovery or any of their endeavors. The system worked as it was, until UCI got greedy again. If you pay the randsom you are justifying poor behaviour.
  • 2 1
 rephrase chris ball and uci wanted more $$$$$
  • 6 0
 I'm guessing this will give mountain biking a bigger potential audience with GCN+ and MAX. Because unless you knew about the race, I don't think it had many people stumbling across it. Most people wont even have the redbull app, I know in my case the redbull app isnt available on LG TV's, so i had to use my computer to watch it.
  • 1 0
 Maybe, but I'm pretty sure the races were also broadcast on eurosport previously as well, so it wasn't just limited to red bull.
  • 11 0
 Putting sports behind paywalls had historically done nothing to grow the sports in question, and has usually done the opposite. You can look to cricket and any number of motorsport series to see the effects.
  • 8 2
 Idk what's been going on with PB over the last few weeks but this shit is getting more and more click-baity... seems similar to how Outside gutted CyclingTips and now that's all clickbait and topical stories from VeloNews. Sucks
  • 6 0
 there going to loose a lot of followers unfortunately i won't be subscribing to any if the coverage aint any better and loosing rob is a massive blow its an end of an era for dh racing looks like ill be watching EWS highlights on youtube
  • 6 1
 Just watched the SDA/Nationals at Fort William and have seen some of the changes they are making to the Dh track.
wow.... so smooth, digging out rocks lower down to make the track faster for telly!
The latest blue is more gnarly.
  • 2 0
 I really hope this is not true...
  • 2 0
 @Paco77: Watch Laurie Greenlands youtube. he's got a preview of the Lousa track... I'm sure they can ride it fast AF... but technical it is not.
  • 5 0
 Could they have made this more confusing?

Wouldn't the intention be to make it EASY for folks to stumble upon bike racing coverage and potentially grow the audience? I am willing to pay, but at this point, I don't know if I should subscribe to GCN+, Discovery+, or just wait until I find out if my current HBOMax subscription rolls into this new MAX thing, and then maybe the bicycling coverage I so badly want to watch will be featured on it? Oof.
  • 13 6
 I ain't paying for shit... As mentioned above these companies care FK ALL about mtb an mtb'ers... just profit. FK em
  • 5 1
 Bikes should be free too . . . Although I’m happy to give it a go . . . Robs a great commentator on DH but he often got things wrong in XC . . . Main thing I want is more cameras . . . Watched the Chur XCO on Redbull yesterday . . . Most of it was good but when they switched cameras to the ebiker following them they may have been using a potato to film it was rubbish footage.
  • 7 3
 I don't know how you take something which is essentially an ad in the first place and then try and get a monthly subscription to view that ad. But I guess some people are willing to pay to watch dudes plastered in brand names ride their prototype advertisements down the tracks.

Look I love DH, there's clearly a tonne of freaking money in it, how much more does cycling need to be a parasite on peoples pocket books?

Racing was supposed to be something fun to watch in the downtime. Not something I have to pay for... I'd rather spend that money on my bike or going somewhere to ride my bike.

On top of that GCN sucks, it's an incredibly unethical network of channels that targets newcomers to the sport with bad information.

I really hope this doesn't end up ruining DH. You know the second something doesn't perform for these metric chasing clownshoe wearing bellends it's going to be cut, EWS will be gone by year 2. They have 0 interest in presenting the sport other than it being lucrative for them. The second something performs at a loss it's gone, they won't try and fix it, they'll just bin it.
  • 1 0
 Truth
  • 5 0
 UK Viewers: If you subscribe to Sky you can get Discovery + for free. Also: If you subscribe to Sky Sports, you've probably already got Eurosport. Both have the XC in their schedule for this weekend.
  • 4 0
 Ok. So I signed up for Discovery+. I live in the US. Nothing about mountain biking on the channel (I use a Roku and an iphone to watch). Kept checking in every few days. Nothing. Nada. I figure maybe it will show up magically today. Still nothing. So I chatted them. Here's the answer, "I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but sporting events are not available in the US/Canada to stream." Discovery+ does not carry this in the US and Canada. Everyone needs to stop reporting that. It's bogus.
  • 1 0
 Same issue... Just signed up and found out Discovery+ Sports is not even a USA feature, yet Discovery+ advertised this would be broadcast in USA/Canada?! What an absolute joke. This likely also means the new MAX app will not have it when it launches for USA/Canada. Therefore, the only way to actually watch any world cup this year would be to buy a GCN+ subscription if you live in USA/Canada.
  • 4 1
 the fact is, paying or not to see it, all this thing doesn't bring anything good for the sport itself. Just a bunch of sponsors, even more pressure on the racers and the sense of showtime at any cost: this that doesn't pay any justice to the true athletic meaning of DH and XC, even the structure of the championship will not pay the best athlete, but just the bravest/luckiest
  • 3 0
 If it part of Max I will watch. If not probably not watching. If I knew that money I was paying was going to athletes even a good % maybe I would sign up but just seems like a money grab for them to make even more money off the back of athletes that get paid shit to race.
  • 3 0
 Does anyone know how the GCN+ billing/cancellation process works?

I'm sorta kinda willing to pay but want to hose them as much as possible by paying the least possible. For example, can I subscribe on June 9th, and cancel on July 3rd and only be billed one month? Or will they roll me over and ding me on July 1st for another month?

Similarly, could you subscribe on August 24th, and cancel on October 9th and only be billed two months?

I figure if the coverage is half decent, 3 months * $11.99 CAD / 7 races = $5.14/race... That's not too bad, but if the coverage is whack and you've gotta pay 5 months, they can get bent and I'll just watch the free stuff on Youtube and pirate the finals.
  • 6 0
 I already pay too much on fees, taxes and this and that. I will pass this one and just ride my bike instead.
  • 4 1
 Why did PB kill the fantasy league?

I just simply don’t get it. Talk about a publisher being out of touch with their audience…
I think most of us would be happy for fantasy league without prizes. Just the ability to mix it up with friends and stuff.

I know this has been said before but maybe if enough of us say something they will fix it for next year.

GIVE US FANATASY LEAGUE BACK.
  • 3 0
 From Discovery+ Customer Service in the USA:
"Regrettably discovery+ Canada and US doesn't have much in the way of sporting content. I believe this is available through discovery+ UK only based upon content licensing. "

When asked if that changes with the start of UCI MTB season:

"That I'm unsure of. The licensing information isn't something we're privy to but from what I can tell we won't have much in the way of sporting content available through the discovery+ Canada/US app"
  • 2 0
 Yup. Just confirmed this as well. There is no sporting events on Discovery+.
  • 1 0
 Just signed up only to find out this is the case...at least there was a free trial, but it's still frustrating that it was advertised and then removed.

What this really means is that the new MAX app very likely will not have race coverage either for USA/Canada customers (this sucks, since I already pay for HBOMax).

It appears to be GCN+ or nothing for us Americans...
  • 3 0
 I’m sorry but this absolutely sucks. They’re trying to promote mountain biking this way?? Put it behind a paywall on a service that’s basically all road biking?? AND… Take away a person who’s arguably one of the finest sports announcers alive????? There is simply nothing on this world that makes sense any longer. Rob Warner and mountain biking are synonymous with each other.
  • 6 0
 Will replays be available, later the same as the race?
  • 2 0
 I would assume they are. The road races on gcn+ have full replays as well as condensed highlights
  • 1 0
 @bgoldstone: and I guess you also need to be subscribed to watch those?? Frown
  • 2 0
 The EDR replays they had on YouTube were pretty good. Hopefully they do DH replays with that level of coverage.
  • 3 1
 @Javierpdx: I signed up a few months back so I could follow the road season. Generally short highlight packages of roadie content appear on Youtube (free) within a few days, which is great. Full replays are on GCN+ (ppv) for as long as you want.
The production standard is really high, been very impressed. I'll qualify that by saying generally Eurosport/ GCN+ is taking a content feed from a host broadcaster, then overlaying their production. Mtb will be different as hey are the host broadcaster too.
  • 1 0
 @tanadog: how long does it take for the replay to be available? Same day, days, weeks...?
  • 3 0
 @Canadmos: straight up from what I can tell
  • 2 0
 @Canadmos: within the hour.
  • 2 0
 I will watch clips. I have crap to do in the mornings. Usually, they involve rides. I very rarely got back in time to watch a live event. Are the clip shows/ reruns of the events also going to be locked behind a pay account requirement?
  • 4 1
 I genuinely don't mind paying a (small amount) to watch my sport broadcast live but for the love of god make it easier than this to figure out. It shouldn't need an article that long to explain!
  • 2 0
 Literally how hard is it to go, want to watch live mountain biking?.........pay 'x' a month and watch 'here'. Happy to wait for a bit and/or watch highlights only?..... they will be on YouTube.

You know its a complete mess when even the caption for the picture is "The puzzle of the 2023 World Cup coverage".
  • 1 1
 @Fullymeltedbrakes: isn't that what they did? If you want live coverage with no fuss, pay for GCN+.

If you pay for discovery+ or HBO or the new Max service you might get it included, but if you want to watch the races with no fuss, GCN+ is the answer
  • 2 0
 Well, Discovery+ is now listing the Nove Mesto races on its sports schedule. So, GCN+ or Discovery+ until we know what MAX will carry? From what I can tell only Discovery+ is accessible via our Roku devices but GCN+ is not.
  • 1 0
 Am I stupid, or? I just signed up for D+ and cannot even access Discovery+ Sports... It is completely hidden, I found it on Google search, then it logs me out and hides the page as soon I try to log in.

I'm going to assume D+ Sports is not even available in USA and someone screwed up at Discovery saying it would be available in USA...
  • 2 0
 I'm not totally against having to subscribe to watch, but I really don't think that they should be putting a paywall up when they really don't know if the format changes (mainly in DHI) are going to work. Surely it makes more sense to build an 'unmissable' product over a couple of seasons and then start asking for money...?
  • 2 0
 Everything is moving to a subscription model and I'm getting sick of it. You need to pay monthly subscriptions for news, music, Youtube, TV shows, movies, sports, apps, even your car options now. How big of a budget does that represent in the end?
  • 2 0
 I would pay, as long as there's no lame commercials and along with full DH coverage, and if the stream is better than redbull_TV or youtube, which remains to be seen, then maybe we should pay to watch and hopefully the sport will have less exhausted resources to broadcast without compensation. But with all that said, most sports still charge a fee if you want to all/most events... sooo we'll see how good it really by GCN
  • 2 0
 DOES NOT WORK IN THE USA!!!!
In USA, signing into Discovery + gets you ZERO access to the UCI World Cup events. You must subscribe to a virtual VPN service AND subscribe to Discovery + to gain access to the 'sports' section where Time Warner has stashed everything. This is SO incredibly annoying, so much so that I'm not even going to bother.
  • 1 0
 Canada too. They buy the rights to UCI and then blackout North America. Pure garbage.
  • 5 0
 Watching a race is more difficult than riding the Rampage?
  • 3 0
 Broadcast live on Eurosport was all I needed to know, cheers. Like other Sky customers in the UK, I'll be able to watch as part of my basic package.
  • 2 1
 Rob should do a pirate voice over replay where he gets on the piss like old freecaster days. I’d pay for that. No holes barred, no rules, f*ck give Rob lines of blow on air with the proceeds. Spill drinks in the mixing desk for old times sake. Pretty sure robs had to tone it down in the redbull era just to avoid the woke and not tarnish RB too hard. Unleash the beast…. Dh needs u Rob
  • 4 0
 The saying is "no holds barred", not sure I want to go no holes barred with Warner.
  • 1 0
 @chakaping: I prefer no holes barred…. I’m sure rob would agree..
  • 2 0
 @houli77: he 100% would, but I still don't wanna see it Big Grin
  • 1 0
 I am reading comments and I am wondering about one thing - is Eurosport not available in the US? Because for me it is very convenient to watch it live on my TV as every other road race etc. So maybe it is not popular opinion but I like these options. For sure no Rob is a big disappointment but there is not much we can do about it...
  • 1 0
 Eurosport not available in NA, and a lot of us don’t do cable tv anymore either.
  • 1 0
 I'm looking forward to watching Crankworx. I'll give the youtube replays a watch to see if they suck as much as the Lourdes coverage. At this point, I'm certainly not going to pay for something that will probably be an inferior product vs when it was free to watch.
  • 2 0
 I could never be sure I'd be able to watch every race live so I'm not going to pay as I won't get my money's worth. I guess I'll watch clips on YouTube after the race but my days of live DHI are at an end.
  • 2 0
 If the UCI decides to combine WC with World Championships into one subscription company, I will pay. Otherwise, forget about it...MTB is starting to get to diluted with all the disciplines, eMTB, etc.
  • 1 0
 So we just watched the women’s XCC on GCN+ after paying for it (in the US). Great race but no commentary!!???!! Is this normal? One brief interview with Jolanda pre-race, a bit of chatter by Bart and a fashionably dressed woman after the race, but pretty hard to watch - much worse than RedBull which was free.
  • 1 0
 Ok 2 races in and I’m struggling with this new broadcast service .
I subscribed to discovery plus .
They don’t show the semi finals live and there is no commentary on the race in the live finals.
Am I missing something ?
  • 1 0
 GCN+ for some reason WILL NOT GIVE US A SCROLLING TICKER for XCC/XCO. They have the data. They provide the same detail with their CX coverage (albeit I’m aware they’re probably just broadcasting other providers streams of CX races), why won’t they give us this so we can keep an eye on the placement of other riders outside the top group? There are 40 or more racers! Use the scrolling ticker to let us see where everyone else is. RedbullTV did this - for free.
  • 1 1
 I was checking out Discovery Plus in the USA and found no sports whats so ever. I found a sports page with E1 & E2 listed for the Euro market though. I hope Discovery gets its act together for the USA. I pay for HBO/MAX and really don't want to pay for another streaming service. At the moment it looks like GCN+ is my only option.
  • 4 0
 Isn't HBO Max in Canada just Crave? Or is that not an option?
  • 1 0
 Good question. I was thinking the same thing
  • 2 0
 This is what I am wondering too....I guess not since they didn't mention it, but that would be great! I have so many subscriptions already I am hesitant to start another.
  • 1 0
 I would also like to know if this will be included in the Crave subscription...?
  • 5 0
 Clear as Mud! :/
  • 2 0
 Nice that DH Junior races are now broadcast live. It would have been good to have had that last year given the competitiveness of the racing between Jordan and Jackson.
  • 2 0
 This year it should be fun to watch Bodhi Kuhn and Tegan Cruz. They've been racing head-to-head since they were kids in Canada. I believe Bodhi finally got picked up by a team (Trek, with Vergier) and Tegan is part of Vali Holl's team. Tegan finished 4th in Junior points last year and Bodhi was 6th, racing as a privateer. Talented young guys.
  • 2 0
 Paid my $50 for a year of GCN and moments later they noted hbo max will have it. Thaaaaanks. Also GCN has zero MTB content. Really?
  • 1 0
 What? HBOmax? When?
  • 1 0
 @mrkkbb: yeah---- what he said.
  • 1 0
 Well hbo max became max today, and unlike what was discussed, there is zero biking content. No UCI anything, or sports of any kind actually. So for those who bought the GCN package, you didn't lose out. For now.
  • 1 0
 UCI not streaming through Discovery+ in North America
  • 4 0
 I'm still not sure I understand....
  • 2 2
 The GCN+ app for AppleTV is complete trash. Doesn't refresh itself with new content always (you need to restart the app to get a refresh). Doesn't default to a commentary setting (defaults to "ambient sounds" instead of English or whatever you decide your default language is). Crashes in feeds regularly (both live events and replays). Doesn't have Rob Warner. Hit or miss whether the event you want to see is even in the app.
  • 2 0
 I found the redbull app either directly installed on my TV, airplayed from iPad, or the app accessible through sky TV was utter sh*te. Was clearly not showing at race speed and a bit jumpy. On my phone or iPad it was perfect, so I'm reluctant to blame the apps themselves.

Personally, I have Eurosport already on SkyTv, so I'm looking forward to watching it on a bigger screen.
  • 2 1
 Will we get replays of the live DH finals? Will these be free?

Will there be highlights of the DH available for free?

I love DH racing but I don't think I will pay to watch, stick some ads halfway through and make it free.
  • 2 0
 No and No
  • 2 0
 Is there a difference between the Discovery+ and GCN+ broadcasts?? I don't get a sense of what each offers that is distinct..any answers?
  • 1 0
 the most important difference is that you cant stream any UCI content in North America through Discovery+
  • 1 0
 “ For now, we do not recommend signing up for this service to watch this year's World Cup racing unless you know for certain that your territory will have access to the coverage”. What the f*ck?!
  • 4 0
 Can’t get GCN+ on Roku. That’s dumb
  • 2 0
 So you have to get an Apple TV if you have a Roku? That's dumb AF. What a PITA. No problem, just spend $130 for something you didn't need until this crap came along.
  • 5 0
 I miss you RedbullTV!
  • 1 0
 I already have HBO max so if DH racing shows up great. If not f*ck 'em & the bike they road in on. I still think it will be a shit show! I feel so sorry for the racers who will be screwed over by all of this.
  • 4 1
 Take a free product, remove the best bits, make people pay… hmm let’s see how that goes for them.

I know I’m out.
  • 3 0
 Not exactly a great start to the live shows. Audio massively out of sync and an irritating host
  • 2 0
 Too many hoops to jump through just to see something… I have a Diacovery+ subscription but the platform is trash. So I’ll just watch recaps like we did in the 90’s
  • 1 0
 and its not even available in north america on D+
  • 2 1
 I finally took the plunge and paid £39 for the annual GCN pass so I can watch XCO. Not having Rob and Bart's commentary will be a downer though.
  • 3 1
 got a GCN+ year membership today to be ready for all the racing starting this weekend. Bring it!
  • 3 0
 So HBO Max subscription gets you live DH racing? Little bit confused here.
  • 2 1
 I alos want this answer, but it seems like this is still unknown. It would kind of suck since I already paid for GCN+, but I also have HBO Max. Suck, as in I am paying for the same thing twice but I guess I had no way of knowing at the time I made the purchase.
  • 1 0
 I read that the new Max will only feature selected popular discovery+ content. Nothing was said about sports, other than soccer.
  • 2 0
 "We're a global leader in sports. We're a global leader in news. And we're a global leader in leadership."
  • 2 0
 I'm assuming we will also get replays of the races with a GCN+ subscription?
  • 2 0
 Yes - on demand replays on there.
  • 1 0
 @andyrm: Thanks!
  • 2 0
 Everyone should watch OKK races on RedBull TV Yesterday’s was awesome featuring top WC riders. And with Rob Warner!
  • 2 0
 Sounds like I'm about to be really invested in the winner of semi finals...
  • 1 0
 Will it actually be aired on GCN+ for Americans, or will it be geo-blocked like a lot of their other road races Americans try and watch?
  • 1 0
 I would assume yes except world championships as that would be just like with RB others own the rights just like a lot of the big road races.
  • 3 0
 @mfoga: Turns out GCN+ has it for Americans, but Discovery+ does not have it for Americans...despite them advertising Discovery+ would. The World Cups appear to be bundled into Discovery+ Sports, which is not available for USA/Canadian customers.
  • 2 0
 @Jamminator: I just discovered this after signing up for D+ in the usa....what rubbish. I promptly cancelled it.
  • 1 0
 @jokermtb: yeah same, and my login wouldnt work and just spent an hour with their incompetent tech chat line only to cancel an hour later
  • 1 0
 ‘Update: Warner Bros. Discovery Adds List of Additional Broadcasters…’ OMG Rob has brothers, God help us! only joking, love ya Rob, Marcus .
  • 2 0
 They lost me, if they kept it on Redbull i’d watch but this seems like a hassle
  • 1 0
 Seems like opening day was disaster... Finding out on top of paying for Discovery+, you have to pay for VPN to get access the UK's version of Discovery+.
  • 1 0
 Talk about making USA people, jump thru flaming hoops just to watch some racing.... I discovered this the hard way after signing up to Discovery + in the usa, and not being able to find ANY sports at all.........Time Warner's stewardship of this has bollocks'd it up royally for all USA folks.
  • 2 0
 Yeah I ain't paying for shit. WC DH is dead to me. Looking forward to Crankworx.
  • 1 0
 I live in Canada and have a sub for Discovery + but see no signs of Mtn bike racing. Anyone know exactly where to go to be able to watch, see the schedule etc etc??
  • 1 0
 Blacked out in North America. We got the shaft with Discovery Plus.
  • 1 0
 @fear2bear: agreed
  • 1 0
 I would pay just to watch MSA in October, that will be fun, a World Cup in the snow!
  • 1 0
 It’s been long enough I have adjusted to life without wc racing. I will just pick up some highlights from now on.
  • 4 5
 Bought a year of GCN+ recently for $49 US and it has been great. Watching great coverage of the big road bike races until MTB world cup starts. Seems good so far. Not disappointed.
  • 2 0
 Weird that China, Russia, and Iran can't watch
  • 1 0
 That's 1.7 billion people
  • 1 0
 ~1/4 of the world
  • 1 0
 Vietnam is also missing, 104 million people North Korea missing. The F countries are listed twice, along with Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
  • 2 2
 Elliott Jackson with Claudio would be great for commentators!!! My choice of streaming platform will be function of who comments!!! Cheers
  • 2 0
 Yeah. No. I won't be doing that.
  • 1 0
 I'm just about as excited for the Pinkbike comments section after the first DH race as I am for the first DH race!!
  • 1 0
 So, I can use my existing HBOMax subscription to watch the DHWC? If, so, this is good news! (For me)
  • 1 0
 Doubtful. It's been noted that this is likely "select" content that transfers over. Sounds like HBO/Discovery in the States is unclear/unexpected to stream UCI MTB (but may appear later?). GCN is the only likely solid solution (other than free streaming links which are likely low bit rate on laptops).
  • 1 0
 @fudgedredd: Insert sadfaceemoji.
  • 1 0
 The merger has been scrubbed.......the USA version of Discovery + does not allow the UK version of Discovery + to view any UCI sports events in the USA, unless you pay for a virtual vpn subscription to trick Discovery + (UK) into gaining USA access.... This is bull-sheit
  • 1 0
 I will probably subscribe, and watch, but definitely on Mute. Cringe at those hosts.
  • 2 0
 People will just ride more and drink less this year.
  • 1 0
 When you look up the GCN+ website-it’s all road stuff, no mention of mtb?
  • 1 0
 Because the MTB race season hasn't started yet so not much race footage on there?
  • 1 0
 No Rob hurts! I’m happy to pay but the GCN tv app is a lemon! & there’s no Eurosport app on the tv??? So which on??
  • 1 0
 I was looking intensely, but I guess I#ll just have to keep dreaming of an iCal Calendar with the dates.
  • 2 0
 Boycott! The only way to bring Warner back
  • 2 0
 Can we watch the replay and where?
  • 1 0
 Does anyone know what the best way to watch will be? Like which service functions best?
  • 1 0
 UCI isn't available through Discovery+ in the states just for anyone looking
  • 4 3
 No Rob, NO pay... can stream for free..
  • 2 2
 Sooooo..... still no clear answer other than GCN+.
I like watching XC so maybe I'll pay for that sub
  • 1 0
 does anyone actually watch enduro?
  • 3 0
 I mean, kinds? They had EDR highlights on YouTube, it was actually pretty interesting.
  • 1 0
 Time to set sail on the Queen Anne's Revenge.
  • 3 2
 No thank you without ROB it's not worth it SUCKS !
  • 1 1
 Phew. Was literally about to pull the trigger on a Discovery + subscription. Looks like GCN+ is the way to go.
  • 1 0
 Are we going to get full broadcast on Eurosport? If so I'm in luck.
  • 1 0
 I just cant see any of this working with our Warner?
  • 1 1
 Hopefully someone uploads the elite xco and short track to YouTube. Or even live stream!
  • 1 0
 If I could get a DH, F1, and MotoGP all on channel, that'd be the dream!
  • 1 0
 oh well just the ama outdoors this year
  • 1 0
 Well, where - which is the updated part... !?
  • 1 0
 The update ("With More ways to Watch") 5ucks Ball.
  • 1 0
 With Rob Warner = Free

Without Rob Warner = ££


Nope
  • 1 0
 Does GCN+ offer replays or is it only live?
  • 1 0
 immediate replay available
  • 1 0
 Give me back my free Redbull replays please!
  • 1 0
 Where is fantasy this year?
  • 1 0
 Can’t find this anywhere on my discovery+ subscription
  • 1 0
 UCI not available in the states through D+
  • 2 1
 Excited !!!! Yeeeeha
  • 1 2
 flaSKF ELSDKG Egpgk pr[p dspgf [,floQF SDEKF WSPF PKGFAADFGRFPK odpo dkfasdfk

you all get that?
  • 1 0
 I don’t understand?
  • 1 0
 Where click?
  • 1 0
 take my money
  • 1 1
 GCN: 1
Discovery: 0
  • 2 0
 Global Cycling Network (GCN) is part of Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Play Sports Group Wink
Below threshold threads are hidden





Copyright © 2000 - 2023. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv42 0.053766
Mobile Version of Website