Pinkbike Poll: Would You Pay to Watch World Cup DH Racing?

Jul 15, 2022 at 14:32
by Matt Beer  
Walker still hounding a second win after Leogang glory.

Technology in the twenty-first century has made watching World Cups more attainable than ever, but that could all change next season as there are a whole rash of unanswered questions as Discovery is set to take over the coverage rights from Red Bull TV. You might have grown accustomed to, and may take for granted, taking advantage of this service for no charge. That's uncharacteristic in this day and age of paid membership content or sporting events, such as major league sports, Formula 1, AMA Supercross, and UFC challenges.

Currently, on any given weekend, viewers can log onto the Red Bull TV app or website and stream live World Cup races from around the world. Replays are available too if you don't want to wake up before the sun rises to catch the event as it unfolds. Those broadcasts cover both the men's and women's fields in downhill and cross country, including both the XCO and short track races. We do see the downhill finals pared down, covering only the top 30 and 10 DH elite men and women, but the XCO and short track races run their full course. This excludes the junior categories in both genres though, but they too would be exciting to watch as some junior men and women can often find their race times slotting into the elite positions.

Let's think about what goes into televising those events for a second. First, a camera crew has to figure out the logistics of traveling around the world to unique and exotic mountainous locations and set up infrastructure to film and broadcast as-it-happens races in the middle of a forest. Red Bull TV position cameras in key technical sections where the action will occur and cover wide open zones that translate speed and distance too. That means the crew would need to set up platforms, booms, and sometimes even use racing drones to provide us with a tail-gunner's perspective of an athlete's run. They bring in commentators, like the legendary Rob Warner, and heavily research race statistics while bringing viewers up to date with the latest gossip from inside the venue as a pre-race show. We've even seen the courses chosen or modified to be based on the vantage points of the cameras.

There's a lot involved in that kind of production and it's amazing that we can watch it around the world in real time from the comfort of our own homes. Will all of that change when Discovery takes charge? How would they improve on the current format, and would you pay to watch the event if it came down it?

Would you rather see shorter sections of track that cover the full qualifying groups or more track footage per rider in the current format?

Currently, Red Bull TV shows the final race runs of the top 30 men and top 10 women elite qualifiers, but there are respectively, 60 and 15 riders that make it into those finals.



How much would you be willing to spend to watch the race coverage as it stands right now?



Would you rather have free coverage as it is today or pay $100/year for full runs?



How much extra would you spend to watch the entire qualifying group race the final event?



Would you pay extra to see the qualifying round?



If you were to pay to see the entire field, how much extra would you spend per year?



Author Info:
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Member since Mar 16, 2001
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288 Comments
  • 432 1
 I think Discovery is about to learn how cheap we all really are...
  • 107 2
 No, these questions are forced choices. Getting good quality content and watching it for free should not be an either-or at all.
  • 28 0
 @wslee: Agreed. I've seen double-barreled questions before, but this is the first time I've seen double-barreled answers.
  • 40 8
 Discovery just discovered something. Maybe if they had Poopies getting bit by a shark while doing racer interviews, I would pay for that. It is funny, so many on this site bitch about the coverage and camera locations and of course the tracks themselves. However when it comes to paying for it, the race meets and exceeds their expectations as is without paying for it. You know things are good when a number of newer fans act like spoiled, cheap brats. I love the coverage as is, I wish it would continue with Red Bull.
  • 23 11
 @scott-townes: Bro, we're mountain bikers. Complaining is just what we do.
  • 21 3
 @Bobohunter1776: i identify as an mtber, and I hate complainers
  • 68 0
 I refused to answer the last question because there was no option to not pay.
  • 11 3
 It's fun, but honestly, it's just not that important to me. Sorry, not sorry.
  • 8 29
flag salespunk (Jul 15, 2022 at 20:13) (Below Threshold)
 I guarantee most people on here who say zero will end up paying $5/mo
  • 25 3
 @Bobohunter1776: Mountain bikers ride. Complaining is Pinkbike culture not MTB culture.
  • 14 0
 Thing is.. its not free. Its paid for by redbull sales (at least it was)
  • 35 1
 @wslee: Agreed. Definitely felt cornered answering some of these. The only way I'd pay money to watch is if that money was used to better pay the athletes. No interest to pay to make a for-profit corporation richer.
  • 10 3
 @nvranka: complaining about the complainers?
  • 2 1
 ..ikr.. but then $14k usd for a Trek Fuel EX-e
  • 6 27
flag goffboy (Jul 15, 2022 at 23:14) (Below Threshold)
 Shit costs money. If you really like this sport you should be happy to pay for it. If you got none now, thats fine. When you do, you should being willing to pay for it. Your eyeballs are already paying for things you don't realize. This is a chance for a willful money vote for shit you like. You wouldn't be here otherwise.
  • 2 4
 I'm happy to pay. But word currently is, we don't know anything. So how is this poll combining the payment to full race run coverage or entire field? Where do these conditions come from? Are these actual options in the first place? What does Pinkbike know? Still, I understand if they asked for current service with costs, they expected full rejection, so pb invented pseudo options.
  • 10 0
 I wonder how the bike manufacturers feel about less viewership? If there was ever a time for Redbull to put on a DH race series it’s now.
  • 1 0
 @jclnv: but will there be less viewership? I remember an interview not long ago with Si Paton talking about the .assize viewer numbers when DH was on eurosport back in the day.
  • 5 0
 @andyrm: If they go to a subscription model I’m sure the viewership will decrease. Look at the above poll!
  • 4 0
 @salespunk:
I guarantee most people on here who say $5/mo will end up paying zero
  • 26 1
 @salespunk: look man, I know that what I'm about to say is anecdotal, and by no means a relational value of the world as a whole, but I've been a motorcycle racing freak since I could even remember. I grew up watching motorbike racing, buying magazines, following everything, riding bikes, loving everything bikes. I have an entire wall of signed pictures of motorbike racers in my workshop. I used to catch every single WSBK, AMA, and MotoGP race on Speedvision back in the day without fail. I used to listen to the Isle of Man TT radio at work every year then try and find it being aired somewhere later. I caught every MotoGP, WSBK, MA race on BeIn every weekend. I already didn't care about cable but that was worth it for me. As soon as BeIn was done with motorbike racing and one went to NBC and one to Fox Sports and wherever else and the coverage got terrible and they re-aired stuff 12 hours later, I was done. That was the last straw for cable, got rid of that, and I have not and will not be paying for any MotoGP or WSBK season package. I catch highlights on youtube or instagram and I look at the stats/charts because that's good enough for me. I can easily afford it, and I won't do it out of general principle and also my perceived value for the money. I love the dudes, I hope they do well and get paid well and have good careers, same with all these downhill dudes that are so awesome and seem like such good people, but that is irrelevant to disposable income spending. I'm sure SOMEBODY on here will suck it up and pay, but I'm not paying for a thing I've been a diehard fan of for like 30+ years, I'm certainly not gonna pay for the one I've been a fan of for half that time. I'll go to a race or Rampage from time to time and pay that way, otherwise, Discovery can kiss my ass. They can get their own sponsors to cover their crap or I'll gladly laugh when they tank and have to fire-sale it back to somebody who isn't a giant conglomerate that actually cares about and rides mtbs.
  • 2 4
 what: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeF_jwnHMA
  • 2 0
 Rob got Norb'ed This plus the money, I'm gonna have to check out. Too bad, loved Warner.
  • 2 1
 @njparider: ever been to a town meeting to support trail building. If mountain bikers don’t complain, we don’t have legal trails. Complaints to the core of the sport really.
  • 4 0
 MotoGP used to show races for free, I used to wake up at 4am to watch. Then they made it subscription only to watch, and I and millions of other cheap bastards stopped watching moto racing, and I soon after stopped racing motos.
They need to make their $ with ads, subscription doesn’t work.
  • 2 0
 @Sweatypants: Either way I hope it remains free and coverage improves. Unfortunately I don't see either of those things happening.

Keyword right now is $MONITIZATION$
  • 1 0
 @salespunk: then again, your name is probably "salespunk" for a reason
  • 1 0
 @nvranka: the irony
  • 3 3
 @goffboy: agree. I m voted for “over $100” because I can afford it, and they deserve it. Also it pisses off all the poor trolls in here so that’s a plus too.
  • 4 0
 @SterlingArcher: Ha. Thanks. I support a few things these days through Patreon (news, and even science researchers who lack funding) and I also directly support the viewing of the professional sport of squash (racquet sport). Angry people here took my comment as 'let's give money to discovery', which is silly. I would love to give money to DH riding athletes and the people that create the viewing: not redbull or the UCI or anyone else. For squash its run by ex players and I pay them per month; the athletes love it.. Nothing is free. Free coverage, for viewers, means the money produced goes mostly to advertisers not the athletes. Wyn Masters' initiative is awesome and is a potential model. I'd love it if DH was able to leave the UCI, start their own shit and get paid directly. I'd happily give them $10 a month; that sort of payment means they can plan ahead with cash flow from all the regular payees. I never watched motoGP, but I suspect their free model didn't work and then no one would pay for it either. That's sad for anyone who was involved or liked to watch. So you get what you pay for.
  • 152 5
 "Trust us guys this information is totally not going to directly influence the Discovery+ pricing plan next year or anything we were just curious teehee" - Pinkbike
  • 12 3
 To my mind PB has shown an obvious bias towards Discovery, to the point where they're carrying out market research for them. It's almost like the penny hasn't dropped that Pinkbike Racing will suffer under the proposed new rules (Laly would've qualified in the top 30 for Lenzerheide, but that's it for elite males so far this year) but Brian Park seems to be fully behind them, go figure.
  • 1 0
 @commental: What's the benefit to Pinkbike to not be behind the only coverage of DH and XC available to us for the next 5 odd years?
  • 7 0
 Really not looking forward to the change next year. Discovery is a terrible company and I'm not supporting them period. Redbull I love and would gladly pay them a few bucks a month for the current coverage. It's far from perfect but they do so much more for the sport from events to sponsoring riders, etc.
  • 138 5
 I would gladly pay a lot to view wc dh... but only if my money went to the athletes, and not only to some two bit corp like discovery.
  • 63 1
 More money to athletes, more rounds and venues, more promotion of the sport, better coverage etc. I would totally pay for. Somehow though I feel like this will just be a way for discovery to leverage cash out of the fans while doing the bare minimum.
  • 20 1
 More money would go to the athletes by having free to view and having their sponsers displayed to more people.
  • 18 26
flag scott-townes (Jul 15, 2022 at 17:44) (Below Threshold)
 @Jake-Whitehouse: Its so cute you think Discovery cares about the sport at all.
  • 38 0
 @scott-townes: I don't believe they care - that's literally the point of my comment?
  • 21 1
 @Jake-Whitehouse: i'd pay redbull over 100 bucks a year( i already pay for sx and nhra) to watch a new world tour broadcast by rb. ditch the uci, ditch discovery and go full on Crankworx world dh tour. 7 rounds, most of em should be double headers as well. warner and crew on the mic. crankworx is the way. the uci and discovery bs should be the last straw for the manus.
  • 4 1
 so what your after is like other sports, especially motorsport e.g supercars & f1, Where the broadcast Rights are sold and then a mass percentage of that is given to each of the teams(this means youd have to pick X amount of teams) as long as those same teams attended every race of the year.

teams also need merch and realistic prices... alot of people would pay for it...
  • 2 1
 @stacykohut:
Agreed!!
  • 1 0
 @Jake-Whitehouse: doing the bare minimum does seem to be the Discovery modus operandi lately...
  • 1 1
 Lol - this isn’t how the world works unfortunately
  • 102 1
 This article is an attempt to justify a pay wall.

It's fails in that attempt given the huge elephant in the room that Redbull TV encounters exactly the same logistics that Discover will and is currently and successfully streaming for FREE.

Simple math. Redbull TV pays $x for the rights. If Discover charges customers and has advertisements it can pay more for the same rights and the fans absorb the higher bid.

But the biggest shame is that the rights are being sold to someone with no passion for the sport. As sooner as the phrase "more exposure" is used, its normally the kiss of death for quality and also long term following of the coverage.

I say this not as a purest mtber but as a capitalist and private equity guy. Niche sports/interests are always best left in the hands of those who love what they do.
  • 16 0
 @Billb3 nailed it. We’ll said, my dude. I express the same sentiment. I’m saddened by this “pay per” model our future seems to be headed towards. Like the heated seat feature you have to pay monthly for on a new BMW.
  • 12 0
 Not to mention how little Discovery has done for the sport.
  • 2 4
 @ChachiArcola: you will not pay for heated seats in your BMW. Not anytime soon anyways.
  • 16 0
 @ChachiArcola: That shit is the most absurd one yet. I hope it tanks their earnings as soon as they launch it. I know there's a cluster of people that are SO brainwashed by marketing and brand loyalty that they'll still buy a BMW, but f*ck them. As someone who drives a comparable euro car already, I will gladly and easily revert backwards to buying used Corollas and sportscars made in the 90's forever to avoid this f*ckery. Rebuilding engines and replacing bushings and control arms and all until I'm blue in the face.
  • 5 0
 There will be a pay wall no matter what you vote here.

German Eurosport wrote in an article about Tom Pidcock: watch mountain biking live on Eurosport 1, Discovery+ and Joyn in 2023.


Eurosport 1 is a free to view linear TV station here in Germany. The rest is subscription based pay to view.
  • 5 5
 RB don’t do it for free. They do it because it sells more cans of product
  • 3 1
 @chrismac70: true, but A) do you think there will be less advertising due to Discovery taking over? I fear we will get lots more unrelated advertising. If we currently look at team jerseys they are mainly bike sport related sponsors. Discovery will try to bring other sponsors in to make more money. B) you can choose to buy a can of RB. I haven’t for probably 25 years. I already have enough subscriptions, and I don’t get Eurosport 1 in the package I have via my TV provider. I would have to upgrade and get 25 other shitty channels that I don’t watch for what, a total of 10-15h a year of bike races? Won’t do that.
  • 2 0
 @chrismac70: It's RB Media House, not Red Bull GmbH. They don't care about selling cans, they have to be profitable on their own.
  • 1 0
 @mitochris: but look at the pro road scene, the team sponsors are frequently (usually) outside the bike industry, with much bigger budgets, hence the riders actually earn a decent living rather than so many bring broke as reported here not so long ago. So if discovery opens the door to that kind of deal, surely that's a good thing right?
  • 4 0
 @andyrm: They want to reduce to riders in the live feed to 30 riders. So I don't see how it's a good thing that a handful of teams would get a shit ton of money and the whole rest of the scene lose everything.
  • 4 0
 @Billb3 - Yes. Red Bull makes its money from selling soda. The events, media, etc. are all marketing and thus never need to show a profit - or even be smart business.

And god bless them that we all are fortunate enough to LOVE the marketing enough to consume it regardless of our personal consumption of the product.

With Discovery, what was marketing is now the product. Discovery isn't interested in selling soda or t shirts or bikes or whatever. They need to make money off the content.

This is the fundamental difference that so many here fail to fully appreciate.
  • 3 0
 @chrismac70: And that's a bad thing? It's worked out pretty good for us.
  • 1 0
 @LA-Law: Thats just not true. Red Bull Media House has to show profits on their own. They are pretty disconnected from Red Bull GmbH.

Tons of RB Media House projects and subsidiaries have nothing to do with selling energy drinks. How do you think projects like Terra Mater, RB Records or Die Bühne sell soda?
  • 2 1
 @Nuss-95: everything Red Bull do in sport, music send entertainment is marketing. It may not be direct drink marketing, butbits driving brand recognition, visibility, favourability and net promoter score. Athletic Interest did an excellent piece on it a few years back:

youtu.be/cBRNQMolTPw
  • 2 0
 @DANKimball: they've already had the complete BMW driving Netherlands not being able to use their smartphone connection, because the license server for the Android Auto/Apple Carplay went down. I wouldn't put it beneath them to put a monthly fee on heated seats. Nothing gets investors more excited than recurring revenues.
  • 1 0
 @Mac1987: Me disagreeing was relative to the US market. They have started monthly services for options in the UK and such.

I can understand what they are doing. It is “try this feature out before you buy” Its mainly for software based options like traffic camera, drive recorder, etc. Everyone is losing their shit over the heated seats.

For someone in California or Florida that may think.. do i really need heated seats for X days out of the year? “Trying” before you commit may be of value to some.

Overall it is to guarantee recurring revenue but its not going to take from that you can still buy these features/options permanently. I still love my BMWs and it wont change anything for me unlike @sweatypants…
  • 3 0
 @DANKimball: unfortunately, the "buying and owning forever" isn't always an option anymore here in Europe and a lot of companies are moving to TaaS (TM) "Things as a Service".
  • 1 1
 @Nuss-95: Hahahaha.

No.
  • 2 0
 @Mac1987: It's the next move. The ones that can afford, will own.. the one's that can't will be paying to rent, lease, etc. It's seriously unfortunate and taking advantage of folks that are just able to make it by
  • 1 1
 Say YES to paywall! Clears up the trash around here.
  • 98 1
 there has to be an option "I don't want to select anything as it may be a justification for discovery for cutting the finals to 30 men"
  • 7 0
 This is exactly what I was thinking
  • 4 19
flag chrismac70 (Jul 16, 2022 at 1:47) (Below Threshold)
 What’s wrong with cutting it to 30. No one really cares about those rants and they aren’t broadcast anyway. We always skip the first hour of the men’s show already
  • 8 1
 @chrismac70: There are quiet often some riders from outside the top 30 qualifiers who then get into the top20 or even top10 on race day. It would make it way less interesting and harder for riders to get a breakthrough run
  • 2 2
 I didn’t feel that any of the answer options fit my views until the final question. Most of the answer options make it seem like 30 men and a paywall are a done deal for next year. I’d gladly pay $50/season for 60-80 men and airing all of them like back in the day.
  • 62 0
 We spent it all on our bikes... Sorry
  • 23 0
 No joke either.
  • 8 0
 preach
  • 6 0
 What ever is left goes into maintenance and bike trips, sorry not sorry..
  • 49 0
 The entirety of world cup racing is an advertisement. The courses are littered with banner ads, and every rider is an advertisement for the companies that sponsor them.

And I'm 100% ok with that. It's how the sport gets funded. But I don't like having to pay money to watch ads.
  • 1 0
 You mean like cable tv?
  • 2 0
 @SterlingArcher: yup. And that's why I don't pay for cable tv.
  • 46 0
 Discovery testing the waters of public, (pink bike) opinion. Bye, bye WC as we knew it.
  • 13 1
 Yeah, between the 30 rider field thing floating around(best believe thats going to happen), and the fact the EWS struggles to remain relevant/figure out media... This may be a dark dark era for all things MTB sans XC racing...
  • 4 1
 @pbfan08: you are too pessimistic.. as long as there are people riding there will be other people who will find a way to make it marketable and entertaining.. and right now there are more people riding than ever, so neither wc nor ews are going anywhere.. they might try to put a weird spin on it to milk every last drop of profit, but as long as the general population of riders are sensible people - it will not stick for too long..

I am a bit concerned that in general populations are beign gaslighted, and boiled like frogs, but thats another discussion and i hope i am wrong.
  • 39 6
 I say bring on the pay structure on a few conditions. They better give me F1 level coverage, pay teams F1 level $$, and include F1 level of the number of races. No more of this 5 race per year shenanigans. Bring on 15 rounds, all over the world (not just middle earth). They better show all rounds of practice, quali and full race runs of all participants in real time. Lastly, there better be someone on PirateBay to upload all of it so I can DL for free.
  • 10 2
 I watch F1 for free. Networks with good coverage doesn’t mean the viewers should have to pay. That’s what commercials and sponsors are for. Keep it free for the viewers! Not everyone can afford more and more subscriptions. Especially in today’s high priced economy.
  • 5 0
 @Twenty6ers4life: How do you watch F1 for free??
  • 1 8
flag Twenty6ers4life (Jul 15, 2022 at 18:49) (Below Threshold)
 @warmerdamj: espn on DirecTV. I’m not paying any extra for subscription packages.
  • 16 3
 @Twenty6ers4life: That doesn't count. You're paying for DirectTV. That's not "watching F1 for free."
  • 2 1
 Way to kill the sport for a all the privateers and small teams.
  • 2 0
 @Nuss-95: Yeah... I'm sure my paid subscription is going straight to the small teams and privateer riders. Until prize purse money becomes a legitimate funding for all teams and entries, I'll continue to directly support the best way I can in purchasing goods from their sponsors and voicing my thanks for supporting the scene.
  • 31 1
 Lol, who the f**k came up with this?!
  • 41 0
 discovery who will pay for ads on pinkbike
  • 26 0
 This is NOT a Pinkbike poll.. this is a DISCOVERY poll made by pinkbike... money suckers... i knew we're enjoying the last races for free
  • 19 0
 Back when I was a kid, Discovery actually showed documentaries and educational stuff. Nowadays it's only American Chopper clones. What happened? Oh right, they're cheaper to produce and generate larger viewer numbers because the world is getting more stupid day by day. I wonder why...
  • 2 0
 Thats the saddest part.. and it seems like it is not a bug but a feature.
  • 3 0
 That's one of the biggest reasons I don't watch TV anymore (except some occasional live event, like ironically, sports events). Today's programming reminds me of the movie Idiocracy...
  • 23 1
 Paywall will slow the expansion of the sport
  • 22 1
 we all pay unless we all answer $0
  • 13 0
 90% pretty much looks like we did. Good luck on whatever marketing/strategic planning dickhead came up with THIS idea...
  • 1 0
 This is why I chose “over $100”. MTB needs to be classed up a bit. Too many poors
  • 21 0
 Its like Facebook. If they charge a fee to use, peace out.
  • 8 1
 Nothing like being backed into a corner to make you think about how much you really can live without something that people over-valuate.
  • 5 1
 @Sweatypants: Exactly. It's fun to watch and all, but at the end of the day, I don't really care that much....
  • 12 0
 don't need to pay for Facebook when YOU are the product being bought/sold
  • 1 0
 @SeanC1: Ha exactly!
  • 1 1
 People still use Facebook? Lol
  • 20 1
 Red bull has been giving killer service for free. If they can do it i see no reason to start paying now. Pretty sure thats what big sponsors are for.
  • 17 0
 If a free trailforks for riders to freely give up their data for a now paid subscription app doesn’t ring any alarms on this….. Well then NEWS FLASH….. we’re all about to get !@#$%! again!

HATS off to REDBULL for a great run and coverage. You’ll be missed.
  • 19 0
 Where is the none, or 0 option on the last survey question?
  • 2 0
 @wslee: Right? Even the 2nd to last question asked if you'd pay extra. Facing reality and given that Red Bull of all companies backed out for whatever monetary reason it was, there likely won’t be an option similar to what we’re currently getting. Either an ad filled and likely pared down free option…or upgrade and pay whatever amount of money to gain back what once was lol. Time will tell
  • 3 1
 This. Needs a "I'm not willing to pay extra" choice
  • 5 0
 its like asking on a scale of 1-10 how many people have you murdered?
  • 12 0
 I’m not paying for anything. It should all be free on network tv, like all other sports like football, baseball etc and other Motorsports, both auto and motorcycle racing. Commercials and sponsorships can foot the bill. The cost of living is already too high as it is. f*ck more paid subscriptions!
  • 11 0
 I have opinions on all these questions but I’m not going to answer any out of principal. If you are going to do the bidding and run public opinion polls for the UCI / Discovery just say so. If you did I would answer. But running this poll and treating it like any other random poll that’s run on the site is almost an insult to your readers.
  • 3 0
 All pinkbike polls are pandering
  • 4 0
 @littleskull99: agreed, but this one is on a different level.
  • 12 0
 It is not possible to give a reasonable answer to any of these questions until we know something about what the format and coverage is going to be.
  • 10 0
 I pay $150usd for internet access at home without any subscriptions. I’m not adding on to that to watch half a dozen dh races. I don’t pay extra for F1 and I’ve been watching that since the beginning of the Michael Schumacher days and they have over 20 races a season.
  • 15 3
 Would be much more open to paying if I knew riders were being compensated fairly
  • 11 0
 I think I’ll watch if Rob Warner is casting. As great as the riding is, hearing him on the mic is huge part of the experience for me. He brings the hype.
  • 3 0
 That's it in a nutshell, watching WC without Warner, well I'm not paying for that. His knowledge, experience, passion and attitude is what brings viewers back time and time again. He's like the old comfy pair of slippers, but they're the best slippers in the world.
  • 2 0
 Give Warner a big contract and I'll throw in an extra $50
  • 12 0
 Has pinkbike been acquired by Discovery?!
  • 4 1
 Betascovery!
  • 13 1
 No, no, no and hell no!
  • 7 0
 A problem is that every time payment is required, coverage is worse. The other problem is that coverage is already excellent, so why pay anything?

All easily accessable news about bicycling — mtb and road — is creeping behind a pay wall. Pinkbike is a perfect example. Content has decreased in quality lately. Some days there is little to nothing of interest. And it has become sterile.
  • 1 0
 Insert Beta paywall example here -
  • 7 0
 f*ck. Off.

The reality is the athletes should be allowed to produce media as they please with their own teams... And then Red Bull/Discovery can hash out what they feel they can produce with their budget, etc.

BUT the problem is some riders aren't allowed to wear gopros and the media slots can be limited or given to people who... Aren't producing much.

I want THAT system fixed before we even entertain the ideas of bloated production budgets and subscription models. Let the athletes and their teams create as much media as they want. It's, as far as I'm concerned, free advertising for the event owners/runners. Fix that.

In these regards, the pinkbike racing team is the best thing that has happened to downhill events in years. I hope Red Bull knocks it out of the park to finish this year with the recaps to show others how it's done. But let the athletes film as well.
  • 6 0
 Honestly I don't understand why media rights have to be so complicated. A system like, let any rider, fan, media company etc. film any footage, but if its from a race run it can also be used by the organizer (with credit) would make so much sense to me. Independent creators get freedom, organizer gets the rights to create incredible highlight reels.
  • 9 0
 I can't answer any of these - there's no "Go f**k yourself and the horse you rode in on" answer...
  • 4 1
 "... and the Ellsworth you rode in on."
  • 5 0
 The first question is missing an option that allows me to say I am satisfied with the current coverage. The last question is missing an option that allows me to say I can't possibly know, because I don't know if we're losing Rob Warner and if the field is getting cut in half. The current coverage is great, I don't see any need for change, Discovery has a lot to prove, and a lot to lose, here.
  • 4 0
 How about this:
- Discovery airs DH racing (hell, any MTB racing) and I will watch their channel.
I already pay for a hundred f****ing channels, Discovery included, and all they air is fake drama that no one wants to see so why don't we just put stuff on the TV that I actually want to watch and I won't have to pay any additional money?
  • 4 0
 Love watching racing, road, dirt, whatever. But not gonna dent my gear and beer budget to watch other people to ride bikes. Considering the ad saturated environment of bike racing, I feel like it can be monetized that way.
  • 7 0
 Does it sound like Rob Warner?
  • 3 0
 Pretty clear from the results so far: Most people don't want to pay anything (duh), some people would pay a little bit, nobody really cares that much about qualifying and if there's more coverage to be had everyone would rather see it spent on more of the top riders' runs than the same coverage but just with more (and slower) riders.
  • 4 1
 *IMO top runs, not necessarily riders. I'd love to watch pat the privateer who qualified 12th's race run, not so much whatever big name pro who is back from the pace on any given day
  • 3 0
 i won't be paying for coverage if it includes ad breaks, the current (free) model with background advertising is fine.

If you push some form of pay per view - it had better improve downhill world cups, and not from a marketing perspective - so more support for the riders, variety of race venues - and i mean good tracks, not just some bullsh*t venue with a crappy track that is chosen to 'expand your market', i'd love some extra footage of the make or break sections that we miss out (i don't need to see full runs, or every rider on it), but some sections that are obviously critical aren't currently broadcast and for the top 10 or 20 that'd be good footage.

And you'll need presenters who know about downhill, not just 'cycling' - if they're just some random talking heads that'll lose the audience pretty fast..
  • 2 1
 You are mixing discovery with the uci. Discovery just bought the broadcast rights, they don't pay riders wages or decide on tracks. They don't care about anything but money. There is currently no free discovery content apart from old clips from gold diggers or bottom feeders or swamp squelchers or whatever the shows are called so we defo have a paywall inbound. It's been a great run red bull!
  • 4 1
 Freebie is my middle name, I like my freebies, freebies bring me joy.

We all have to pay for things we don’t want to pay for so when we get a freebie it’s appreciated. 7-11 had free slurpee day and although I didn’t partake I appreciated it.

Dammit I want more freebies.

Don’t take away freebies.


FREEBIES!!!
  • 3 0
 The world cups aren’t free. They are already completely funded by the customers of the brands involved
  • 3 0
 eveyrone should understand that if anyone clicks "YES" to paying for something then the company will implement a pay structure.

I suggest creating more affiliate links with advertisers, especially for really good deals instead of the so-so deals that are placed on the front page every now and then.
  • 1 3
 Discovery dont care what we think. We arent the target audience. If we dont pay, we dont watch. Simple as.
  • 3 0
 These questions are worded very maliciously. Like they're saying if we want more coverage we have to pay for or if it's absolutely perfect right now. Like I want more coverage but I'm not willing to pay for it. That's not an option. Dodgy questions.
  • 6 3
 What do we consider good coverage? I don’t want bloated interviews, millions of track analyses, and expert discussion who will win. A race weekend is already quite long for the viewer, if you watch both men and women. I tend to watch the women, go for a ride myself and then watch the men in replay. With more track and more runs shown, we would waste hours watching and then we want even more races? I dislike this American-style broadcasting of sports events with graphics and analysis.
On another note.
I wonder what the overlap of DH racing is with PB users. how many viewers does RB actually have for race day?
  • 2 6
flag chrismac70 (Jul 16, 2022 at 1:59) (Below Threshold)
 We skip the first hour of the men’s show as I don’t care about what happens outside the top 20 and have other things to do
  • 3 0
 5 € a month is not much. (example)
The big Poblem today is the amount of services you have to pay.
10 € Netflix
6 € Amazon
9 € Disney+
... Paramount+, AppleTv+, F1, DH WC, and so on

thats way more then 100 € a month.
  • 7 1
 You know you don't 'have' to pay for any of these right? It is a choice
  • 3 0
 I refuse to drive the cost by answering this survey, but my only comment is; If I’m paying for this I don’t want to see a single commercial. Physical banner adds on track cool, but the minute I start wasting my paid time being advertised to. I’m done! Cheers
  • 5 1
 I’d consider paying to watch if I knew it was directly benefitting the riders, and the amount they received was actually reasonable.
  • 3 0
 It should have top billing and be on broadcast television. You do not have to pay to watch football basketball baseball golf nascar. Mountain bike racing should be as popular.
  • 7 1
 Only thing I'm paying for is Timed Training!
  • 3 1
 Here we go. MONEY. That is what this is all about. If the riders and the sport were truly the piece that was the priority there wouldn't be so much speculation. IMO, speculation is the gut instinct to corporate greed and manipulation. Are the riders, mechanics and support going to make a profit? This sport like alpine skiing has been kicked around like an old can (thanks to archaic governing bodies). I hope the riders that are attempting to form a representation group, speak strongly with intent and have a long term plan. They can control the longevity of the sport and how it is presented.
  • 2 0
 Racing has always been about money that’s why companies do it
  • 3 1
 If the tracks are as good as schladming and there is still media access on pinkbike, vital, riders helmet cams on YT ect. And the coverage of the riders is atleast 1 minute of track time per top 20 rider and then the same standard of track time per the rest of the 80 riders as we have now, with cameras in really good spots and there are no ads then Ill consider paying. But if its bullshit tracks like this one this weekend, if meida is banned by anyone other than discovery and the field is cut down to 30 riders I wont be interested in paying sorry.
  • 2 0
 1 USD is much more money in an emerging economy where people earn far less, pay far more for electronics, and have enormous difficulty just connecting to the internet.

Monetary greed = fewer viewers = bad for the sport. Period.
  • 3 0
 I like watching mountain bike racing; but if it's a choice between riding my bike and watching others ride bikes, then that's no choice at all. All my hobby budget goes towards getting more bike time for myself.
  • 2 0
 Used to religiously watch MotoGP on Eurosport many years ago till it went to btsport with an extra subscription. Haven't watched it since. As long as Bernard k and others keep making great content around the race weekends I'll settle for that
  • 2 0
 If they are gonna charge a price. Do like F1 (f1 is free to watch kind of) show more then just the race. Show practice and qualifying and the main race. Have more cameras on course. Don’t get stupid and jam a microphone in the racers face as they cross the finish line and ask dumb questions.
  • 2 0
 For me this is the last year of DH mountain biking... Definitely not tuning into discovery to watch the racing as It'll most likely be dull and dumbed down. Thanks for all the years of coverage RedBull and huge thanks to Rob and Claudio for your commentary. RIP DH biking.
  • 20 19
 I pay a small amount to watch the supercross and motocross.....I think the downhill coverage is just a few more camera shots off a subscription. This generation is very entitled and want something for nothing but if it's worth watching it's surely worth contributing to. I'd like it if the riders and commentators were paid properly by the sport and sales they fuel, without always relying on a drinks manufacturer to add gloss.
  • 28 2
 This generation is duped into thinking they should be paying for everything in addition to tolerating endless advertisements, and the shareholders get richer and richer.
  • 2 0
 I think if it were to be subscription only then it shouldn't be a lot. Everything is on subscription nowadays, fair enough these ventures need to be profitable but if you need 20 different subscriptions to watch all your favourite sports/hobbies then it becomes way too expensive even if it's a relatively low monthly subscription price. They all add up.
  • 13 2
 What generation bro you're younger than I am. We both grew up with sports on tv that cost nothing and you watched a few commercials every 15 minutes. This subscription craze can fuck right off. Discovery can EAD.
  • 4 1
 As a younger guy I want to clarify I would HAPPILY pay to support the sport if I knew the bulk of the money went to riders (not just the podium either), mechanics, commentators, filmers, photographers, and other people crucial to the experience. Paying money to huge media conglomerates with little interest in the sport is something I don't care much for.
  • 2 2
 Something for nothing? Or paid for by redbull sales......
  • 4 0
 @Ridgeline5: this. Can’t believe the entire article skirted the advertising question. I’ll take free and relevant ads from industry brands and sponsors like we have now, vs pay and get bullshit ads for Pfizer and Viagra
  • 4 1
 “this generation blah blah blah” shuuuuuut uuuuuup
  • 3 0
 We already pay for the World Cup and all racing. It’s all funded by sales of products we buy. It is that simple. Sponsorship OSS just marketing spend allocated to drive sales
  • 2 0
 @mountainyj: frankly, I don't even care about seeing those either. Commercials are fine, even the stupid ones. Try and sell me cigarettes and viagra and Depends for all I care I'm not buying any of it. I've never been one to feel like it broke up any kind of momentum or anything for my viewing pleasure. Hell, even keep the little "action" window in the bottom of the screen or something. But the subscription craze saturation WITH commercials, or this shift in corporate strategy over the last decade where they were always trying to sell us something, fine, but now all of a sudden we're supposed to be grateful for them like they're some benevolent gracious giver and not some dickbag trying to constantly eek out more profit, is absurd to me. I dunno why this thread has me so heated, but godamn does it rub me the wrong way. Play me a dick pill commercial and get your money from them, stop trying to pick everyone's pockets at every single turn.
  • 5 0
 Trick question! Don’t fall for it!!!
  • 4 0
 We’ve all spent all our money on our new bikes and now we can’t afford to pay to watch the world cups, sorry discovery
  • 3 0
 Question 3 is a false choice - neither are true. I'm not willing to pay for live coverage but at this point I don't even know whether I'd have access if I was.
  • 2 1
 I’d pay for an annual subscription if that meant Rob, Tracy & Elliot kept their jobs. Along with coverage of the youth categories, and the riders were paid more for winning races.

Would I pay for what Redbull does today, no.
  • 3 0
 The first question is a little confusing. Per event? Per Year? Presuming per year. I'd pay $50/yr for XC and DH coverage at the current quality level.
  • 6 2
 Way too many of you idiots said you'd be willing to pay. Enjoy the rest of the season, World Cup mtb is over.
  • 2 1
 You're asking me if I'd pay to watch XC and DH, and how much I'd be willing to pay......
Based on zero information as to what Discovery are actually offering for said payment, there's no way I can give an answer.
If Discovery are floating the idea of whether to charge to view, then they need to come out and say what their intentions are.
Value for money is one thing but nobody wants to waste their money coverage that is worthless.
May as well ask how long a piece of string is ________________________________________________________ nope, it's longer __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Smile
  • 4 0
 Its pretty damn good free through red bull.... if were gonna pay it better be flawless
  • 4 3
 The article reeks of capitalistic BS and just feels like a copy/paste from the email sent over by your Discovery colleagues.

Are you speaking of the US only when you say everyone nowadays has to pay individual subscriptions to watch sports? In Denmark you can watch Premier League Football, NFL, NBA, NHL and F1 on a normal TV subscription that also gives you access to news, entertainment, Seinfeld, whatever.

Why do you put XC and DH in the same basket? How many viewers tune in to watch XC vs DH? I bet XC is more popular. If you start charging to watch DH then viewer numbers for that discipline WILL decline and very few DH viewers bother with XC I presume. In alpine skiing, how many watching downhill tune in to watch cross-country?
  • 5 1
 No way I pay any $ for coverage but I’ll pay $7000 for my down country frame.
  • 2 1
 I’ll pay for it, but discovery has a high f*cking bar they have to jump over. We are spoiled with RB. Coverage is decent. Rider count is good, AND the service works. Live, replays, additional content, it all works. And it was all free. If you start charging for any of this, you must offer all that and more. So yeah, full runs, loads more content, jr’s, don’t clip the field in half, etc. Otherwise, it’s just a crock of shit.
  • 5 0
 No, fuck off, we don't need more subscription services
  • 2 1
 well it's the start of the end of the dh/xc worldcup - sponsors pay the athletes to show of their names or gear during a race run. If the broadcast vanishes behind a paywall, sponsors will pay less due to the reduced reach of their advertising. therefore even less athletes can remain pros then today.
  • 1 0
 If we have to pay we better get all the content that is offered on Discovery. All the sports, Olympics and everything else. I don't really want to support Discovery especially what's on Discovery+ because I find the content morally disgusting and reprehensible.
  • 2 1
 I don't know what the fuss is about.
TV is paid for by adverts, do the same?
Charge for people who don't want adverts?
And let's be honest, we don't get to see full runs so rarely get to see the good stuff, we're just left wondering why everyone is different out of certain key sectors.
  • 2 1
 For all you that would like to watch more racing the 4Xprotour continues tonight in Czech Republic! The racers will be hitting gaps over 50 feet on 140mm trail bikes side by side. It is of course free to watch on YouTube - youtu.be/uYj3IUdNR-A
The uci is still trying to kill this sport.
Believe me if downhill does not become a self funding sort that uci do not have put time into to find sponsorship and discovery make a loss you will only have 8 years of downhill mtb left.

Also just so you know how ruthless the uci are. Dh1/dh2 was going to be a new “World Series” ran outside of the uci. This was brought about 10-12 years ago has riders didn’t like the direction the uci was taking and the very limited prize money. Uci said anyone that would race these races would not be entitle to a uci race licence banning them from uci world champs. Good luck with not paying to watch a downhill race next year
  • 1 0
 I honestly enjoy the current coverage of XCC and DH on RedBullTV. The coverage of the Enduro races is unfortunately extremely disappointing. I am not a supporter of pay tv and stopped watching European football and Formula 1 when it came at a cost. The same could happen with MTB events in the future. I don't think pay tv should be their focus, they should grow (and understand) their viewer base and focus on merchandise. Btw, since F1 rights were sold a few years it became only a business no longer about racing and I lost interest. I hope the same level of commercialisation will never happen to MTB.
  • 1 0
 I watch the WSL (World Surf League) world tour and it's all 100-% free to watch on youtube. The coverage is far more, live streaming of all the heats right up to the finals. Hours and hours of viewing per event. There are cut downs of heats and single days' highlights. There are pre-produced stories as part of the broadcast, multiple cameras set up in difficult and remote locations, drones, and presenters etc. Just because people are used to paying for UFC or something similar, does not mean that is the only way to do it or the best model. Clearly, it's possible to do it for free.
  • 1 0
 Genuinely going to rely on Pinkbike for a lot of coverage if it is paid content. I'd pay if the coverage is better than red bull's but I honestly wouldn't pay a lot? I'd also prefer different payment options like having a per-race basis ($5 a race?) or a yearly subscription option.
  • 1 0
 Something tells me this is not the group of people to ask about having extra money to pay for something they currently get for free. But seriously, I have enough monthly expenses, I'm not about to add another one so I can watch downhill racing.
  • 1 0
 I'd be willing to pay maybe 5 or 7 dollars a month for the race season. But nothing more than that. Plus it'd have to include both WCDH races and much improved EWS coverage. Beyond that, it's not worth it to me. I'll just check out the highlights after the race and watch rider's Youtube channels.
  • 4 0
 I hope the Red Bull haters are happy now.
  • 3 3
 My wife and I watch all of it together, short track, Xc and downhill. She races Xc and I do the occasional enduro or Dh race. More than likely we will pay for next year, but it had better be good. I pay for the supercross sometimes and that coverage is really good. I really hope Dh racing and coverage hasn’t reached it peak.
  • 4 0
 Mountain biking is quickly turning into the next sport to be unaffordable.
  • 1 0
 Where have you been? It's been borderline "unaffordable" for the common working man for years. Most decent entry level, full suspension bikes are pushing up on 4 grand or more nowadays. Just ten years ago I could've built my "dream ride" for 5-6 grand. Now it's closer to double that. It's always been an expensive sport, if you're riding challenging terrain and pushing hard. But, with epensive equipment and the occasional pricey lift tickets, it's begining to be a lot like skiing/snowboarding. Which has also become "unaffordable" for most people who don't make 6 figure salaries.
  • 2 0
 I've already started only reading the results the day after in preparation. Takes me back to the glory days of cycling weekly.
  • 2 1
 Only way I would pay anything is if I see quality coverage of the entire course (seeing only 1/3 of the run just don't cut it) for every race run with Rob and Claudio commentating. Sorry Elliot you just don't do it for me.
  • 1 0
 I'd be willing to pay only if they keep Rob, Claudio, Eliot and Tracey as commentators. The Red Bull TV coverage is pretty much perfect, so I'm afraid the Discovery coverage will be a huge disappointment.
  • 1 0
 While I would like yo watch the race, I rarely have time. What would be good would be a proper 20 minute highlights reel, with crashes, near misses and the top 3 runs or so. Red bull don't do this so maybe discovery can
  • 1 1
 Probably not a popular opinion but I don't really care about watching the guys that start outside the top 15 men. Watching the live telecast right now and after an hour of the telecast no one has come close to the juniors times. I should have gone for a ride and gotten back in time for the top guys.
  • 1 1
 Im with you. I only want to see the top riders. I personally don't give a hoot about the Jrs but a lot on here seem to have great interest
  • 1 1
 If downhill becomes pay to view only, it transitions from being a sport to a spectacle. Sure some people paid a lot of money to watch Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, but that's pretty disconnected from a sport people can relate to.
  • 3 1
 I would like to see a poll about the willingness to pay if the junior finals were also included in the coverage.
  • 1 0
 Broadcast it all, if I'm not out on my bike I'd rather be sat on my arse watching others on their bikes
  • 3 1
 If the content was really good then maybe a small fee but. It would have to be really good.
  • 2 0
 I dont wanna pay for the race or qualifying, only exception is if it went to the riders or privateers.
  • 2 0
 Are questions 2 and 4 per race? Or that much more per year? Because only some questions actually mention per year...
  • 2 0
 This is a quick and dirty poll.
  • 1 0
 @kerberos: doesn't mean they can't be clear about the options
  • 2 2
 If there were substantially more races per season I may be willing to pay. But as it stands right now I'm not willing to pay anything. At least 15 rounds per season would be worth it for me.
  • 2 0
 With the cost of living these days going sky high, why not start to charge us for this. Gotta get rich right?
  • 1 2
 The World cup needs a new vision, new organizer, format and more events. What we have now is old school crusty capitalistic BS… ”You get back to work or else” mentality that is perpetuated by the organizing body. The only thing that makes it bearable is the amazing talent of the riders. I hope the union thing makes the sport better. These athletes deserve so much more, as well as the fans.
  • 3 0
 UCI and DH is a bad mix already, no need for Discovery to make it worse...
  • 3 0
 Greed will kill a good thing, you’ll see.
  • 3 1
 The sole reason the DH footage is so good right now is because of Red Bull, thanks Red Bull.
  • 1 3
 What a load of bollocks. Freecaster had more coverage, across the board, and it was free.
  • 2 0
 I miss Freecaster. They streamed the entire field and had more coverage of the tracks than Redbull ever did.
  • 1 0
 Less riders qualify, less market for big teams. Less riders. Less “oh that guys is rad, he’s from my country. Let’s follow him on Insta” less hype, more Mtb dies
  • 3 0
 P.S RED BULL HARD LINE WORLD SERIES
  • 3 0
 What the hell is this poll? So tone deaf
  • 1 2
 The day red bull took over DH was the day I stopped watching. It used to be awesome seeing all the privateer-shot videos that came out, but they shut that down overnight. Now if it doesn't happen in front of 4 cameras, you don't get to see it.

Red bull gave us mediocre at best coverage, and we shouldn't be thanking them for it. I'd never pay them for it. I can't see that discovery will do any better. I understand that having them on board brings more money to the sport, but that inconsequential to me, especially as none of it seems to end up in the riders'/teams' pockets.
  • 1 0
 Bring back the freecaster show: all qualified riders including juniors and a scratch race as we have on regional or national races
  • 1 0
 Yeah fuck that I ain't paying to watch world cup. I will just see how everyone went on Instagram and Facebook or not bother at all.
  • 3 0
 I’d sooner have adverts than pay
  • 2 0
 You will likely get both!
  • 3 0
 This seems like Outside “asking for a friend”
  • 3 0
 Radio silence from all PB staff on these comments is pretty damn telling
  • 1 0
 The last question is f*cked. I've already said I wont pay anything in the 3 previous "would you pay" questions..stop being idiots, people dont want to pay!
  • 1 0
 f*ck discovery,,, I won’t be paying for jack shit. Race coverage as it is is just fine the way it is, eve; if delayed a day or so, who give s a crap.
  • 2 0
 Nope, you won't be getting my money. I have a 12ft ladder that will get over your paywall.
  • 1 0
 The world isn't expensive enough yet! They can get their money from advertisers, not consumers. Hope they fail at this for even trying the money grab.
  • 1 0
 No need to do any poll, redbull makes it all right, just continue as it is! The sport gained so much momentum, thanks to what they did.
  • 1 0
 Also... $100/yr for 8 races is f*cking INSANE.

Comparatively F1TV Pro is $80/yr and they have 23 races, qualifying, and all sorts of extras.
  • 1 0
 mountain biking is already too expensive, now we are thinking about paying to watch... i dont pay to watch any other sports, so why this?
  • 3 0
 Choose wisely guys!
  • 4 3
 I'm willing to pay for the level of quality currently provided by RedBull. No less.
  • 1 0
 I'm not that invested that I'd pay to watch TV coverage but "The Bucket Boys", that's a different story!
  • 2 4
 I would pay to watch DH if they actually showed more then 4 or 5 spots and 30 seconds of the entire run. I would pay to watch XC in it's current form if they quit not covering the lead group on the last lap. And that's not just about last week, it always happens.

DH coverage sucks, and yes I know "how hard it is to get the cameras up there". But if I'm paying I don't give a f*ck how hard it is.
  • 2 0
 Anyone ever heard the phrase “f*ck around and find out”?
  • 1 0
 It's a quite regional and selfish view:
Swiss national tv SRF should show it. Then i would be paying 365 SFr./yr for it...
  • 2 0
 I'd say that's unanimous....
  • 2 0
 Soo, i guess ill stick to watching highlights? Frown
  • 3 2
 Pay money and get fed shit and marketed harder too.

F-off corporate greeders! We don’t like you.
  • 2 0
 I want coverage of the Junior races!!!
  • 2 2
 I pay £100 a year to watch MXGP, I get all quali races and both motos, small price to pay for excellent live and on demand coverage
  • 3 1
 And here comes the death of world cup downhill.
F*ck you discovery
  • 1 0
 Not enough time to watch the entire qualifying group. I'm busy riding my bike and doing adult things!
  • 1 0
 Should have asked these questions before buying the broadcast and organisational rights!
  • 2 0
 They should pay me to watch it ……
  • 2 0
 bring back free freecaster those where the days
  • 1 0
 just look at their announcement video, the amount of greenscreens was painful. no I wont say their name
  • 4 1
 Rob Warner or GTFO
  • 2 1
 I’m not paying money to wake up at 3:45am so I can watch a race in Europe.
  • 1 0
 I'd pay to see them race actual rock gardens vs this wanna be 2 min solo motocross race shit
  • 1 0
 The survey questions here don't cover the whole story. On every one of them I want a 3rd or 4th option.
  • 4 4
 What production level would we be paying for, as it stands now or are they looking to be F1?
  • 7 1
 It will be worse than rebull, even if their budget is bigger.
  • 3 0
 There are so many open questions like yours and this poll pretends there are only 2 or 3 options.
  • 1 0
 Wsl is probably the benchmark.
  • 1 4
 I didn't vote because I've never watched a DH race, so unsure what price I'd be willing to pay.

If I had to choose something, it would be "I'm not willing to pay anything [Because the sport has already taken way too much $$$ from my pocket]"
  • 2 3
 Nothing is free. We all end up paying in some way or another.. I just wish it was rolled into the current sports subscription I have.
  • 1 0
 Very true. We already pay for it all as it’s funded by higher sales prices on the products we buy
  • 1 1
 If it's as boring as WC when discovery showed it I'm not paying... if Warner commentates maybe.
  • 1 1
 In my head I'd be willing to pay. I even answered the questions this way but in reality I never will
  • 1 0
 Pinkbike's die hard race fans.......
  • 1 0
 How about a proof read of the very 1st answer option?
  • 1 0
 Well done everyone. Most of us are on the same page. The scabs though...
  • 1 0
 Most of those who say they pay will end up doing it.
  • 2 2
 ya'll really dont wanna watch qualis and timed training like F1?
  • 12 0
 I don't, I want more content like Cathros, Vital raw ect. I would watch a 30 minute vital raw and then a 30 minute Cathro Vision. For me, racing is at 1am most of the time. I like to get up on a saturday or sunday morning, have a coffee in the sun and watch the videos from practice/qually. If the racing is on a satuday night ill watch it but if its sunday night then nah
  • 3 6
 Qualifying is so dumb anyways, I get that it needs to happen but its not like you get a huge advantage from getting first. In F1, it's all way more interesting tbh. Love DH, but its not that exciting to watch
  • 2 1
 @sfrucian: best out of 2 race runs would be ideal...rampage style.
  • 1 0
 @inside-plus: interesting. Yeah every morning I start my day with coffee and watch the vlogs too. Bernard’s LSD. MoiMoi. Jank Files etc. i guess I just want to see more around the races in general since we only get 6-8 a year.
  • 1 0
 duplicated
  • 1 0
 Not answering!
  • 1 0
 Sorry, not THAT great
  • 1 0
 Pass! I’m not paying
  • 1 0
 UFC Challenges….
  • 7 9
 Full runs of the top dogs (including juniors) would be worth paying for. Outside the top 20 is pretty yawn.
  • 7 0
 this is what sponsors are for. I'd rather watch a fox or commencial advert and get the same coverage
  • 3 0
 @snomaster: Commencal would make dope ads. Judging by their videos.
  • 5 5
 I fast forward through all the slower riders anyway. I watch the top 5 women, and the top 20 men. Would love to see the top 5 Juniors. The current coverage includes too many riders partial runs. Throw a follow drone behind the top riders to fill in the gaps where there are no stationary cameras so we never have to hear "He must have gone down off camera", and show full runs of top riders. I don't care about or watch any team sports. I've paid to watch Supercross. Downhill races are my favorite thing to watch and I would definitely pay for access if needed. I would not be opposed to bike focused commercials.
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