Paris Roubaix on delay to WA Sunday 10th

[fixed]

According to Mike Tomalaris from the SBS Cycling Central Facebook page, send your complaints to comments@sbs.com.au

Its with dismay that I hear SBS again have reverted to treating WA as second class citizens with regard to cycling.
Trying to build your brand as the cycling broadcaster and you diminish your brand by showing the event on delay.
This will not do. Its not good enough. Had enough of it while watching the Tour de France, and you changed your broadcasting strategy.
Please broadcast Paris Roubaix live in WA. On any one of the multitude of digital signals into WA. Get with it!!
We have other options now - we can stream from various websites internationally. Your approach is forcing us away from your service.
Would like to stay with you and your advertisers, but we dont have to now.
Think. Think harder. You know it makes sense.
Lots of love, Fixed

[fixed]

another mates email

Why oh why have you decided to show Paris-Roubaix on delay in Western Australia? After months and months of promising us live coverage, we now find out its only good enough for the east! With the number of channels available to you and with the alternative options available to viewers it makes absolutely no sense.

For me – I’m off to watch it on Eurosport. Sorry Tomo and the rest of the crew.

[wellington_street]

WA gets treated with disdain by free-to-air sport broadcasters in general - I mean, Friday night AFL is shown at 8:30pm which, up until a few days ago, was a 4 hour delay FFS. It seems that they've since moved Better Homes & Gardens to Saturday in order to move the AFL to only a 2hr delay which is better than nothing.

Last season, Sunday AFL on Ch7 was shown 2+ hours delayed, with all the pre-game/half-time nonsense as well. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that they actually showed Sydney v Essendon live last Sunday.

After showing all the meaningless pool games live, Channel 9 decided not to show most of the Cricket World Cup quarter final live, instead showing repeats of CSI. I made my feelings known, that I would be leaving them for Foxtel and/or live streams over the net. I suggest you do the same.

[blkmcs]

Complaint made to SBS.

[fixed]

Response

Dear Fixed,

Thank you for your comments regarding SBS’s coverage of the
Paris-Roubaix. We have passed them onto the Sports department as viewer
feedback.

The race will be screened at 10.20 pm all around Australia - rather
than live everywhere.

If it were screened live it would cut into a film on SBS TWO or the
middle of a documentary on SBS ONE which would upset non-cycling
viewers.

In this digital age, however, the prospect of a sports channel on SBS
is not too far away so I have forwarded your feedback on to our
programming department.

Also, the Paris-Roubaix will be streaming live on the SBS website.

Regards

Dylan
Audience Relations

[Baalzamon]

OH well internet streaming here we come. Sorry SBS you have lost cycling viewers now.

[blkmcs]

Response

...Thank you for your comments regarding SBS’s coverage of the
Paris-Roubaix. We have passed them onto the Sports department as viewer
feedback.

The race will be screened at 10.20 pm all around Australia - rather
than live everywhere.

If it were screened live it would cut into a film on SBS TWO or the
middle of a documentary on SBS ONE which would upset non-cycling
viewers.

In this digital age, however, the prospect of a sports channel on SBS
is not too far away so I have forwarded your feedback on to our
programming department.

Also, the Paris-Roubaix will be streaming live on the SBS website.

Regards

Dylan
Audience Relations

I got exactly the same response, except signed by Candice not Dylan.

[nickobec]

Complain to the top, the head of TV and Programming at SBS is Matt Campbell and sbs email address are firstname.lastname@sbs.com.au

After last weeks Tour of Flanders debacle, the SBS web presence went offline as soon as the livestreaming started. (this was 2 hours before live to air in the Eastern states.) They need to do better.

They did manage to get it running a hour or so later without commentary, but by then I found a Eurosports UK stream with Sean Kelly & Harmon commentating and watched that instead.

PS you can ask SBS why the Tour Down Under went live to SA and QLD (who where an hour behind NSW and Vic) but not WA.

[mianos]

haha, I got an identical reply from 'Johnson'. It's pretty well written to cover all complaints. I had to read it twice before I worked out it was not replying to my specific requests but I explained one reason it would not upset non-cycling viewers watching foreign films. Disingenuous?

[wellington_street]

This is probably a symptom of 'national' programming, i.e. if something is shown in the eastern states it needs to be shown in WA as well, even if that means seeing sport on delay.

For the older folk, was it less of an issue when WA had more local programming?

[Prestige]

Complaint sent. Awaiting pro forma response....

[Xponti]

Ditto for me on the response front. Got the same letter (can't remember who signed it)

Mate suggested Steephill.tv for viewing pleasure.

@nickobet can you give us the link. Sean Kelly is a great commentator when you can't have Mike and Phil

[fixed]

the general streaming forums I use are
www.steephill.tv
www.cyclingfans.com
sometimes the link can be dodgy, intermittent or completely shut down, keep trying, sometimes using proxies anonymouse and similar (google it)
dont be afraid of picking up another language, muting the audio and picking up an english audio stream as well

After all that if still nothing I'll try SBS, but I feel pretty ripped off by their disdain for WA in almost everything they do, news, local content,

Usually I plug the laptop into the VGA-in of the TV, audio out into the stereo, apart from the picture quality (blocky) its exactly just like being there

Those with Foxtel are knackered as well, eurosport cycling isnt getting a shot tomorrow night

[fixed]

race finished, sbs showing race entering d'arenberg foret.
10.35
Hate

[bianchi928]

I thought the livefeed from SBS was ok last night.

Great win by Van Summaren BTW. Nice to see the workers getting the wins sometimes.

[brentono]

I thought the livefeed from SBS was ok last night.

Great win by Van Summaren BTW. Nice to see the workers getting the wins sometimes.

... proposed to his girlfriend after winning. "Here's your rock"
(workingclass hero)