Tour de France coverage by Versus

[Jayarbie]

VS/OLN changed their format from hunting shows to more of a sports channel. Most notably Mixed Martial Arts which has become precariously popular around the world. This is the most significant change in their formatting.

But make no mistake. Lance's return has re-invigorated the base that they are giving to cycling. It is a big win for American cycling fans going forward, as we will surely be treated to increased coverage.

It's WAY more than just MMA. OLN used to have basically just hunting, fishing, and bullriding, as well as the Tour. Versus is now the national network for hockey and has added more mainstream sports like College Football and tennis. OLN was a small time outdoors niche network. Versus is the national arm of Comcast, one of the biggest mega-corporations in the country.

I watched the Giro daily on Universal Sports. While the Versus commentary was certainly slanted pro-Armstrong, it was nonetheless FAR more interesting than Universal, even Bob Roll, who is a moron but at least an entertaining moron.

 

[roy the boy]

easy fix: mute your TV and listen to the British Eurosport coverage on the internet, the one with Sean Kelly.

 

[richwagmn]

I understand VS promoting LA and his return. For sure the TDF gets more viewers with him.

But I thought they really crossed a line several times that left me wondering if they were on the Livestrong payroll.

The final comments from Liggett were stunning. He seemed genuinely angry that AC had won. His comment about Schlecklet and AC not being intelligent enough to win was over the top too.

And what can you say about Bob Roll and Paul Sherwen?

Next year, the audio goes off and Eurosport goes on.