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I was stumbling around the Xfinity Rewards page today and found an offer for ongoing free Peacock. Digging a little deeper there’s a couple of ways to get it without paying extra.
- Have gigabit internet
or - Be a Platinum or Diamond rewards member (requires 7+ years of being an Xfinity customer).
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Neat will have to look into the rewards thing, no gigabit where I am, Been a customer for well over a decade but they have managed to screw up my account every time I moved and make me start over, despite all their advertising of “just take it with you”. Oh wait I’m 7 years last month at the current address… time to check
I live in Maine and we used to get a Quebecois channel from Quebec, CA. Putting aside the cheesy variety talent shows, which hilariously and absurdly were inevitably hosted by a doughy middle-aged guy with a toupee teamed up with a svelte woman half his age, it was one of our most watched channels… especially the kids programming (anything is better than the annoying Arthur) and the Olympics. I recall during the summer games in Sydney, while the Canadian channel was showing the closing ceremony, complete with a semi racy life guards-with-surfboards routine featuring Kylie Minogue and a parade of drag queens headlined by a Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert riding on a giant sequined decorated high-heel shoe, NBS cut away to some gibberish with Bob Costas.
Alas, we no longer get that channel, so I use a VPN and catch my sports fix of cycling, soccer (football), and xc skiiing on channels from abroad.
I may give GCN+ a shot this year for Le Tour.
Anyone know if Sean Kelly is still commentating anywhere? Eurosport?
Yes, Sean Kelly is still with Eurosport. As is Rob Hatch, Robbie McEwen, Dan Lloyd, Adam Blythe. Jens Voight did some work on the Giro that was really entertaining, especially when he was on the back of the motorbike. Not sure if he’ll be around for the Tour or not. There’s probably others else I’ve missed, but those are the folks I remember the most.
Recent experience is that that Rob and Sean end up commentating on the stage finales and the others talk for the first 3-5 hours.
Edit to add Carlton Kirby…not sure how I was able to forget him…
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Usually Carlton and Rob alternate who calls the end of a stage. Dan and Robbie very often do the the middle of the stages, along with the color guys mixed in all day, Adam, Sean, etc.
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Thanks @matthewgreer This worked for me. I actually tried to sign up for GCN+ during the Giro but kept running into issues with user account/payment that they couldn’t resolve so I was running out of options for the weekend.
Some good news on Peacock and the TDF. I forgot that they also offer the world feed. So, if you don’t like the US announcers, there is another option.
I don’t recall whether the feed was the same as what GCN offers.
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It’s not.
My wife watched some of the Giro with me this year, including the Breakaway, and stated one day “… must EVERY sporting event throw a woman in a micro-skirt on just as eye candy?”. When I tried to explain the Orla is a serious sports journalist/presenter/podcaster she responded: “… not dressed like that!”
Edit added for clarity: I’m not condoning this POV, but sadly it’s out there and that Orla has had to address this perception that she isn’t a serious journalist/reporter/presenter is very unfortunate.
Jens Voight on the moto was surprisingly entertaining; Phillip Gilbert should take some lessons from him.
It is pretty apparent (in my eyes, at least) that Orla is her own woman and dresses as she chooses, not how people tell her to dress.
Regardless, I think she is great and I am looking forward to her insights this July.
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I agree 100%! She has discussed comments she has received during her career on “The Cycling Podcast” and she clearly takes no guff from anyone that tries to tell her what she should/shouldn’t do/wear/report.
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I loved it when he slipped into speaking German while chatting with the riders from the Moro. It sounded like he got reprimanded for doing that, so the tour might be more reserved.
I imagine that the European perspective is a bit different. After all, did your wife not notice the Italian cameramen frequently finding some beautiful young girl to fixate on extra long? Or girls in bikinis when the race finished near the seaside? I was always thinking that, damn, those Italian cameramen were probably a bit pervy as well as their producers.
Orla has elevated her dressing almost to the level of performance art IMO. She tries to shock and titillate a bit. Obviously, the average consumer for road cycling is a white european old geezer. How long would a stick up their butt BBC presenter last on Eurosport? It seems like Orla has carved out a niche and isn’t going away any time soon.
I don’t necessarily disagree with your wife. I’m speaking generally here as I have no idea who this journalist is. I think more provocative dress 100% does diminish credibility to a certain extent. But it’s all a sliding scale…it’s not like one cant have credibility and wear a miniskirt…it’s just tougher.
That said…it’s a catch 22 for women I think. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. If they arent outwardly attractive, they’re declared frumpy and pushed aside for old, fat, male broadcasters.
I think the real issue is society…
Have I missed similar criticisms of Dan Lloyd hosting shows on GCN in a t-shirt? Or Rob Hatch’s arguably flamboyant attire?
Credibility should be based on subject matter contribution, not dress codes.
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Where’s your "preach " gif??
Mmm. I’m not so sure about that. Credibility is as much about the person as the message, and provocative dress brings into question whether the person was put there for the message, or to be attractive.
Like I said, one can do both, but it certainly involves additional hurdles. You’re relying on your audience to really analyze the message and decide whether it warrants looking past the dress and accepting the person as credible.
Additionally…this is probably not fair to the journalists that really are good, and just happen to be attractive. They’re suffering unjust credibility questioning because of decisions to put other less credible people in as purely eye candy.
Anyway…not saying it’s right or wrong, but if you are seeing a person for the first time with no hostory, are you more likely to trust someone that looks like Angela Merkel, or someone in a miniskirt that looks like they’re on their way to the club? Appearance does matter, and it sends a message.
Society just sucks.
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