In prior years, it looked like they were using the same video feeds as the World Feed but with Bob and Phil [NBC’s commentators] instead of Ant and Nico [the commentators on the World Feed],” said one commenter on a Reddit thread dedicated to this year’s coverage.
“I could have lived with that. But now it looks like the raw feeds with all of their own cuts and graphics, which I can’t stand. I’m not enjoying their packages, the constant useless scroll, any of it. I won’t be able to make it for three weeks.”“I’m regretting getting Peacock even for a month,” added another. “Wow, the same ads over and over. Who in their right mind is planning their trip to the Olympics a month before the games? That ad was shown in every ad break.”“So unwatchable. I didn’t make it to the first commercial break before I shut it off. I am looking forward to not enjoying my favorite July pastime for the first time in a long time. Sad, sad American,” said one more.“The people who broadcast cycling seem to hate the people who watch cycling,” exclaimed another Reddit thread. “There’s no other explanation.”There’s even a petition to bring back the World Feed. But in the meantime, many U.S. fans are opting for ‘nontraditional’ ways of viewing it rather than streaming on Peacock.It will be interesting to see Peacock’s viewership numbers at the end of the tour compared to previous years. Hopefully, any drop in longtime fans will prompt a return of the World Feed option for next year rather than cuts in coverage, considering NBC has tour rights through 2028.These two feeds—NBC’s bonus content-filled stages and the World Feed, which is just the racing action—appeal to different fan bases. It’s easy to see how a newer cycling fan would enjoy hearing from the U.S. commentators and getting more context for the race while watching it for the first time. But it’s also understandable that longtime cycling fans prefer the strictly moment-to-moment race coverage from the World Feed.
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