Let me start this thesis by saying that it'll be somewhat UK-centric since that's where I am, but the problems I'm seeing are not limited to a specific country.
Saying that Dorna hasn't been instrumental in raising the popularity of MotoGP would be dishonest, and hats off to them. I really want to support those efforts, and for years I've wanted Videopass to be a success, but I'll now be going out of my way to avoid it.
The first issue, of course, is the price: I begrudgingly renewed it for €120 last year, they keep putting it up, but for various reasons I let it lapse in November. I was thinking I'd renew this year, but they want €200?! I know that I could get it with a VPN for €140, but it's ridiculous that it's gone up another €20. I'm a pretty light user, I don't watch every single session, most weekends I'll just turn it on for the MotoGP race, and I simply cannot justify it anymore.
Secondly, the service is simply poor. For something that's more expensive than a Netflix subscription, the amount of issues I've had with it is simply unacceptable. The phone app crashes quite often and is really intrusive when not in use. There's no support for most TVs out there, but that's okay. What's not okay is no PS4/xbox support. The website is decent, but I've probably had my laptop handy for all of 2/3 races last year. Dorna really needs to step up its game if it's gonna demand such a high price for its service.
Lastly, even if the first two weren't an issue for you, Dorna's business practices should be enough to put you off. Enticing people with a €1 Black Friday Special and then having a "broken" cancellation system for a few weeks in the hopes that people will forget to cancel is scum and I'd argue predatory. It shows that they have little confidence in their product and the likelihood of you wanting to buy it after trying it.
Additionally, their overly aggressive use of DMCA takedowns really kills off the discussion here.
For these reasons, I'm forgoing Videopass this year, and every year until Dorna rethinks its attitude.
This might be very localised, but Triumph Motorcycles shows almost all races at the cafe in their factory in Hinckley (they don't show the ones that are either really late or really early in the day). If you live nearby, it's a really great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday amongst other motorcycle enthusiasts. The cafe is actually really nice and actually quite cheap, there's also a great little museum that's free. For most of last year, it was a Sunday tradition to hop on the bike with the missus and ride to the factory for the races.
For the races I'll watch home, BT Sports does a 30-day pass for £25, and if you time it right, you'll get 3 or 4 races for that money. Their coverage is so much better than Dorna's anyway, why not support them for it? You also get WRC, some football, and a plethora of other sports. Their mobile app is decent, as is their PS4 app.
I've also gotten a Eurosport Player annual pass for £40, which is a bargain for WSBK and BSB (Dorna wants €70 for WSBK only, what a joke).
In conclusion, screw Dorna, they're not worth the premiums they demand. It doesn't look like I'll have to bust too much of a sweat to avoid the Videopass, good riddance.
Let me start this thesis by saying that it'll be somewhat UK-centric since that's where I am, but the problems I'm seeing are not limited to a specific country.Saying that Dorna hasn't been instrumental in raising the popularity of MotoGP would be dishonest, and hats off to them. I really want to support those efforts, and for years I've wanted Videopass to be a success, but I'll now be going out of my way to avoid it.The first issue, of course, is the price: I begrudgingly renewed it for €120 last year, they keep putting it up, but for various reasons I let it lapse in November. I was thinking I'd renew this year, but they want €200?! I know that I could get it with a VPN for €140, but it's ridiculous that it's gone up another €20. I'm a pretty light user, I don't watch every single session, most weekends I'll just turn it on for the MotoGP race, and I simply cannot justify it anymore.Secondly, the service is simply poor. For something that's more expensive than a Netflix subscription, the amount of issues I've had with it is simply unacceptable. The phone app crashes quite often and is really intrusive when not in use. There's no support for most TVs out there, but that's okay. What's not okay is no PS4/xbox support. The website is decent, but I've probably had my laptop handy for all of 2/3 races last year. Dorna really needs to step up its game if it's gonna demand such a high price for its service.Lastly, even if the first two weren't an issue for you, Dorna's business practices should be enough to put you off. Enticing people with a €1 Black Friday Special and then having a "broken" cancellation system for a few weeks in the hopes that people will forget to cancel is scum and I'd argue predatory. It shows that they have little confidence in their product and the likelihood of you wanting to buy it after trying it.Additionally, their overly aggressive use of DMCA takedowns really kills off the discussion here.For these reasons, I'm forgoing Videopass this year, and every year until Dorna rethinks its attitude.This might be very localised, but Triumph Motorcycles shows almost all races at the cafe in their factory in Hinckley (they don't show the ones that are either really late or really early in the day). If you live nearby, it's a really great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday amongst other motorcycle enthusiasts. The cafe is actually really nice and actually quite cheap, there's also a great little museum that's free. For most of last year, it was a Sunday tradition to hop on the bike with the missus and ride to the factory for the races.For the races I'll watch home, BT Sports does a 30-day pass for £25, and if you time it right, you'll get 3 or 4 races for that money. Their coverage is so much better than Dorna's anyway, why not support them for it? You also get WRC, some football, and a plethora of other sports. Their mobile app is decent, as is their PS4 app.I've also gotten a Eurosport Player annual pass for £40, which is a bargain for WSBK and BSB (Dorna wants €70 for WSBK only, what a joke).In conclusion, screw Dorna, they're not worth the premiums they demand. It doesn't look like I'll have to bust too much of a sweat to avoid the Videopass, good riddance. http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png
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