Universal Sports Channel (US)

[FigureSpins]

Universal Sports carries a lot of figure skating events in the US live and rebroadcast.  I have DirecTV, but I'm way too cheap to upgrade my package just to get Universal Sports.  (I think I should have gotten it for free with DH's MLB package. Grrr...)

While it is a cable channel, a lot of the bigger NBC stations are broadcasting the Universal Sports signal over the air as their ~.2 or ~.3.  For example, in NY, NBC is channel 4, UniSports is channel 4.4.  You just need to hook up an antenna and digital converter if your TV doesn't have it built in.

It's like ION television or WGB - they broadcast over the air, but they are also included in some cable/satellite packages as cable channels. 

The over-the-air broadcast was nice last year during the Olympics because our guest room TV (see: cheap) has the antenna and converter box.  The girls and I watched the late-night competitions in bed. 
If anyone fell asleep, it was okay!   When NBC showed something live (and UniSports changed to skiing), we just changed channels to our local NBC channel. 

So just a tip for those who may not realize they have access to Universal Sports.

[FigureSpins]

UniversalSports.com Live Grand Prix internet coverage - $14.95 for the 2010-2011 Season

http://www.universalsports.com/premium/?systemId=aaafe019-fb67-407b-ab64-91276ca8d2ed&playerContextId=7adf4b94-5c87-4fee-915d-83bb8223cbd1

Universalsports.com presents LIVE coverage of the 2010 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.  Purchase our subscription to watch the world's best compete in Japan, Canada, China, Russia, and France - plus the Grand Prix Final for $14.95!