Sommet Sports

[Arne Rohde]

#4541

Those of us who watched MotoGP and other sports on the Freeview channel Sommet Sports will have noticed that the channel went off-air recently for lack of funds. However, it seems that some are trying to revive the channel, and would like feedback from potential viewers and donors. The following was posted on Facebook by Sommet Sports:"We have carefully considered your responses and we are in the process of developing a idea to bring back your Free to Air Sports Channel. If you are interested in donating to bring back Sommet Sports please email us at pledge@sommetsports.co.nzPlease can inform your family and friends that may not read our Facebook page but would like to support.With this information will then enable to see if we have an ability to gain a sustainable plan to bring back Sommet Sports. If we can create this we will let you know our plan and what the next steps are. Our aim is to have a plan together within the next 7 to 14 days.Many thanks for all your supportAndrew Reeves"I would gladly make a donation if it would bring back MotoGP, speedway GP, world RallyCross, and a few other sports. Don't really care about all the soccer, AFL, etc. So I have sent an email to the address in the message.

[Arne Rohde]

#18547

Sommet Sports is now going ahead with crowdfunding to raise the required capital to get back on air, or at least online. The following email was sent to those who registered an interest last month:

"SOMMET Strikes Back

On 12 December we thought the Sommet Sports dream to have free access to sports for kiwis was over. But thanks to the overwhelming support and determination from our viewers, this may not be the case. We're getting ready to strike back, better than ever, with the support of our crowd.Before we shut down, we had over 4% of the population watching us daily. Our monthly viewing was over 1.1 million, exceeding any other sports channel in New Zealand.We're looking to crowdfund $300,000 to get back up and running, and ensure that we have a sustainable model for the future. This includes setting ourselves back up on the internet, hiring part of our team back and working on our partnership model. If we raise $500,000 we'll go on all platforms (part time/ weekends), and at $1.2 million we'll be available 24/7.We would aim to bring back all of the sports that Sommet Sports had before as well as add new exciting sports never seen in NZ.  When?We've teamed up with PledgeMe to create a crowdfunding a campaign to bring Sommet back into your home. We figured it was only fitting to launch at 6PM this Friday the 13th. But, before we go live we need your help: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reach out to 10 of your friends who you think would back our campaign and get them to sign up to our newsletter. With your help, and their help, we'll make this campaign a success. The easiest way to do this is by sharing this link: http://eepurl.com/bc_Pc5 or by forwarding them this newsletter. If you live in Auckland, come launch this campaign with us in person at the Empire at 6pm on Friday, 13th February. There are more details here. If you can't come in person, come to the party online and pledge. We need to know you're ready to help us. Will you pledge? Let us know. Can you help make this happen?  What will you get?Sport direct to your screenOnline or on your TVThe amount of money we raise will directly affect how we can get Sommet to you: $300,000 will enable us to get back online 24/7. $500,000 will get us back on Freeview TV (part time/ weekends) $1.2 million will get us back and on every TV An invite to our Launch PartyCome help us launch this campaign into the world! We'll be raising a pint to the sports channel from 6pm on Friday 13th February at the Empire. What a fitting way to set Sommet Strikes Back off into the night, with our lucky crowd on our side. RSVP Copyright © 2015 Sommet Digital Ltd, All rights reserved.Sommet Sports NewsletterOur mailing address is:info@sommetsports.co.nz

[Arne Rohde]

#18548

Sommet Sports, in their attempts to reestablish a free to air sports channel are now requesting pledges to support this effort. Unfortunately it seems to be getting off to a slow start, and is a long way from the minimum required. If you found the sports coverage on Sommet interesting and valuable, you can pledge your support, minimum $5, at https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/3149-sommet-strikes-backI certainly hope they manage to get back on air with MotoGP, Speedway World Cup, and World Rallycross coverage as a minimum.

[Anonymous]

#18549

The response is disappointing.Seems that not many people want to put their money where their mouth is...

[Arne Rohde]

#18550

It is disappointing. Since it seems my pledge won't be needed, part of it has been used to buy a videopass to watch World Superbike. Unfortunately the races are delayed by one week, presumably since Sky has the broadcast rights here. And in a slightly stupid feature the subscription ends the day after the last race of the year. So I probably won't be able to watch that without taking out a sub for next year.If the WSBK videopass works well with our internet connection I'll sign up for a MotoGP videopass as well. I'd also like to find some way of recording the videos on the computer so there are no pauses in the video viewing.

[Arne Rohde]

#18551

The PledgeMe campaign has closed, with less than $50,000 of the required $300,000 pledged. Presumably this means that Sommet Sports will not be making a comeback, and there will be no MotoGP coverage in NZ on TV this year. A VideoPass for MotoGP seems to be the only option, as I have no desire to download from any torrent sites. Unfortunately it's considerably more expensive than the WSBK one.

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