How are you watching ESPN and Pro Sport WITHOUT cable?

[Couch-Potato]

Like the title says, what are the best solutions for watching Sports Center and Pro Sports for someone that wants to cancel cable?

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by BWillie

I have Ballys due to having Direct TV I think, but nowadays Im just too lazy to relog in. After about 4 days of not using it it will make me jump thru hoops. Go to a link on a diff device, fetch the code, enter code. Just so ****ing stupid. So I just dont watch the Royals anymore

Yeah, for all the bravado of "saving you money because you only get what you want" (which is hardly true, by the time you piece together all the services you need in order to watch the 10 channels you pretty-much always watch, you're at least back to what you were paying before this new paradigm.

It's all good, I've saved a lot of cash not giving in to the temptation to play the a'la carte bullshit shell game. At least so far...

[htismaqe]

I have ESPN+ and NFL+ but as far as I know, the thing that allows me to watch MNF is that I have a FiOS login, which is technically cable TV.

[chiefs1111]

I saw something last week that said ESPN is going to be off of cable by 2025. Everything will be put into the ESPN+ app.

[Couch-Potato]

Originally Posted by chiefs1111

I saw something last week that said ESPN is going to be off of cable by 2025. Everything will be put into the ESPN+ app.

I can here to ask why the NFL doesn’t just own their own broadcasting. Like why not set up your own Julie/Netflix streaming service and all things NFL are there for an annual subscription?

[kcxiv]

I have one of them HD antenna's for anything that on regular network tv, but ill either stream it from "somewhere" or a buddy of mine streams all the Dodger games for me on discord pretty much everyday even if he isnt there, he will turn it on stream it and leave! lol

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Yeah, for all the bravado of "saving you money because you only get what you want" (which is hardly true, by the time you piece together all the services you need in order to watch the 10 channels you pretty-much always watch, you're at least back to what you were paying before this new paradigm.

It's all good, I've saved a lot of cash not giving in to the temptation to play the a'la carte bullshit shell game. At least so far...

It's not a shell game. When I first got rid of the dish and started all streaming about 4-5 years ago, I got Youtube TV. Sure, it was cheaper then, about $45-$50/mo. Now, it's up over $70. But so is everything else. But the thing is that all of these other options are mostly newer options that you didn't have in the past. I had Amazon Prime before so that's not anything I added. I got HBO Max a year or two ago for free as part of my ATT plan. I was sharing my son's Netflix and Hulu while he was using my YTTV and HBO. I was already paying for ESPN+ mainly for KU games but only during basketball season and now football, as well. I did add Paramount+ and Apple TV but that was for more programming that I like. I don't need them for sports.

One thing that I noticed right away when switching to streaming was there are no contracts. And they always give you a trial period. Unlike cable or especially Dish/Dtv, they don't require you to sign a 1 or 2 year contract. If I decide I no longer want to pay for any of these services, I can cancel any time with no further costs. That is huge, IMO.

Sry, dude. You just sound like an old man yelling at clouds. And this is coming from a fellow old man.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by chiefs1111

I saw something last week that said ESPN is going to be off of cable by 2025. Everything will be put into the ESPN+ app.

Wouldn't that kill them on ad revenue?

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Lzen

It's not a shell game. When I first got rid of the dish and started all streaming about 4-5 years ago, I got Youtube TV. Sure, it was cheaper then, about $45-$50/mo. Now, it's up over $70. But so is everything else. But the thing is that all of these other options are mostly newer options that you didn't have in the past. I had Amazon Prime before so that's not anything I added. I got HBO Max a year or two ago for free as part of my ATT plan. I was sharing my son's Netflix and Hulu while he was using my YTTV and HBO. I was already paying for ESPN+ mainly for KU games but only during basketball season and now football, as well. I did add Paramount+ and Apple TV but that was for more programming that I like. I don't need them for sports.

One thing that I noticed right away when switching to streaming was there are no contracts. And they always give you a trial period. Unlike cable or especially Dish/Dtv, they don't require you to sign a 1 or 2 year contract. If I decide I no longer want to pay for any of these services, I can cancel any time with no further costs. That is huge, IMO.

Sry, dude. You just sound like an old man yelling at clouds. And this is coming from a fellow old man.

I think the Peacock deal ups the ante.... it's annoying to move on from being able to watch every KU game to missing a few non-con games, because KU vs Colorado isn't worth even a single month of espn+ (I have it now though for hockey), just like the new CBB deal with Paramount exclusive games, TNF largely not being worth a Prime subscription alone, NHL Network largely not being worth another subscription to the few options out there, etc.

And now we have playoff games to figure out.

If I really needed to sign up for a trial or one month at $10, then whatever.... but if I wanted to see the best NFL games on top of CFB, NHL, CBB, etc, I'd probably have to sign up for both YouTubeTV and Sling or fubo, plus espn+, and then trial/short term now for Peacock, Paramount, potentially NFL+ to help with blackout/location bullshit.

And all of that used to be on Dish for $95/month, and that was just a few years ago.

[Garcia Bronco]

Sling and Peacock will get you most things. I mainly have peacock to watch EPL.

Those two will get you most NBA, various NFL games, NHL, and EPL and some other soccer leagues. I am a prime customer, gladly. Teh Disney bundle will get you Hulu with ESPNplus

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Sling and Peacock will get you most things. I mainly have peacock to watch EPL.

Those two will get you most NBA, various NFL games, NHL, and EPL and some other soccer leagues. I am a prime customer, gladly. Teh Disney bundle will get you Hulu with ESPNplus

I have zero interest in paying for sling.

[Garcia Bronco]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I have zero interest in paying for sling.

Thanks for letting us know

[Mecca]

That's no different than cable though, here I know you cut the cord so lets give you a streaming cable plan!

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I have zero interest in paying for sling.

It's owned by Dish and Dish hates sports... they "fight for the customer against higher fees!" and then will go weeks without NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN, etc.

I've never tried Sling, but don't have much interest in giving them any more money.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

It's owned by Dish and Dish hates sports... they "fight for the customer against higher fees!" and then will go weeks without NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN, etc.

I've never tried Sling, but don't have much interest in giving them any more money.

Well yea, sports rights fees are where all the money is so if they are trying to cut money it'll immediately involve not showing sports.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Well yea, sports rights fees are where all the money is so if they are trying to cut money it'll immediately involve not showing sports.

Yeah, totally get dumping ESPN at times as it's the most expensive by far... but for a company already losing subscribers by the millions, a couple years ago they dumped NBC for 4+ months (the entire NFL season), so now you're pissing off non-sports fans, too, because they don't even get all the local stations.

All the different layers wanting the chance to hump the cash cow.