Sunday, September 26, 2021

Sling TV or another service?

Now that college football Week 4, the 5th weekend of football -- don't ask -- is behind us, my subscription to Sling TV is done. Since I want to watch some more football next weekend, I'll need a live streaming service to get  ESPN and the other channels I want.

One of the teams I follow has at least one game on ESPN+, so that $7/month figures into the mix. Another team will play on ESPN, so I need that, which will be at least $35/month. There's the chance I'll want ACC Network, which means another $11/month on top of the $35. 

Some of the teams I follow will appear on CBS. The antenna takes care of that. Some will appear on ABC or Fox broadcasts as well. And, of course, the antenna handles that. So, I'm good with ESPN,  ESPN sports add-ons, and ESPN+ to cover what the antenna doesn't. And that's pretty much it. I can subscribe to Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra for $46, ESPN+ for $7, meaning $53 gets me what the antenna doesn't, and I'm good to go. Except...

I do like college football, and I do follow certain teams. But, I also like to watch other games. For instance, if a team I'm hoping to lose is playing, and I find out they're losing a game, I may switch to that game just to enjoy seeing a hated rival go down. In case you didn't know, college football is like that. You cheer for some teams and against some teams. So, if a team I'm not a fan of is losing, I may want to watch it. And there's the problem.

I may want more than just the regular channels that I'll get with an antenna and Sling TV Orange. If I want Fox Sports 1 to watch a rival lose, I'll have to add Sling Blue to the package (another $15, plus another $4 for the Sports Extra, bringing it to $72. 

If I want Big Ten Network or Pac 12 Network, the Sling Orange+Blue with Sports Extra will do the job as well. So I can subscribe to Sling Orange with Sports Extra, and if necessary, upgrade during the month to Orange+Blue, right? Yes. Except...

If a game I'm after is being carried on CBS Sports Network, I'm out of luck. Sling TV doesn't carry CBS Sports Network. That's not the local CBS affiliate carrying a sporting event. That's an actual sports network called CBS Sports Network. It's the one I never think about because it rarely carries something I want to watch. But, it does sometimes. And I can't get it with Sling TV.

The package that will carry everything I'm after is Fubo ($65/month) along with ESPN+ ($7). Unless I want Pac 12 Network, in which case I'd have to get a larger Fubo package, adding another $15 to the cost.

So, my decision boils down to this:

  1. Subscribe to Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra ($46), along with ESPN+ ($7), for $53. If game of interest show up on other channels, simply add Sling Orange. The difference between the services is prorated, so it won't cost the full amount.
  2. Subscribe to Fubo TV Elite ($80) and ESPN+ ($7) and I'm good no matter what.

I have until a game I care about kicks off.

My Streaming Life shouldn't be so complicated. Part of it is my fault. Part of it is somebody else's fault, I'm sure.

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