Belmont Stakes

Today is the scheduled running of the Belmont Stakes. As I'm not a fan of horse racing, it's not that big of a deal to me, but there are a lot of people that enjoy the activity, so let's look at how to watch today's race.

NBC is carrying the race, so if you want to watch the race, find NBC in your area.

If you have an antenna, tune to the local NBC affiliate.

If you are in one of the 33 markets served by Locast, you can view through that app.

If you don't have an antenna or Locast, you can use a live streaming service that carries NBC. Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Fubo are each $65, while AT&T TV is $75/month. Vidgo doesn't carry NBC. In some markets, Sling Blue, which is $35/month, will have NBC, though not all areas.

If you are a fan of horse racing, you're probably already excited about today's race. If you are a casual fan, or not a fan, watch this and see if it doesn't make you just a little excited. It's the fastest Belmont Stakes ever (at least, at the current distance), and one of the most amazing feats ever in the sport.

[Direct link to YouTube]

I recall watching that live, and was totally amazed by what I saw. I still am.

I don't expect anything like that today, but you never know.

Amazon Oscars

This past week, Amazon announced it was buying MGM. Okay, they're calling it a merger, but it's Amazon buying MGM. That gives Amazon a lot of movies, and some pretty darn good ones, including a lot of Academy Award winners, many of which won Best Picture.

MGM claims credit for twelve Best Picture winners:

As a company, MGM boasts more than 177 Academy Awards® in its vast library. Among those are 12 Best Picture Winners. These films include; Hamlet (1948), Marty (1955), The Apartment (1960), West Side Story (1961), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Rocky (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Platoon (1986), Rain Man (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Maybe I need to do some more research, but there are more Best Picture winners that MGM won over the years, either as the studio, who took the award prior to 1950, or from its acquisition of United Artists:

• The Broadway Melody
• Grand Hotel
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• The Great Ziegfeld
• Mrs. Miniver
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Those are some pretty good films. Well, most of them. I don't think all of those were necessarily the actual best movie of that particular year, but they are some pretty good films. And dare I say it, Prime entertainment.

Variety calls the deal "a way to supercharge its Prime Video service with a slew of well-known entertainment titles." I'm sure that's the case, but I do wonder if there are agreements for MGM movies on other streaming services. But, yeah, they'll show up there.

If you're an Amazon Prime member, you'll eventually get more of those movies. If not, maybe this will push you to consider it. It shouldn't. Nothing's going to change for a while. Still, Amazon Prime is a good way to get lots of viewing options and make your Streaming Life a more enjoyable one.

YouTube TV is offering specials

While I'm not a fan of year-round use of a live streaming service, I do believe that YouTube TV is one of the best of those type of services. It's really popular with those weaned away from cable, possibly because it works so much like a cable service. Lately, though, it's been offering some specials, and I wonder why. I'll speculate. But first, here are some of the specials they've been running.

Website Cord Cutters News reports that YouTube TV has been running a three-week trial period for new subscribers.

YouTube TV is giving away three week free trials from their Twitter page today. The streaming service asked followers to tag friends in response to a tweet and is sending out promo codes for new users.

If you don’t manage to score a three week trial from the party happening over on Twitter right now, YouTube TV is also offering a two week free trial for all new users, a week more than the regular 7 day free trial. The offer ends on June 15.

From the YouTube TV Website, you'll find an offer for $10 off for three months. It's still $55/month, but that is a decent savings from the regular $65/month price. And, that currently makes it cheaper than Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.

Why is YouTube TV running a couple of different specials right now? I don't know. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the loss of the Roku platform. After all, Roku is the most popular, most widely used streaming platform. Is the loss of Roku impacting YouTube TV? Maybe. Maybe not.

It could just be that YouTube TV is running specials that are unrelated to any impact for Roku. After all, if the thought they were being impacted to a great degree, they'd drop their demands and re-sign an agreement with Roku.

Perhaps if these special deals work, they'll get by without Roku just fine, and Roku may give in. Or, they may find it doesn't compensate enough to make the loss of Roku worthwhile, and YouTube TV will give in.

I really don't care one way or the other. I can get by just fine without YouTube TV. I'm getting by just fine, in fact. And, I have multiple streaming devices, so I can do without Roku just fine. However, I always prefer there be options, because competition helps foster innovation, and that's good for your Streaming Life.

More streaming, more free streaming

According to a couple of reports, more people are streaming -- no shocker there -- and more streamers are using more free live streaming services. That's the result of a study by Tubi, a free live streaming service.

Okay, now if you're like me, you're thinking, "well, of course a free live streaming service would have a press release promoting free live streaming." On the other hand, I don't suppose Xfinity, Sling TV, or any service other than a free live streaming service would issue a press release about that. So...

The report shows U.S. viewers has a pretty big jump in viewing:

The latest research from Tubi’s audience report The Stream revealed video streaming consumption skyrocketing with 70% of Americans participating in the study watching more TV now than they were in March 2020. Among that group, the average person is streaming three additional hours each day since that time. Tubi has seen this upward trend with its viewers over the last year, recently announcing a record-setting Total View Time (TVT) of 798 million hours during the first quarter this year, up 54% year-over-year, and a platform-best 276 million hours of TVT in March.

And, it's not just in the U.S. but also in Canada that the numbers are up:

Full Stream Ahead found that 54% of Canadians streamed more over the past year, with Adults 18-34 citing the most significant change. Additionally, Canadian streamers’ average daily streaming consumption has increased by 2.4 hours per day. In Canada, Tubi is the most popular ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service (20%) behind YouTube (34%) and saw a 107% year-over-year increase in total view time (TVT) from January 2020 through January 2021.

I know this is true for me, but I'm not sure I'm a typical streamer. Maybe I am typical, or maybe typical is changing to become me.

Now, let me state that while I have increased my free live streaming -- or linear streaming, I suppose -- it really hasn't been more Tubi viewing. It's been Pluto TV. But, I do think Tubi is a great option, just not one I use as much as Pluto TV. I'm also liking Xumo, for what that's worth.

So, maybe you'll want to consider Pluto TV, Tubi, Xumo, or another live streaming service, just to check it out. Maybe you'll find alternatives to what you've been watching.

If you haven't cut the cord yet, then I strongly suggest trying out the services. If you have a smart TV that has one of those apps, or if you have or want to pick up an inexpensive streaming device -- Roku, Firestick, Chromcast, something -- and try them out, you might find some content you enjoy.

Using free live streaming services is one way I improve my Streaming Life.

One month in

Just over a month ago, this Website launched. I'm here to offer tips and thoughts about streaming to those that might want a perspective from someone who has been doing this for a bit.

No, I'm not arrogant enough to think you should ignore everyone else and listen to me, but I do think I have a decent amount of experience with streaming, and can help those that are new to streaming.

If you are new to streaming, or thinking about adding or moving entirely to streaming, I do think I can offer help or suggestions. Notice that in the sidebar is an "Ask a question" form. If you have a question, submit it and I'll follow up with you personally, and here on the Website. After all, if you have a question, someone else may have the same question. We can all help each other enjoy or Streaming Life by sharing our experiences. This is my little way to try to help.

Over the last five weeks, I've talked about some streaming devices, some streaming services, and some thoughts in general that relate to streaming. I've tried to share my thoughts and opinions about things, and do have my own prejudices for or against certain devices and services. For example, I'm a fan of Roku devices, and really don't like Amazon Fire TV devices. However, I recognize that there are many people who think Fire TV devices are the greatest thing since ordering sliced bread online. That's a valid opinion, of course, just not mine.

I generally try to take a positive approach to the items or topics about which I talk, but that's simply a reflection of me. Even things I don't like -- I just mentioned Fire TV devices, for example -- may still hold great value to others. I know people that absolutely love the TiVo Stream 4K device. I don't like it. However, I will not suggest you avoid it, just that you be aware of the issues I had and have with the device so you aren't caught off guard. It may be the device for you.

I've mentioned many many times that I don't use live streaming services, or at least not the paid ones. I find I can watch what I want, or what satisfies my wants when it comes to watching TV, without spending that amount of money. But, that's just my perspective. You may not understand how I can possibly find streaming fulfillment without such a service. Well, I can. And if you need such a service, then you need such a service, and I'll help if I can.

Am I accomplishing what I started out to do? I have no idea. If you're here and reading this, I invite you to look around at other posts here and see if the topics covered might be helpful. If you are helped by any of this, then yes, I'm accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish. If not, then no, I'm not doing what I wanted. I just need to get better. But then, don't we all?