Sports frustration

In the 10+ years that I've been streaming as my primary method of watching TV, there have been little frustrations along the way. The biggest frustration for me has been accessing sports.

Now, I know, for college football it's not that difficult to watch a game. But, if I want the ability to watch every game that's available, I have to pony up a bit of money each month. I looked it things regarding watching last week's games, and the total to get access was at least $87/month. That seems like a lot.

You see, I don't want access to a bunch of live streaming channels. Hulu is $6/month and gets me the regular TV shows I want. No, not live, but I don't care. A few hours later, just like as if I recorded it with a DVR, gets me what I want. I don't need the channels from a $25/month Philo package, which does not include sports. For me, the content from the free TV services -- Pluto TV, IMDB TV, The Roku Channel, Stirr, Crackle, Tubi, Xumo, among others -- get me what I want. Maybe not the same channels, but the same kind of content. Throw in my over the air antenna, and I can watch what I want.

Except for sports, and that generally means college football.

ESPN does not have a standalone sports service. No, ESPN+ doesn't count, because it's a supplement to ESPN, not a replacement for the service. Standard ESPN content is not included with an ESPN+ subscription.

Then there is CBS Sports Network, and the other conference networks, to deal with, and the cheapest way to get them are through a large live streaming service.

You remember the days when you had cable? Of today, if you still have cable? You have a lot of channels, and you only watch a few. That's me with streaming. If I pay for a live streaming service to get a handful of sports channels, I'm doing the same thing. I don't want or need the rest of those channels, because the free ad-supported or over the air content gets me what I want.

I do so wish there was a way of getting just the sports services I want. The closest is Fubo, which is a live streaming service. I may end up switching from Sling TV to Fubo because of this. But if the sports channels were available standalone, that would make my Streaming Life so much easier.

To get a new streaming device, or not?

Recently, Amazon announced the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max. That's supposed to be an upgrade to the high end stick.

Also recently, there was speculation that Roku was about to release new devices. There has been no official announcement, but the September/October time frame is when Roku normally releases upgraded devices.

I'm waiting to see about Roku, and not relying on speculation when it comes to getting a new Roku device. My gut tells me I won't, but I'm waiting to see what actually happens.

What about the new Amazon device? If I need to get a new Amazon device, I expect I'll get one of those. But just to get one? No. Just like Roku, I need to see a compelling reason to get one.

That doesn't mean I won't get one. I might. I always like to have the latest and greatest device, but I won't just to say I have one. There needs to be something about the device that grabs my attention.

Right now, I'm happy with the devices I have. My current Roku device works great. The Fire TV Stick 4K (not the brand new one, but the one that was the latest before the "Max" version) is good. The Chromecast with Google TV is good. The Apple TV is good. The others? TiVo Stream, Onn Stick and Box, and whatever else I have? They're in the box. And they'll stay there.

I'll keep those top devices ready for use. But I am excited about new devices that are coming out -- yes, only the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is official, and the Roku is just speculation -- so I may be upgrading. I'll make a decision like that ... later. My Streaming Life is good right now, and I'm not looking to make any changes. But I might.

Cutting back even more

The primary reason I cut the cord back in 2011 was to save money. As the years have gone by, there are now more and more options for watching streaming content. And while there are a lot of free options, there are a lot of subscription services that have come along.

I've tried many over the years. The first was Hulu Plus, now simply known as Hulu. I have been an Amazon Prime subscriber for years, before they offered Prime Video, so when that came along, I already had it. Then, Sling TV came along. Then more and more services.

Free trials for extended periods of time for Apple TV+, Disney+, and more added to the list of services. You may have experienced the same thing. You look around one day, and you have more subscriptions than you realized.

So, I recently cut back, mostly because I wasn't watching the content. Oh, and one for a reason I talked about recently.

I've canceled Hulu, since none of the shows I watch are on right now. I'll subscribe later when the shows return.

I've canceled Apple TV+. I had an extended free trial, but that's over now, and there's not enough to keep my attention. I don't watch it, though I did enjoy some shows. I'll probably subscribe later, binge, and then cancel again.

I canceled Netflix years ago. I subscribed again to watch new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but canceled when I was done. Which was one of the first apps/services where I canceled, and resubscribed temporarily to watch something specific.

I recently dropped Frndly.Tv. I haven't been watching it lately, so I dropped it. It is the one live streaming service I've kept, but if I'm not watching it, I'm wasting money.

I have used Paramount+ during football season in the past. It was known as CBS All Access back then. I subscribed recently to watch some shows, but I finished and canceled. I have an antenna with DVR, so watching college football doesn't require CBS through Paramount+.

I kept Peacock TV, even though I rarely watch it. It's free, since I'm an Xfinity Internet user, but if I wasn't, I would have canceled.

And I canceled Sling TV. Yes, I just recently subscribed, in order to watch college football. But, I'm not sure I picked the right service, as I said the other day. When the subscription ends, I'll decide what service to use for the following 30 days.

The only subscription I currently have are Amazon Prime, which included Prime Video. All the rest have been canceled, with one continuing until the end of the current subscription. I'll probably keep Amazon Prime, for the Prime benefits. The Prime Video library is simply something that is included.

Oh, and I do have PBS Passport. I support PBS, and that allows me to have PBS Passport. I'm keeping that, as I will continue to support PBS.

You may want to consider if you're really using all the apps and services to which you're subscribed. If not, you may want to do as I did and cancel any you aren't really using. You can always resubscribe when enough content you want is available on the app/service, then cancel when you're done.

It's a way to save money, and knowing that helps my enjoy my Streaming Life even more.

9/11

 

NFL season

A few weeks ago, I wrote about watching NFL games this season. But, some stuff has changed. Not much, but one change that impacts about half the country.

Locast shut down. That was a way that many users -- around half the U.S. -- could watch local channels via a streaming device. That's no longer possible. So, what to do?

Let's start by reviewing the ways the games are available.

• CBS carries AFC games on Sunday afternoon.
• Fox carries NFC games on Sunday afternoon.
• NBC carries games on Sunday night.
• ESPN carries Monday Night games.
• NFL Network carries some Thursday night games.

There are other services that carry games, but those are generally limited to mobile devices, not standard streaming devices.

CBS, Fox, and NBC are available from local network affiliates. With Locast gone, you have two options:

1. A TV antenna, which would be the cheapest way over the long run.
2. A live streaming service that include local channels. Those are
   • Hulu+Live TV
   • YouTube TV
   • Fubo TV
   • DirecTV Stream

CBS is also available as part of Paramount+.

NBC games are available on Peacock TV Premium. That's $5/month, free for Xfinity Internet subscribers.

ESPN requires a live streaming service. That means:

• Sling TV Orange
• Hulu+Live TV
• YouTube TV
• Fubo TV
• DirecTV Stream

Note that Sling TV doesn't include live local TV, but the others do. An antenna makes Sling TV more feasible.

So, are you ready for some football? Oh, yeah, college football is already underway.

Are you ready for some pro football? Oh, right. CFL is well underway.

Are you ready for some NFL football? If so, well, the season started last night. Get ready to include that in your Streaming Life, if the NFL is your thing.

Sometimes it's okay to keep cable

Yes, I'm a proponent of cutting the cord. Make no mistake about that. But, the reality is that sometimes it may be okay to keep cable.

Can you keep cable and still be a cord cutter? Yes. And no.

If you have cable TV service, you really aren't a cord cutter, are you? No, you're not. But, what if you think about it like going to the barber, or hair salon. Sometimes you get a trim, right? Well, if you cut back on your cable TV package, that's like a trim.

So, no, cutting back on cable TV service isn't cutting the cord, but it is trimming it, which may be what you need to do. Let me give you an example.

I manage more than household when it comes to Internet, TV, and the like. And one in particular is located where it's nearly impossible to put up a TV antenna. This house is located far from the major TV affiliates, so an indoor antenna won't work. So, what are the options in that case?

Well, there's do without local channels. I didn't like that option at this one location.

There's subscribe to a live streaming service. Right now, that means a $65/month service. When I first set up that location for streaming, it was less, but still more than I wanted. I wanted local channels year-round, and certain other channels during certain times of the year (ESPN during the fall). This was a solution, but an expensive one.

Then there's that other option: keeping cable, sort of. This is the one I chose.

The TV provider was Comcast/Xfinity, and I had to ask about a local channels only package. They didn't advertise one, so I had to hunt for it. And, I found it.

The local channels package was pretty cheap, at around $10/month. It was actually more, but having it and Internet service meant qualifying for a two service discount. Figured in, it worked out to $10/month. But, of course, there was a catch. Fees. All kind of silly little fees.

There was a broadcast fee that goes to the local stations, or so it indicated. And, I don't recall all the details, but there were other fees. So, it worked out to more than $10/month, but still less than a live streaming service.

So, if you are in a situation where an antenna isn't feasible, if your ISP is also the local cable company, you may find that getting a locals only TV package will get you what you need, and cheaper than a live streaming service.

It's not ideal, but sometimes a compromise like that is the best option in your Streaming Life.

Hulu price increase

Last night, I got a surprise. I saw that Hulu was increasing their price. "Hmm," I said. Not out loud. And if I had, no one would have heard it. I was by myself when I saw the notice.

I had logged in to Hulu, because I've notice I've not watched Hulu for a bit. Nothing new has aired that I really felt like watching. So, I wondered if I should pause my Hulu subscription and resume it when a show I want starts up again. And when I logged in, I saw the notice.

Am I upset about it? No. I wish the price wasn't going up, but I've been with Hulu for a long time, and I remember when it was more. It actually went down in price a couple of years back, or so. That surprised and delighted me when it happened. And while I'm not all that happy with a new price increase, it's okay, and Hulu is still a good deal.

So, yeah, I'm okay with it. Like I said, I've been a Hulu subscriber for year, and will likely be one for years to come, assuming I don't get hit by a bus or something. Hulu is a great deal, in my mind, and even with the price increase, it'll still be a great deal.

Hulu has been a part of my Streaming Life for years, and will continue to be for years to come.