Streaming the Stanley Cup

Well, dang it. Not only did I miss the start of the NBA finals, I missed the start of the Stanley Cup, the NHL finals.

Mind you, I don't watch basketball or hockey, but a lot of people do. And I'm a bit embarrassed that the professional championship in those sports came and I wasn't ready.

With the first game in the books, the Vegas Golden Knights hold a 1-0 series advantage over the Florida Panthers. Game two is tonight.

If you are a fan of the NHL, you can watch the Stanley Cup without cable.

TNT is broadcasting the series, and you can watch TNT streaming by a few methods.

TNT

• Sling TV (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling TV (Blue), $40/month.
• Sling TV (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

You may have noticed that Vidgo ("We are live sports") isn't live sports for the Stanley Cup. Vidgo doesn't carry TNT.

The cheapest way is to get Sling TV, either the Orange or the Blue package. But the overall content of the package may be a reason to pick one of the more expensive packages. My Streaming Life doesn't normally include ice hockey. But if yours does, you have options. Lots of options.

Rethinking subscription rotations

For some time, I've been subscribing to one streaming service a month. A the end of the month, I'd cancel that service, and the next month, subscribe to a different service.

At different times I've had different services in my rotation. Generally, they are:

• Apple TV+
• Paramount+
• Peacock TV
• Max (formerly HBO Max)
• Disney+
• Netflix
• Hulu
• AMC+
• Starz
• Prime Video
• Discovery+

That's a general listing, and they really don't all apply to me. Those were, at the time, the largest services in terms of subscribers. Not in that order, but those were the most popular. I'd probably a few more to the list:

• Brit Box
• Frndly TV
• Showtime

I'm sure I'm missing a couple that should be on the list, but you get the general idea of the apps about which I'm speaking.

With a list such as this, if you subscribed to one a month, it would take over a year. So, my thinking would be to take a couple of the $5/month services, and do two on some months. For the more expensive services, say $10-$15/month, subscribe to just one. For services less than $10, perhaps adding a $5/month service and do two that month.

I've done this for some time, except that I have a couple of variation.

First, I've been an Amazon Prime subscriber since before they offered video services. I'm going to have that anyway, so Prime Video has not been in my rotation.

Next, as an Xfinity Internet subscriber, I got Peacock TV Premium free. That bonus ends later this month, and Peacock will go into rotation.

Then, I've been a regular subscriber to Frndly TV since the service launched. When I decided to rotate services, I couldn't include Frndly TV, since I have an annual subscription. And, when renewal time came, I decided to keep it.

Also, I ended up with AMC+ for an extended subscription. There was an issue subscribing one time a while back, and when everything was finally resolved, I ended up with a multi-year subscription. It expires in November, and AMC+ goes into rotation.

There are two new wrinkles to this as well. I recently ended up with a three-month trial of Apple TV+, and that expires soon. It will go back into rotation then. Paramount+ came out of rotation when it became a perk of Walmart+. So I have that service included in another.

Those six variations keep my process from being pure and simple, but I have been rotating among the others. Except for right now.

Right now, I'm not subscribing to any in my rotation. I'll restart the rotation soon, I expect. But I might not.

Right now, I'm going to simply watch what I have on the free trials and perk/included services. Unless there's something I really really really want to watch, I'll focus on those. My Streaming Life should get along just fine.

Streaming service rotation

A recent article on Cord Cutters News talks about how many cord cutters are cutting back on their streaming services. I'm glad to see more and more people thinking that way.

The article by Kayla Wassell cites a recent study by Parks Associates that says turnover in OTT services is nearly 50%:

Recent reports from Park Associates found that 37 percent of households subscribe to OTT services through a cable provider. The turnover rate for OTT video services has been 47 percent for quite some time now.

"There is so much to talk about – direct subscription has been losing ground to aggregation, and bundling is becoming more important," said Jennifer Kent, Parks Research Associate’s Vice President.

The comments are where there is more direct talk about rotating services. Some of the comments talk about only subscribing to certain services for a period of time. That's one of the things I've done for some time.

I have had Amazon Prime since before it included streaming services, so I don't really count that. I'm going to have it anyway. The streaming part is a bonus, for me anyway.

Other subscription services are something I usually avoid. I have been rotating services for some time. I will subscribe to, say HBO Max (now just Max) for a month, then cancel and subscribe to, say, Paramount Plus for a month. Then Disney Plus for a month. And so on. One service a month. I watch a lot on everything, and pay a lot less than those that subscribe year-round.

Well, I used to. Max recently ended, and I've not picked up a new service for this month. And I might not. I haven't seen anything I really want to watch on one of the subscription services, so I've been in no hurry. And I'm not sure just what I'll try next, or even when I'll try it.

I did not watch much on Max. My Streaming Life is doing fine without a subscription service right now. While that could change at any time, right now, I like keeping my wallet closed.

Streaming the NBA Finals

Well, I missed it. The NBA finals started last night, and the Nuggets took a 1-0 lead. However, there are 3 to 6 more games in the series, and you can watch them streaming.

ABC is broadcasting the series, and you can watch ABC streaming by a few methods.

ABC

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month. 
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• 
  
• Vidgo 9Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

If you can pick up your local ABC affiliate with an antenna, that's the cheapest way, as you can see. Next cheapest is the DirecTV Entertainment streaming package.

My Streaming Life contains ABC with an antenna, so I am getting by pretty cheaply. If you have an antenna, you're in luck as well. If not, you still have options.

Streaming local channels cheaply

If you have cut the cord, or are thinking about it, you will probably want to pick up local channels. The easiest way is with an antenna. Most people in the U.S. are able to pick up the major network stations with an antenna. Some, such as me, need a large outdoor antenna to get everything, but it's still possible to pick them up.

This isn't true for everybody, however. There are some areas where it is not easy to pick up the major network stations. Some family friends recently moved to an area where it's difficult to pick up the major networks.

They can pick up a local (12 miles away) PBS station, consisting of four channels. They are in range of another station (51 miles) that has Ion, CourtTV, Ion Mystery, Grit, Laff, and a few other shopping and news channels. And that's it. No ABC. No CBS. No Fox. No NBC. No CW.

This isn't common, but it does happen, and it's a problem they're wanting to overcome. But how?

Well, they could subscribe to one of the major live streaming cable-like services:

• DirecTV ($65)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($73)

There is also Vidgo (ABC, Fox only) ($70) that only carries ABC and Fox. However, there is an option that gets you CBS and NBC local stations for $20/month. How?

Subscribing to both Paramount Plus Premium ($10/month) and Peacock Premium Plus ($10/month) get you those services, ad free, plus local live CBS (Paramount Plus Premium) and NBC (Peacock Premium Plus).

Is that a viable solution? Well, I don't know. Maybe. If I didn't have an antenna, this may be how I'd go for the local channels. It's a lot cheaper than the cheapest major streaming service that includes the channels. True, it's only two of the four, but two is better than none. To get more than those two via streaming, it'll cost a lot more. $20 for the two services is the cheapest way to go.

My Streaming Life has been fortunate to have an antenna as part of it. Not everyone is as fortunate as I.

Keep Peacock or not?

I have a decision to make soon. I'm an Xfinity Internet subscriber, and Xfinity Internet subscribers get Peacock Premium free. That's changing next month.

According to Comcast, NBCUniversal will stop offering the service for free to Xfinity Internet customers:

Why is this changing?

NBCUniversal included Peacock Premium at no extra cost to customers with Xfinity services, and that offering is concluding.

This is a classic example of blaming others when it's yourself. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, so if they say Xfinity gets Peacock for free, Xfinity gets Peacock for free. That's like a parent blaming one kid for not sharing with another kid something the parent owns. If it stands, it's the parents who let it happen.

Anyway, on June 26, 2023, I love my free Peacock service. I'll have to decide by then if I want to pay for Peacock.

There are two tiers. One, Peacock Premium, is $5/month while the other, Peacock Premium Plus, is $10/month. The difference is that Peacock Premium Plus doesn't have commercials in the on-demand content, and includes local NBC station, WSAV in Savannah for me. Peacock Premium has ads in on-demand content, and no live local NBC stream.

Will I subscribe to Peacock? Maybe. Maybe not. There is a special they're running right now where a year of Peacock Premium (the $5/month plan) is $20. That's tempting. I'm not sure if I'll fall for the temptation.

My Streaming Life has included Peacock since the service launched, but only because it was free. I'm undecided on keeping it going forward, but I'm leaning against it.

Local Now grows

I read an article on Cord Cutters News this week that surprised me. I did a little digging and found more about it. The numbers in my research are a little different, but the point of Luke Bouma's article is still valid.

The story was that Local Now had topped 450 live streaming channels. That's a big number. And, it is true, but there's a catch. First, a little of what they said:

Recently Local Now topped 450 free live TV channels making it one of the largest free streaming services for cord cutters when looking at the number of free live channels.

Local Now also provides localized news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment, produced by various leading news organizations in more than 225 markets across the U.S.

Local Now is not done expanding as it recently announced a deal to add all local PBS stations later this year. No dates have been announced yet for when all of the local PBS stations will be added other than it should happen in 2023. Already though, in a handful of markets, PBS stations are starting to go live on Local Now so check to see if your local PBS is now free with Local Now.

All that is true, but let me tell you why I look at it a little differently.

I counted all the channels, one at a time, starting at the top. Just so you know, these numbers are based on a Savannah, Georgia viewing market.

I counted 487 channels, which is in line with the CCN report of "over 450" channels. But, of those, 117 are local broadcasts. My thinking, which could be wrong, is that people generally won't be interested in local news from other areas, making over 100 of those meaningless for most people. However, that is the backbone of Local Now, so I understand why they should be counted.

However, to me, the main attraction to live streaming services are the live streaming channels that go beyond local news and local interest. Local Now has 370 of those. That is on top of the 117 local offerings, bringing the total to 487, which is by far the largest live streaming service.

CCN said as much, and I don't disagree. Even if you omit the 117 local based streams, the remaining 350 make it one of the largest anyway. The increase in these channels means that Local Now deserves to be though of as similar to Pluto TV, Tubi, FreeVee, Xumo Play, and the other major players in the free ad-supported television (FAST) services.

My Streaming Life hasn't included a lot of Local Now in the past. It will going forward.

Memorial Day (2023)

I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering works on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung. With words we make promises, plight faith, praise virtue. Promises may not be kept; plighted faith may be broken; and vaunted virtue be only the cunning mask of vice. We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. For the noblest man that lives, there still remains a conflict. He must still withstand the assaults of time and fortune, must still be assailed with temptations, before which lofty natures have fallen; but with these the conflict ended, the victory was won, when death stamped on them the great seal of heroic character, and closed a record which years can never blot.

Excerpt from the first Memorial Day proclamation, May 30, 1968, by President James A. Garfield.

Broadcast TV viewership drops

There are reports out that viewership of the traditional TV networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC -- has continued to drop year over year. In fact, according to the study, CBS has lost nearly half its viewers in ten years.

The conclusion that Cord Cutters News reached is that cord cutting is the reason. The headline is "ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Primetime Viewership is Falling Fast as Cord Cutting Speeds Up" which I think is a little off the mark.

The article cites the increase in cord cutting over the last decade, along with lower broadcast network viewership as the result. Only, what about antennae? Isn't putting up an antenna (or using an existing antenna) often a part of cord cutting? You drop cable, put up an antenna (indoor if close enough), and you still get the broadcast networks. I mean, they broadcast their signal over the air, right?

I don't see cord cutting itself as a reason for drop in viewership. I look at it more as a drop in cable. With cable, it's easier for viewership stats to be collected. However, with an antenna, they have to rely more on traditional methods such as the Nelsen dairies to gather the data.

I think the numbers may be down for multiple reasons, and a lot of it is due to content of streaming services.

More or better content via streaming leads to cord cutting. It also leads to drop in broadcast viewership. Cord cutting is not the cause of people watching less broadcast TV, it's the result of it.

My Streaming Life hasn't really seen a drop in broadcast TV viewership. I used to record shows and not watch them live. Now, with Hulu, I'm watching shows on demand, after they air, just as when they were recorded with TiVo. If I'm watching less content from broadcast TV, it's because other sources have more content I want to watch. Broadcast TV is available to cord cutters. They just need to make better content.

Netflix crackdown on password sharing

I got my Netflix email this week.

Yes, I know. I talk about how I don't watch Netflix. And I don't. So, why did I get an email from Netflix? Well, having a Netflix account doesn't mean I watch Netflix. But I am paying for Netflix for someone else. For the time being, anyway. At this writing, the subscription ends in June. I may extend it with the ad-supported plan.

Back on topic: I got my Netflix email this week. You know the one. The one where Netflix is letting people know that you can't share passwords with people who live outside your household:

Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household.

You can easily watch Netflix on the go and when you travel — either on your personal devices or a TV at a hotel or vacation home.

To control how your account is used, you can:

• Check who’s using your Netflix. Review which devices are signed in to your account. Sign out of devices that shouldn’t have access and consider changing your password.

If you want to share Netflix with someone outside of your household, you can use these features:

• Transfer a profile. Anyone on your account can transfer a profile to a new membership that they pay for.
• Buy an extra member. You can share your Netflix account with someone who doesn’t live with you for $7.99/month more.

We know you might have questions. Our Help Center has detailed information for you.

Thank you for choosing Netflix. We appreciate your membership and we look forward to bringing you more great TV shows and movies.

The Netflix team

I'm logged in to a few devices at home, but I haven't used them in a long long time. My girlfriend is logged into one device at her house, and that's the only one that has been active. The account is in my name, but she's the only one using it. Is that a violation of Netflix rules? Well, maybe. But I'm not using the account at two different households. She doesn't watch Netflix at my house, and I don't watch Netflix at all.

So, I don't know if I got the email because they detected logins at multiple locations, or if they simply sent the email to everyone with a current account.

She already is used to the idea of not having Netflix. One of her children was sharing passwords with her, and she had her own profile set up on that account. But she was told about the crackdown and was disappointed, as she had just started watching some series. So, I restarted my account using the ad-supported plan and logged in on her device. Then upgraded to the regular plan.

So, now I'll either drop to the ad-supported plan in June, or drop it altogether. She hasn't watched anything in the last few weeks, so I'm thinking I'll just drop it.

I understand why Netflix is doing what it's doing. They're bleeding money, and if this increases revenue, then good for them. I don't watch it because it doesn't have enough value for me. I have enough to watch without it. My Streaming Life has survived without Netflix for quite some time, and will continue to do so. I'm hoping my girlfriend feels the same way.