Watching College Football in 2023: Week 2

It's Week 2, which is the third weekend of college football in 2023. Yes, college math is hard.

There are several Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend. There have been three games so far: one was Thursday night and two were last night. None of those featured ranked teams.

Today, there are a lot of games on the schedule. There are 23 games involving all 25 ranked teams today. Two are match-ups of ranked teams -- #20 Mississippi at #24 Tulane play this afternoon, and #11 Texas at #4 Alabama tonight.

Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games:

• ABC
• ACC Network
• Big Ten Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• CW
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• ESPN+
• Fox
• Fox Sports 1
• Longhorn Network
• NBC
• NFL Network
• Pac 12 Network
• Peacock
• SEC Network

NOTE: Longhorn Network is not broadcasting any games this week.

Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are five games involving Division 1-A/FBS teams. Those will air on:

• ACC Network
• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN
• Fox Sports 1

Later in the season, there may even be another network or two that carries games, but these are the ones that are confirmed as the season begins. Here's how to get all the networks:

ABC

• Antenna (free)
• Sling TV (8 markets only) ($45/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ACC Network

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Big Ten Network

• Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

CBS

• Antenna (free)
• Paramount Plus (Premium) $12/month
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

CBS Sports Network

• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Ultimate) ($139/month)

CW

• Antenna (free)
• Not available streaming.

ESPN, ESPN2

• Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ESPN+

• ESPN+ (standalone) ($10/month)
• Disney Bundle ($15/month)

ESPNU

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro + Fubo Extra) ($83/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Fox

• Antenna (free)
• Sling TV (18 markets only) ($45/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Fox Sports 1

• Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Longhorn Network

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

NBC

• Antenna (free)
• Peacock (Plus) ($12/month)
• Sling TV (11 markets only) ($45/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

NFL Network

• Sling TV (Blue) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Pac 12 Network

• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)

Peacock

• Peacock is its own service, and can be used to watch NBC live programming with the $12/month plan.

SEC Network

• Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

That covers this weekend in college football, and covers all the networks -- so far -- that are carrying college football games in 2023. My Streaming Life revolves around college football during this time of year. I'm not the only one.

LocalBTV

There is another live streaming service with local channels, and it's free. But didn't Aero try that and fail? Didn't Locast try that and fail? So what's the catch?

There is no catch. Not really. It's just ... well, it's not Aero or Locast, and is going about things in a different way.

Is LocalBTV illegal? No, they have agreements with the local channels they carry.

Is it everywhere? No, it's only in a few markets. Aero and Locast were both in select markets, and were expanding when they were shut down. But LocalBTV has agreements with the stations. And LocalBTV isn't opening markets where they don't have agreements in place.

Does it have all the local stations? No, and if there is a catch, this is the catch.

LocalBTV has agreements with some of the local stations in the markets where they operate. They don't have agreements with all of them.

For example, I'm in the Savannah, GA market, but LocalBTV doesn't have any agreements with Savannah stations, so I don't get LocalBTV. Not locally (more about that in a minute). But in Columbus, GA, where I lived for a nearly 20 years, LocalBTV is available.

The service only has a few stations there. None of them are the major broadcast networks. That's true overall; none of the LocalBTV service areas include agreements with ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC affiliates. They do have Get-TV, Cozi TV, and those kind of networks, but not a lot of them.

In my area, there is nothing. Well, that's not exactly true. For those outside the service area, they do grant access to a "national" feed. Oh, and that national feed? It has plenty of the same type of content, including Cozi TV, GetTV, iSciFi, and more.

It's not a slam dunk, but it is an interesting service. I'm going to be checking it out over the next several days to weeks, and get a better grasp on not just what it offers (which does look good) but the overall experience, to include how easy and reliable the service is.

My Streaming Life doesn't really need another free live streaming service, but this might be a good thing. I'm looking forward to it.

Goodbye Google Play Movies & TV

Google is, once again, removing services. This time it's Google Play Movies & TV.

This week, I got an email from Google about this. It gave a bunch of details, but the wording could be confusing to some. I had to read it a couple of times, but I got it. I think I got it.

Based on comments I've seen online, this has caused confusion for some people. Here's the email:

Google Play Movies & TV app is going away on 05 October 2023

Google Play Movies & TV app will no longer be available on your Android TV device from 05 October 2023. You can continue to buy or rent movies directly through the Shop tab on your Android TV.

You can find your existing purchases, including active rentals, on the Shop tab on Android TV, Google TV Android and iOS mobile apps, and YouTube.

Please visit Google TV Help center or Youtube Help Center if you need help accessing your previous purchases.

Some seem to think that Google TV is being shut down. It's not. The functionality appears to be splitting among a couple of apps and services.

Google Play Movies & TV was a place to both purchase and play content from the Google Play store. The purchase portion is inside the Shop tab on the Google TV app. But what if you don't have the Google TV app? Well, there's also the YouTube app. I don't see a way to get your purchases if you don't have the Google TV app, or the YouTube app, or a Google/Android TV device.

If you have a Roku platform device (streaming stick, Roku TV, Roku set top box, etc.) you actually lost the Google Play Movies & TV app a couple of years ago. You needed YouTube to watch your Google Play purchases, so nothing Google is about to do will impact Roku users. They got impacted in 2021.

I'm not sure that this will impact me. My Streaming Life uses content purchased from Google, but I watch it on YouTube, or on a Google TV device. If you're worried about this, I think you don't really need to be. Fire TV and Apple TV both support YouTube, and if those are your platforms, you still have ways to play your content.

More illegal IPTV services shut down

Recently, a family member asked about an illegal IPTV service. The family didn't realize that's what was being asked, and was slightly taken aback when I suggested as much.

Many people that are new to streaming don't realize what's legal and what's illegal. And the thing is, many people I know that don't realize the difference are actually pretty sharp people. They're just not familiar with everything.

If you're not sure, here's what I use to help determine if some service I've not heard of is an illegal IPTV service.

First, the fact I haven't heard of it is a good indicator. However, I make an effort to keep up to date on these things. If it was all new to me, would I know the difference? Maybe. Maybe not.

Next, is it "too good to be true?" If so, then it's not true. Ever buy a Rolex out of the trunk of someone's car? If so, do you think it was a real Rolex? Hint: it wasn't. The trunk of Mr. Bashir's car is not one of the authorized distribution channels. (Before you get your panties in a wad over that last sentence, I knew a Mr. Bashir that sold fake Rolex from the trunk of his car. So there.) Mr. Bashir's "Rolex" watches were not legitimate, and you can pretty much guarantee that an IPTV service that offers everything for a cheap price, or a one time fee, is not legitimate.

Then, some people really don't care if the service is legitimate or not. They just want to watch TV cheaply. After all, unlike Mr. Bashir's "Rolex" watches, the TV channels are real. The service is what's illegitimate. And what's wrong with wanting to save some money?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to save some money. But where do you draw the line? Would you walk into Walmart and shoplift because the company makes a lot of money and shoplifting is cheaper? No? When why would you steal TV service from someone?

Not the same thing? Really? Why not? They are legally entitled to receive compensation for their property aren't they? If you wrote a book, wouldn't it be wrong for someone else to copy it and sell those copies and not go through the proper publishing channels?

There are a lot of illegal IPTV services, and the content owners are pushing for crackdowns on them. This happened recently in Egypt:

In synchronized arrests on August 28 and 29, the Egyptian police and the Egyptian Ministry of Internal Affairs took action against two operators of the ring of live sport, TV series and movie sites livehd7 and 3sktv in Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt. The ring of sites was logging an average of nearly 18M visits monthly, with most of the traffic coming from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Police noted that the operators grossed nearly 1M USD from their illegal activities.

This operation follows two successful raids conducted earlier this year by the Egyptian authorities and demonstrates their continued commitment to combating digital piracy. In February, Egyptian police, in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Internal Affairs, took action against the operator of Egylive.online and five other domains in the region of Edkou, Egypt. The six domains combined averaged nearly 5.9 million monthly visits, with 2.3 million monthly unique visitors originating primarily from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria.

My Streaming Life doesn't involve illegal services. But I'm not paying high prices for those services either. I can do without. And I'm always going to suggest that others avoid these illegal services. My family member was caught off-guard by my comment about it likely being an illegal service. I didn't mean to cause discomfort, but I'm going to offer my best suggestion at all times. And I always suggest avoiding piracy.

Ads, everywhere ads

I do not like ad blockers. But maybe not for the reason you think.

Yes, there are ads on this Website. If you are running an ad-blocker, you might not see the ads. But that's not why I don't like ad blockers. Let me clarify what I actually mean. I don't use ad blockers.

I don't subscribe to a lot of things, and am fine with ad-supported Websites. It's true that some Websites have a ridiculous number of ads, so many that they are annoying. I skip those Websites.

If the ads are bothersome, I won't return to the Website. If the ads are not too bad, I'll return to the Website.

I understand why many Websites run ads. It's a way to make some money. I don't make much money on this Website. It would be wonderful if I did, but the traffic to the Website isn't enough to make any money. I'll support Websites that use ads. I get it. But how do I feel about your using an ad blocker.

Honestly, it doesn't matter how I feel. If you choose to allow ads, that's great. If you don't, then you don't. Maybe you'll get some benefit from the Website. That would be good. It would be better if I got some advertising revenue from your visits, but I'm not about to put up code to deny your access if an ad blocker is detected. If you allow ads, great. If not, well that's just how it is.

My Streaming Life uses a lot of free ad-supported television (FAST) services. My Web browsing uses a lot of free ad-supported Websites as well. Ads are fine. Well, for me, they are.

A new Tablo?

Tablo announced a new generation device recently. I saw an article about it recently, but didn't follow up because of family activities going on. Plus selling my mother's house and the antenna, which is more of an impact.

Right now, Tablo isn't doing anything for me, as I don't have an antenna. I need to put up an antenna. I have one, and will put it up soon.

This weekend, I took a few minutes and looked at the announcement of the new Tablo device:

The latest version of Tablo hardware has been totally redesigned inside and out, with a sleek new form factor that is flexible enough to mount on your wall or sit on a table.

Inside Tablo are two powerful ATSC 1.0 tuners which deliver full quality MPEG2 video and an optional in-line amplifier to help lock in over-the-air channels from your TV antenna. There’s also 50+ hours of onboard DVR recording storage which can be expanded by connecting a USB hard drive (up to 8TB).

Like all Tablo models, the new 4th generation device can connect to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to deliver live and recorded antenna TV to smart TVs as well as streaming and mobile devices throughout your home.

And for the first time ever, Tablo will also use its internet connection to pull in a selection of 40+ free streaming channels (also known as FAST channels), which can be streamed and recorded in the new Tablo app interface.

I was a little surprised that Tablo released a device without ATSC 3 support, but I understand why they didn't release an ATSC 3 device. I suppose I'm just surprised that they released a device at all. But they did, and now I wonder if this is something I care about.

The new Tablo apps don't support "legacy hardware," they say. Also, they're looking to upgrade the legacy devices with a firmware update so the new apps will. That would mean my current device will remain in play for some time. So I don't see a reason to upgrade at this time.

My Streaming Life has included Tablo for a while now. I'm currently without until I get a new antenna up. But I'm looking to return to Tablo use soon. I really do miss it.

It looks like YouTube TV this year, not Sling TV

Each year, since Sling TV launched, I've subscribed to the service during college football season. I don't use a "streaming cable" service during the year, but I do want to be able to watch ESPN for college football games.

Normally, what I do is wait until the first game I want to watch is about to kick off, then subscribe to Sling TV for 30 days. That covers five weekends of college football. I normally cancel at the end of the subscription, and wait until the next game I want to watch is ready to kickoff, then subscribe again for 30 days, which covers five more weekends of football.

I repeat this throughout the season, and am able to watch the full season, which 15 weeks covers, for three 30-day subscriptions. This year, the plan was:

1. August 26, which covers through September 24.
2. September 30, which covers through October 29.
3. November 4, which covers through December 3.

That's the full season. When the bowls start, a fourth 30-day subscription would cover all the bowls.

This year, things will be a little different. I didn't actually watch any games last weekend, or so far this weekend. I had other things going on. Sling TV wasn't needed. And unless something drastic happens, I won't be subscribing to Sling TV this year.

You see, I sold my interest in my mother's house, and left them the antenna. I no longer have antenna access. Long story, but briefly, I bought that antenna, and used Tablo to watch it over the Internet at my house. That's no longer happening, so until I put up my own antenna, I don't get local channels.

Well, I can get local NBC and CBS via Peacock TV and Paramount Plus, if I so choose. But that leaves ABC and Fox, both of which will carry games.

Sling TV doesn't carry ABC or Fox -- in most places; they do in a very few select places, but not here -- so while that service would get me ESPN and other sports networks, it would not get me the local stations, which I won't get until I get off my butt and put up an antenna.

So, for the start of the college football season, I'm not going to subscribe to Sling TV. I'm going with YouTube TV. That's $33 more than I should be spending, but it's my own fault for being lazy.

If I put up the antenna within the next 30 days, then I'll pick up with Sling TV on September 30. If I don't, then YouTube TV will be the service that follows that schedule.

My Streaming Life will have college football. I want the cheapest way to include the games. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd be $33 richer.