Recently cancelled cable... Sports?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Kev

Lifer
Dec 17, 2001
16,367
4
81
I recently cancelled my cable TV subscription since they jacked my price thirty bucks. I have an Amazon Fire stick and I'm streaming content. I love it so far. But at the same time I'm dying because I can't watch my sports...

Anyone here in the same situation? Do you have any suggestions for live sports?

Do what I did. Stop caring about grown men playing with a ball!

I really only watch football anymore, and pretty much just the eagles, but I care less and less every season.
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
10
76
Stay strong, it is going to get worse before it gets better. Eventually there will be enough cancelled cable TV subscriptions that the major sports networks would have to be brain dead to stay lashed to the fail boat that is cable TV.
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Eventually there will be enough cancelled cable TV subscriptions that the major sports networks would have to be brain dead to stay lashed to the fail boat that is cable TV.

Maybe, maybe not. No one gets a sweeter deal from the cable cos than ESPN. When you add up all their channels (ESPN1, 2, SEC Network, ESPN U, etc.) the average cable consumer is paying the Mouse $10 per cable bill even if they don't like sports at all.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Stay strong, it is going to get worse before it gets better. Eventually there will be enough cancelled cable TV subscriptions that the major sports networks would have to be brain dead to stay lashed to the fail boat that is cable TV.

Don't hold your breath. Paid TV subscriptions (Cable and Dish) have stayed at 68% in the US for the past decade. Cord cutters are a small minority and nothing to cable companies.
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
142
106
Don't hold your breath. Paid TV subscriptions (Cable and Dish) have stayed at 68% in the US for the past decade. Cord cutters are a small minority and nothing to cable companies.

Wrong, it's only going to get worse for cable companies as 1 in 4 millenials refuse to buy cable or they cut the cord. Yes, so far it's only been a small group (1.5 million) but that trend is increasing every year.
http://www.techhive.com/article/283...als-have-cut-the-cord-or-never-had-cable.html
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
10
76
Don't hold your breath. Paid TV subscriptions (Cable and Dish) have stayed at 68% in the US for the past decade. Cord cutters are a small minority and nothing to cable companies.

No offense, but 68% is not a good number, when compared to 100% (which is what cable and dish can get). It has stayed so far, but I have already convinced 5 people in my little sphere to drop cable. I would like to think that there are lots like me that have been screaming at their relatives to drop cable.
 

gmaster456

Golden Member
Sep 7, 2011
1,877
0
71
I catch what games I can at work on break. Otherwise I'm usually at a family member or friends house, or a sports bar.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
No offense, but 68% is not a good number, when compared to 100% (which is what cable and dish can get). It has stayed so far, but I have already convinced 5 people in my little sphere to drop cable. I would like to think that there are lots like me that have been screaming at their relatives to drop cable.

It has been 68% for a long time. Regardless of what millennials claim, the same amount of people are paying for TV. I bet those are the same people who boycotted MW2, and were spotted online release day on it.
 

Attic

Diamond Member
Jan 9, 2010
4,282
2
76

This will mark the end of TV as we know it, and DirectTV is out. Folks will still need fast internet (cable will provide that) to grab the new "TV" packages, but they aren't going to be tied to the lousy pricing and games of DirecTV and Cable providers for traditional TV service.

Get all you want for half the price (or less) of what you pay now, folks are going to run to it.

As a result i'd expect the games and lies to start infesting more fully our internet pricing.
 

angminas

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 2006
3,331
26
91
NFL Game Rewind is $70 a year. You don't get to watch them live, but if you avoid learning the scores, it's nearly as good.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
126
Too bad those pole smokers make you turn off your ad blocker now in order to access their content so you get inundated with too many pop ups to actually watch what you're trying to watch.

Eff that noise.

ads? You're doing it wrong. No ad blocker or web browser needed.
 

DrDoug

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2014
3,580
1,629
136
Maybe, maybe not. No one gets a sweeter deal from the cable cos than ESPN. When you add up all their channels (ESPN1, 2, SEC Network, ESPN U, etc.) the average cable consumer is paying the Mouse $10 per cable bill even if they don't like sports at all.

Yup, but no $$ for ESPN from me anymore. I rarely ever watched them when we did have cable so I don't feel bad the few times I've streamed them since dropping it.

Streaming the Oregon - Ohio game now... Go Ducks! :biggrin:
 

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Nope not for sports. NFL has deals in place where you can't even watch stuff through steaming even if it's on that network. It's not going to change any time soon either.

Only way to stream the sports you want is illegally since there is no option to legally do it without paying for cable or using someone else's subscription.

Depends on where you live. The NFL has complete streaming packages for overseas. Just not available in the US (likely networks crying about it).
 

Accord99

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2001
2,259
172
106
It has been 68% for a long time. Regardless of what millennials claim, the same amount of people are paying for TV. I bet those are the same people who boycotted MW2, and were spotted online release day on it.
Actually, depending on the study, it's closer to 85-90% of all households are still pay-TV. The traditional pay-TV providers have lost a lot of subscribers, but almost all of it to the telecoms like AT&T and Verizon.
 

Hugh Jass

Golden Member
Nov 17, 2011
1,537
23
81
Do what I did. Stop caring about grown men playing with a ball!

I really only watch football anymore, and pretty much just the eagles, but I care less and less every season.

Cool story, pussy.
 

Hugh Jass

Golden Member
Nov 17, 2011
1,537
23
81
Wiziwig is back at a different web address. Don't think I can post the link here however.

I guess anyone interested can PM me.
 

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
6,544
3,004
136
If you're into a specific team check around their fan forums. I'm a fan of a specific college team and found a place that posts a streaming link as the game starts. I actually had to use it once this year because a game was on an uncommon cable channel.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
espn3 requires this:
Programs on ESPN require you to sign-in with your TV provider.

can't comment on NHL or MLB cuz NHL or MLB.

Not TV provider, ISP. I have Directv, but my ISP provides ESPN3. Problem with ESPN3, it only works on computers. If you want to watch on a tablet your ISP has to subscribe to WatchESPN. Mine doesn't.
 

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,044
556
126
I love sports...but I love not having a cable bill more! I end up spending much less time watching TV and that's fine by me. I get my NFL fix on Sundays and once our daughter is a little older we'll be heading back out to the stadiums and arenas to see live sports.

Paying for TV really is for brain dead people.
 

NoTine42

Golden Member
Sep 30, 2013
1,387
78
91
Depends on where you live. The NFL has complete streaming packages for overseas. Just not available in the US (likely networks crying about it).

The NFL allows those restrictions because they prefer the Billions paid by Their TV contracts to your streaming desires.

It's currently >$5 billion/year in TV money, and I don't think that includes the DirecTv NFL Ticket which is another $1.5 Billion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_on_television#List_of_NFL_television_contracts