How do cord cutters watch Michigan games?

Submitted by rockediny on

MOD EDIT - BUMPED BECAUSE THIS WILL COME UP TODAY TOO - LSA

I just had my first cable companies suck experience and now know first-hand why people hate them so much. I recently started a graduate program and currently have a basic cable package that includes no sports channels (roommates set this up before I moved in). This obviously sucks because I only watch sports on TV. I know there are several cord cutters here on the board so what are some affordable ways yall catch M games? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Also, have basic sports channels always been a premium service like HBO? That doesn't seem right to me.

EDIT: Thank you so much guys! It seems PlaystationVue is the best option for me. I'll pitch it to my roommates to see if they want cancel the cable (not contracted). I'm getting it regardless but if we share, it'll be cheaper for all of us.

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BlueCE

September 3rd, 2016 at 10:21 AM ^

I tried signing up for Vue yesterday after reading this thread. But unless you have Fire TV, a Roku or a PlayStation you are unable to establish a "home network" so it doesn't work. It sucked, spent like 2 hours trying to figure it out. If you do have one of these devices it sounds like it is the best option



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Tater

September 2nd, 2016 at 6:06 PM ^

Playstation Vue from Sony has a great package for $35 that has 70 or so channels.  They include All ESPN except classic, BTN, FS1 and a regional FS channel.   You can use a Fire TV stick or box, with the box having a remote that helps you navigate better.   The $35 package is the middle tier.  

Obviously, a regular antenna can get local channels.  It's not quite like cutting cable altogether, but I pay a lot less of what you end up paying after the introductory period is over.;

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MH20

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:04 AM ^

I give my parents $10 a month to use their cable login so I can stream live TV using my many media devices (Roku, Fire Stick, Nexus Player, laptop) on the various televisions in my house.  They get a little cash and I get cheap access to a ton of channels (like many folks, my parents pay for a huge channel package and watch like four).  Just make sure you have a fast Internet connection.

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The Baughz

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:40 AM ^

I use my parents log in information as well. I also have a Mohu Leaf HD antenna for ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. The only channel I do not have access to is Fox Sports 1. If I buy PS Vue or Sling I would be spending about $75-80 a month which is still cheaper than having cable.



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Hachgoblue

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:11 AM ^

As a heads up, it's horrible. It's streaming so it's about a minute or two behind the live broadcast, not great if you have friends who text you throughout the game. The streams also cut out frequently during the most watched games -- MNF, Saturday night games, NCAA tourney, etc. 

I wouldn't recommend it.

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uofmchris

September 2nd, 2016 at 10:27 AM ^

That is exactly what I am doing right now. Signed up for the free 7 day trial last night to watch the Tenn v. Appy game (but more importantly the big game tomorrow!) and when I cancel in a few days I will jump over to PSVue to ensure B1G channel this season!

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ThoseWhoStay W…

September 2nd, 2016 at 8:58 AM ^

Playstateion Vue. It’s been amazing so far. Clear picture and I get all the sports channels I had with Comcast for only a fraction of the price. The interface is also very easy to use and control either using my controller or phone. And it has a ton of on demand shows for my wife (when football is not on of course).

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ijohnb

September 2nd, 2016 at 8:59 AM ^

has always been relatively good to me, but I have been given such a brutal, dare I say dehumanizing, runaround about a relatively minor tech issue this past week that I came close to telling the tech to take all my stuff with him on the way out and send the bill to my lawyer. (Me!)

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canzior

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:25 AM ^

complaint, file it with the FCC.  You'll be amazed at how quickly they fix your issue.  I had an experience with Verizon where I was sent to collections for not paying a bill on service that was never installed at my house. It was on my credit report and I didn't know until I got my mortgage preapproval.  Lender told me to file a complaint with the FCC because the number of complaints they have can have adverse effects on something...I forgot what exactly it was.  Within 2 weeks, I had spoked to 3 people and I got a letter from the Experian, Verizon, and the FCC that it had been resolved.

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ldevon1

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:00 AM ^

Networks like the Big Ten, SEC, MLB, and NFL for this. Premium packaging became attractive to cable companies to bleed more money out of the consumer with specific programming needs.

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Michansas Wolverback

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^

My suggestion is to subscribe to PlayStation VUE, a streaming app similar to SlingTV but way better. I feel like a lot of people are not yet aware of this. VUE has 3 pricing levels (channel packages), the middle tier of which is $34.95 and gives you BTN, ESPN, ESPN2 and U, SECN, FS1, FS2 and NFLN. By comparison, SlingTV only gives you the ESPN channels and maybe FS1 (can't recall). The other great thing is that a VUE subscription - which is monthly and can be cancelled anytime, like right after football season - gets you access to the ESPN Watch app. This allows you to watch any game on ABC, even if you don't have cable at all.

I think VUE is a no brainer for anyone considering cutting the cord. It also has pretty much every other popular cable channel you can think of, including all the kids channels for your MGoParents out there.



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reshp1

September 2nd, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^

As far as I know, Vue is pretty location locked. They do offer Mobile functionality, but it's limited (some channels are locked out, some functions removed). 

If you are just sharing it on multiple TVs in the same house I think it's fine, you can have multiple streams going, although I think you can only have one PS3/PS4 streaming and the others have to use one of the other devices (FireTV, Roku, etc). 

EDIT: Here you go:

How many devices can I stream PlayStation™Vue on at once?

A single PlayStation™Vue account can simultaneously stream PlayStation™Vue on up to one PS4 console and one PS3 console in the same home. (Note: at this time, you cannot stream on two PS4 consoles or two PS3 consoles at any given time.)

You can also use PlayStation™Vue Mobile on up to 3 iOS and Android devices, as well as PlayStation™Vue on Fire TV, Roku streaming devices, and Chromecast. Up to five total streams are supported at once!

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