It's Decorative Streaming Football Gourd Season - what's your approach?

Submitted by JamesBondHerpesMeds on August 31st, 2023 at 9:57 AM

I've admittedly poached off a friend's Xfinity account for the past few years solely for sports watchin', and I feel like as a responsible adult, I should get a goddamn account myself.

When I look at the schedule, there are four networks (Peacock, BTN, CBS, and FOX) that are carrying games this year. I don't know whether it makes sense to purchase streaming services for all four, get a youtube.tv subscription, etc. etc.

Other context: we already have internet service with a local provider and we don't want to switch to a bundle (like Xfinity or Verizon).

How are you thinking thru this gobbledygook yourself?

 

St Joe Blues

August 31st, 2023 at 10:07 AM ^

Quickly learn Russian or Serbian. Some of the streams that you can find online are dubbed over in the language of the country where the stream aggregator is located.

Wallaby Court

August 31st, 2023 at 10:23 AM ^

Short of hoisting the Jolly Roger, you will only need two subscriptions to watch every Michigan game this year. For this Saturday's game, you must subscribe to Peacock, which is NBC's over-the-top* service. Everything else will be on a linear* service, like cable, satellite, or an internet analogue à la YouTubeTV or Sling.

*Television services have split into two broad categories: over-the-top and linear. Netflix is the Platonic ideal of an over-the-top service. You can only access Netflix via the internet; a Netflix subscription  gives you on-demand access to Netflix content. Cable is the Platonic ideal of a linear service. You access cable through cable distribution lines, coaxial cable, and a cable box; a cable subscription gives you access to a wide variety of third party content as it airs. These lines have blurred as over-the-top services have added live content and linear services became available via the internet.

 

S.G. Rice

August 31st, 2023 at 10:34 AM ^

I will be listening to the Michigan Radio Network, produced by IMG, presented by Liberty Mutual (liberty bibberty), this post brought to you by Progressive where they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need.

When I go clinically insane due to the endless ads I'll watch the games that show up as B1G Football in 60 episodes on BTN instead.

NotADuck

August 31st, 2023 at 10:38 AM ^

I would avoid Peacock.  It's pretty useless unless you enjoy Premier League soccer.

Personally I'm using my parent's Spectrum login information for streaming purposes.  It can be used for FOX, BTN, and CBS.  Not sure if you have someone in your family with a cable subscription, but that is an option.

If you want to pay for anything, pay for FOX.  BTN and FOX are under the same umbrella and that will get you the most coverage.  CBS is probably not necessary.

Also keep in mind that a friendly MGoUser has set up a bootleg stream for the ECU game, making Peacock even more unnecessary.  I believe he will post a link to it before the game.  Check the board Saturday morning!

TruBluMich

August 31st, 2023 at 11:11 AM ^

Go to a sports bar and watch the first game of the year or even better go to the game, tickets are around $40.  The rest of them will all be on YouTube TV, which you can cancel at the end of the season.

Steve Breaston…

August 31st, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^

if this is a gourd reference to a 14-year old McSweeney's article, then congratulations, you are awesome

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its-decorative-gourd-season-motherfuckers

bnoble

August 31st, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^

I'm partial to Fubo, which with the optional sports add-on has pretty much everything you'd want if you are sports degenerate, including BeIn, Stadium, BTN/SEC/ACC networks, and the final year of the mighty Pac 12 network. (I went to Cal so I have an excuse.) They also often show the non-CONCACAF soccer tournaments so if you want to know what's going on in, say, the African Cup of Nations, they probably have you covered.

That leaves Peacock for most of the Premiere League and a handful of oddball college things. I was going to hold the line on this, but then got a promotion for 3 months at $2/month, so I caved.

I'm at a point on the time vs. money curve where I don't want to waste time trying to find a pirate stream that actually works, but I get that's not everyone.

tubauberalles

August 31st, 2023 at 2:16 PM ^

I've been using Fubo for a couple years too, starting from getting a free trial to watch some Tour de France and just keeping it from inertia (their cunning plan all along).  I've been able to watch a lot of college sports through it along with the original sin of cycling so have kept it. It's not cheap, though, so I sometimes consider looking for other options.  But see above re: inertia/lethargy.

MGoOhNo

September 1st, 2023 at 2:22 AM ^

Probably the way the other 999999999999999999999999999999999999 threads asking this exact same question before your thread suggested how to handle.