OT: Cord-cutting update: YouTubeTV drops FOX regional networks
I cut the cord in May and found input on this site helpful, so I thought I'd share this disappointing news.
As of yesterday (10/1), YouTube TV has dropped the FOX Regional Sports Networks due to a failure to reach an agreement with Sinclair. Subscribers also no longer have access to any recordings made from those networks.
In June, YTTV announced a price increase (to $65/month), which made a lot of people unhappy.
On the whole, cutting the cord has been a positive thing and saved me over $100/month from Comcast. When sports come back and I need FSD again, I'll probably drop YTTV and try Hulu Plus.
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:46 AM ^
sportsurge.net
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:24 AM ^
There doesn't seem to be anything here. Check back later.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
Try closer to gametime. They don't have everything, and some of the streams are bad quality and/or riddled with ads, but better than nothing and free.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
I can't believe that site has lasted as long as it has. I thought it would've been wiped out by now. Truly one of the greatest sites on the internet
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:47 AM ^
If I decide to ever cord cut, I'll just have antenna tv and make sure to have a good internet connection.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
Thats me to a "T". I have a cheap antenna and get Fox, ABC, NBC and PBS. CBS is iffy.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:39 PM ^
Splurge for a good antenna ... the number of channels and the quality of what you can pick up over the air in most areas is really something.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:55 PM ^
Have you found a good indoor one? I live in Kalamazoo and haven't found one that gets me more than 1 of the major networks.
October 2nd, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
I too live in the zoo and have one of the flat ones that goes on the wall or window
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:48 AM ^
Getting tough for cord cutting. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but live right on the MI/OH border in Ohio and 9/10 these streaming services don’t give me FSD anyway, which is a dealbreaker. I’d love to cut the cord, but it feels like it’s getting harder and harder.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:22 AM ^
It's getting tough for cord cutting, but that's how a market works. For a while, there was an inefficiency since the cable alternatives were so much cheaper, and quality caught up quickly when everyone got high-speed, reliable internet so streaming was fine. Once YTTV and the others figured out that everyone was willing to pay more, they raised the price. The price on the supply and demand curves will move closer to equilibrium until the next big shock that changes things again.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:22 AM ^
It's not too tough to cut the cord if you are willing to take the chance that you might miss a MI game or two. I have an antenna (if you don't have one you need to buy one NOW) and Sling Orange + Blue. The only thing I will miss will be a BTN broadcast. I am comfortable living with this because the alternative is to pay $20/month more for a service I don't need. Plus, I have friends that I can watch those games with.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
You'll miss a whole lot more than a game or two during basketball season without BTN.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
That's true, and I'm also willing to take that chance. Just about any good game is on FS1, ESPN or a legacy network. I'm OK with missing Michigan at Rutgers
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Good option for you then. I can't stand missing basketball games. I even buy BTN+ so I don't miss the exhibition game and the one regular season game on there. Worth the $10 for me even though I think it's a BS price grab to put basketball on BTN+.
October 2nd, 2020 at 2:17 PM ^
Yeah, I've been following these cord cutting discussions here and it's funny to see the price go up $5-$10 every iteration until you're basically at the point that cable is a bit more expensive but YT/Hulu/PSVue/etc. have fewer channels and crappier service.
In most places people have a limited number of providers of internet and media services, and as such if you stop paying for one piece of that these companies will simply shift the cost somewhere else to return to equilibrium.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:44 AM ^
I have too, and it strikes me that many people, not all, end up adding so many streaming services that they are paying more than they did for cable. Nothing wrong with this, but selling it as a cost cutting measure appears untrue for many cable cutters.
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:48 AM ^
Decisions,... Decisions...
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:53 AM ^
My college buddy had this the first year after we graduated and he loved it, sad to see this portion of it leave
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:10 AM ^
I'm in my first month with YouTube TV and I got this notice. At least they added NFL Network. I'm probably going to keep it until football season is over and then cancel. I tried FUBO as well. It was good but was missing ABC. I looked at Hulu but wanted NFL network which they don't have.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:13 AM ^
Has the board had a recent guide or survey of the available live streaming pay sites? Someone used to post one before every football season, but I do not remember seeing anything. My go-to was PlayStation Vue, but Sony shut that down last winter, so I need to find a replacement. I was leaning towards YouTubeTV, but the escalating cost and lineup disputes have me concerned.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:21 AM ^
I found these helpful:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-streaming-video-services,review-2625.html
https://www.cnet.com/news/youtube-tv-vs-hulu-vs-sling-tv-vs-philo-vs-fubotv-vs-at-t-tv-now-100-channels-live-tv-streaming/
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:14 AM ^
You cord cutters love drama
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
I've really liked YouTubeTV, but yeah, the price increase plus now dropping FS local, probably time to cancel once football season is over and move to a cheaper option.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
Really wish Sony Vue was still a thing. It was so much better than YTTV. Think this will finally push me away from YTTV. The ads are ridiculous, considering that I'm already PAYING YOU to watch this shit. So tired of so many things in this country, everything is just "dolla dolla bill yo".
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
I have YTTV and told them they have about two weeks to resolve this kerfuffle or im switching services.
Both the Indians, Cavs and BlueJackets are on Fox Sports Ohio and I'm not going to pay $65 per month for 6 separate Cheddar Network channels
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:46 AM ^
I'm sorry mGrowOld, but i have to question your thought process on this. I understand cutting the cord to save money, but does someone that just sold a boat for $70k and owns a garage dedicated muscle car think the savings are worth these monthly price/coverage hassles?
Again, you are one of my favorite posters, i just can't get behind cord cutting when the difference ends up being the cost of going out to dinner once a month.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:04 AM ^
Thank you for the nice words. But remember the path to wealth for most of us is a lifetime of small, good financial decisions, not hitting the lottery.
If I can get what I want on TV at a lower price I'll do it, even if I can afford a more expensive alternative.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
I subscribe to HBO for a month about three times a year. People at work (who make far less than me) are like "why bother with all that hassle?". Because instead of spending $180/yr I spend $45. And instead of paying $300+/month for my family cell plan I spend $100 on cricket. And instead of spending $130/month for twelve months of cable I pay $45/month for six or seven months. And instead of buying a new Ford Bronco like one idiot at work is about to do I drive an older Prius that costs me next to nothing. And before you know it the dollars add up and I'm in a position to retire by 55 with a home I own free and clear by then, while these guys are going to need to be making enough to make $2,000+ monthly debt service payments well into their sixties.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:29 PM ^
You don’t consider convenience when weighing or is it strictly bottom line savings? I’ve cut the cord several times over the past decade and always end up coming back. The convenience is worth the price difference, for me anyway. Keeps the wife from nagging as well.
October 2nd, 2020 at 7:30 PM ^
Man, I tell my wife (who is by no means a big spender) a version of this monthly.
Why pay more for something when you can pay less with a couple mouse clicks & some patience?
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:33 AM ^
I liked PS Vue the best. I dropped YTTV when they upped the price and went to Hulu which I like better. However, there is a con: it’s not possible to watch a show or sporting event a bit late and catch up because you cant fast forward commercials. I tried FF during the Lions game within the actual game and that didn’t work either. In fact, FF just took me back to the beginning which really pissed me off.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:42 AM ^
I don't find cable to be all that expensive. I get a majority of sports channels, fiber internet, HBO max for $120
October 2nd, 2020 at 7:04 PM ^
That's literally twice the cost for the same thing streaming.
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:18 PM ^
I read his post as 120 for the fios and tv which is amazing. But if true, that’s not twice. The amount. Yttv does not provide the internet it streams on.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:52 AM ^
That is what I pay for GB internet service and cable through FIOS. Every two years I have to negotiate it back to that price when the contract is up, but I always get it. I recognize FIOS is not available to everyone, but I am shocked by some of the numbers people claim they are paying for cable.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:43 AM ^
Comcast for life. None of these reindeer games.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:44 AM ^
Cutting the cord is losing any advantages it ever had over cable. The combined cost of the service, plus high speed internet, likely puts you right back into Comcast's price range.
I am sticking with YTTV for now because I like the DVR, and I like that I can watch it on all my mobile devices. I also like the month-to-month plan better than a commitment to Comcast.
But I don't feel like this is a "winning" set up at all.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:51 AM ^
Agree with this sentiment. If I wanted to go back to playing Spectrum's games I could save $40 a month for the first year by switching back to cable+internet from them. I'm staying with YTTV for now because I like it, but it's very much a relationship on thin ice.
Maybe I should be thankful that I'm now much less likely to watch future Tigers games. Good for my sanity.
October 2nd, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
But isn't high speed internet a given? I mean, most people who have cable ALSO have high-speed internet, so it's not like you can ditch that cost by ditching YTTV or whatever.
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
CenturyLink laughs at your "high-speed internet a given."
October 2nd, 2020 at 12:58 PM ^
This, exactly. Especially during pandemic times when I'm working from home and sharing bandwidth with 2 other heavy users.
The cost for a high speed connection is irrelevant, in my mind. I'll have it whether I'm a YTTV subscriber or not.
October 2nd, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
Yes, most people have high speed internet. But if you buy cable + internet together, you get a bit of a discount. For example, in my area, Comcast's internet + cable package runs about $100-$120.
My set up is Google's Webpass + YTTV, which also works out to about $120/month.
I get basically 0 savings by cutting the cord. My main advantage is that I don't have to deal with Comcast, who was horrible last time I had them. It's also nice to have TV on all my mobile devices, so I can watch CNBC or Sports during my commute or if I am at a bar that doesn't have my game on.
October 2nd, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
Good point.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
Had the same reaction. Will probably ditch YTTV and try Hulu Plus once football season is over.
Although, I read that they may just be renegotiating their contract with the Fox RSNs. Hopefully, they are back soon!
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:51 AM ^
I ditched YTTV once they jacked the prices up, I now have Sling TV with Sports package and couldn't be happier.
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
I've had Hulu live for almost a year and I really like it. The only thing I don't like is not getting NFL network. I like it enough that I don't want to switch to YTTV to get it. Hopefully they add it at some point in the future. I can't figure out any other way to access it through Roku.
October 2nd, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^
I also have hulu live and really like it. the price makes a lot of sense if you had hulu 'regular' in the first place (as the hulu library is included in the live subscription). the UI is easy to navigate for me on Apple TV. I only really miss NFL network maybe 3 times a year.
EDIT: it also helps that i'm wired for google fiber 1gb speed and usually get ~400mbps over wifi. not sure what comcast charges these days but I was pretty pleased with them when I did use broadband, fwiw.
October 2nd, 2020 at 9:22 PM ^
Do you get major cable news live with Hulu Live?