Semi-OT: Any way to get BTN for cord cutters?
Just found out BTN is no longer included in one of my streaming plans.
Between Netflix, Apple+, Amazon Prime, and a million other streaming services, I don't feel like paying another $15 to pay for BTN Plus (or whatever it's called these days) to watch maybe one game a month.
I have streaming packages that'll cover my ESPN/Fox/CBS/NBC sporting needs, it's literally just BTN that's the outlier.
How are other cord cutters getting their BTN fix?
August 29th, 2022 at 10:09 AM ^
YoutubeTV includes BTN
August 29th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
This. It looks like they have added ESPN-plus and the ACC network, so I am good to go for most sports I watch. I only wish that the U of M, like Texas, had its own network so that I could watch more M sports. Wonder what kind of viewership would be required to make that pay? The little school where my daughter plays soccer offers live streams of the games. . .
August 29th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
If you're trying to watch additional sports that aren't broadcast on tv (many hockey, wrestling, baseball etc) then BTN+ is your only option. You can get a School specific annual pass for $80 a year or $10 month to month.
August 29th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Thanks, is there more Michigan content available than I can obtain from B1G on YouTube? I just looked, and it wasn't easy to figure out.
EDIT: Okay, got it. I thought there was really a Michigan-specific channel, but in truth it's just some non-revenue sports from all the schools. Still, may just do it one of these fall-winter seasons down the road when I retire!
Would appreciate evals from people who have done it, though, What sports did you end up watching? Were you able to see any and all events that you had keyed in on? I'd watch: Men's basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse. Women's soccer, field hockey, basketball, maybe gymnastics? Tennis.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:32 PM ^
I have gotten it during hockey season when Michigan would have a couple weekends in a row on BTN+. I've also seen some baseball broadcasts and a few others so I could give a little insight.
Just be ready for the stream quality to be terrible. For example, Michigan hockey games use the in house scoreboard feed which is then streamed over BTN+ and they overlay the radio broadcast which is used as the commentating. So following goals, they start showing graphics of the player who scored while the game is happening.
I mentioned I've also picked it up for some big baseball series in years past and that can be even worse. For example, Michigan was playing at Maryland and all they had was a fixed camera from the press box that showed most of the field like you were sitting upper deck behind home plate at Comerica Park. No other angles. Same thing with the audio in that they dubbed over a radio broadcast.
I'm not saying it's not worth it if you want to watch those other sports but I also think it could be so much better. Super frustrating that NAIA schools can figure out a way to stream sports onto youtube with a student commentator and multiple cameras but an entity like the Big Ten can't be bothered to do the bare minimum.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
Ouch. Okay, I really appreciate this.
August 29th, 2022 at 2:53 PM ^
Seeing as how Texas' incessant need to throw its fat ass around and wallow in its own crapulence (while having failed to accomplish anything of note that would justify its domineering attitude) is pretty much the reason for all of the realignment chaos, emulating Texas is one thing I hope Michigan never does.
August 30th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
Yeah, okay. I visited Austin as a teen and loved it--fairly highly regarded oasis in a state that's become a petri dish of harsh neoliberal experiment. I never liked the teams, but I don't hold it against the entire institution.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:09 AM ^
I don't know where you live, but in the Philadelphia area, I get BTN through youtubetv. It starts at $55/month and then goes to 65.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
That's unfortunately what I was trying to avoid. I basically have every channel I need through other various platforms.
Had DirectTV/ATT Now service, but they kept increasing the price.
Oh well.
August 29th, 2022 at 3:49 PM ^
The last time I cut a cord, the hospital made me take the baby home with me.
Two years later though, I taught it to say, “Fuck Ohio State” which it yelled repeatedly during The Game.
The wife wasn’t enthusiastic about it but it made the cord cutting worthwhile.
Good luck.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:10 AM ^
It’s available on Hulu in my area of the South. Don’t know if it’s available everywhere, though.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:11 AM ^
Unfortunately, I haven't found a high-quality solution to this issue. I think you can generally find some bootleg streams online, but image quality is poor.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
stream.mgocrazy.com on gamedays
August 29th, 2022 at 3:27 PM ^
I owe you a beer.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:11 AM ^
I have Hulu Live that has everything. But you are right Michigan usually only has one or two games a year on BTN (basketball is different story). When I could not get it I just hit up a sports bar for the one or two Saturdays. If you don't want to pay each month that is an easy option, I think all sports bars have BTN now.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
I cut the cord 5-6 years ago. Economics are funny. I'll pay $60+ in beer and food at a sports bar to catch a game, but I won't pay the $10/month to catch it at home because I'm cheap. I did the math and it doesn't add up.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
Dunno what you mean, that math totally checks out to me ;-)
August 29th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Find a stream on reddit or make a friend if you don't want to pay for B1G+ for a few months. Sounds like you know all the answers so why start this thread again? There's no secret 5 dollar a month option if you aren't will to switch providers.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:16 AM ^
We have it as part of Fubo.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:17 AM ^
BTN is on Youtube TV like others have said.
I just upgraded my TV to OLED and subbed to Youtube TV for the upcoming season. I watched my first game on FOX this past saturday and the quality was absolute GARBAGE streaming through the tv. I ended up streaming via my firesticks Youtube TV app and it was a little better, but still crappy.
Checked ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, BIG10 network and FS1 and all of them had better quality. I will be really disappointed if Fox broadcasts a handful of UM games this year.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
I could be wrong, but the pre-installed streamer apps are not good and you'll get better performance from the dongles. I use a later-generation google tv dongle for everything - including YouTube TV. It is pretty good (I can watch all the games) but I'll jump if I see something better. 4k seems hard to come by on YouTube TV - they have a 4k tier of service which doesn't do much (a handful of 4k games are periodically available) for the extra $19.99/month.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^
I use Rokus on my TVs and they work very well...the apps on the TVs are to be avoided where possible
August 29th, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
Start by checking the quality and speed of your internet connection at https://www.speedtest.net/
It is important to test at the same time you are experiencing picture quality issues.
August 29th, 2022 at 12:49 PM ^
If you live in a urban area try watching it over the air through an antenna. I watched it this way and the local Fox feed looked great. Streaming services are compressing that very same signal to send to you.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:09 PM ^
Google sent me a first gen Chromecast a few years ago. Not long after, xfinity dropped BTN and I tried YoutubeTV, first through the app on my LG smartTV, then through the Chromecast, which offered much better navigation. I now use Chromecast on both TVs at home and take on with us when we travel. Picture quality is very good; I haven’t bothered to try 4k.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:22 AM ^
Just a reminder that BTN+ does NOT carry live football or basketball games that are being broadcast on cable. Much like ESPN+, it is really only worth it if you're trying to watch the non-revenue sports or hockey.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
Wait, for real?
So I basically have to get BTN, the actual channel itself?
August 29th, 2022 at 11:05 AM ^
I was under the impression ESPN and B1G Network were the same for this. And therefore you pretty much just have to suck it up and YTTV it.
ESPN+ doesn't carry games live either, right?
August 29th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
It sometimes carries the game being aired on ESPN. But you're out of luck for anything on another ESPN channel unless you have a cable/satelling subscription to long in with.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
ESPN+ will have G5 (or lower) games on it, sometimes exclusive to ESPN+.
But you won't get access to the games on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 in the app without a provider login.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:55 AM ^
Yes for real. BTN+ is not a streaming alternative to what is being shown on the big ten network. It is a separate deal to watch non-revenue sports.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:16 PM ^
They had me until the btn+ section promised all non-televised games from “Wisconsin University” and thirteen current members of the Big10.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
Hulu Live is my go-to. Pay for Live during football season, then switch back to regular Hulu when football is over. You get every M football game
August 29th, 2022 at 10:43 AM ^
This is my answer as well, living in Wisconsin.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:44 AM ^
Hulu Live carries it. New England area.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:48 AM ^
YouTube TV. I hadn't had access to BTN in years, but we finally cut the cord last month and moved over to YouTube TV. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we got BTN included. The sports lineup we get with them isn't too shabby.
I think we get every channel on YouTube TV that we'll need to be able to watch Michigan. At least for now. Now when the B1G moves over to the FOX/CBS/NBC deal, we'll have to figure out if its worth signing up for Peacock to get whatever games Michigan gets relegated to on that platform. We used to get it for free with Xfinity but we hardly ever used it so the value was nonexistent anyway.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:23 PM ^
Do you have local Fox, CBS, NBC stations on your YouTubeTV? I do.
If you want to use peacock, you can stream for free with commercials. It’s an option for viewing live games. No data yet on picture quality. I’ll probably watch the NBC games over the air.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:41 PM ^
Yeah we get all the local channels so no worries there.
Not really sure we want to use Peacock right now. If it ends up being free, I can tolerate the ads that come along with it. But for now, it’s just one more thing to go into and there isn’t content solely on Peacock that I need to have.
August 29th, 2022 at 2:02 PM ^
No decisions required now. Lots *will* happen in the next two years.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
I dropped hulu plus for YourTube TV this year, will see how that goes. It’s just as expensive as cable now so might not be worth it…
August 29th, 2022 at 2:58 PM ^
It was just as expensive as cable, but my cable company decided to raise their price $50 (half of which was in “fuck you” fees that YTTV doesn’t have) so… snip snip. And they decided to get greedy and raise my internet price after canceling the cable, so guess who’s getting a Verizon 5G ultra wideband box tomorrow?
August 29th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
Thanks for the responses.
So it basically looks like my options are:
- Go to the bar
- Add a live TV streaming service that includes BTN ($50+/mo)
- Find someone who will let me use their online cable login
As of right now, it looks like i'll need to hit up the alumni bar.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
Right, I prefer option 1 in your list. Find a local bar / pub with BTN and enjoy it that way…
Go Blue!
August 29th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
I suggest checking out DirecTv Stream. It is a streaming service but is very similar in look/feel to traditional cable. It has all the big time sports channels, INCLUDING the regional Bally Sports networks. That was the deal sealer for me. I've had it for about 2 years and have been completely satisfied.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
Except it's $90 + tax vs $65 for YTTV.
August 29th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Cord cutting is now more expensive than cable unfortunately.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:02 PM ^
But sometimes you have to cut the cord to get the cable back down. I usually threaten to leave/leave every 2 years from our local spectrum. I sign back up after some time at the introductory price.
August 29th, 2022 at 1:09 PM ^
Yeah no joke. I went thru all this last year, swapping around various streaming plans trying to get ESPN, BTN and local channels. Ended up getting it thru my cable company (spectrum) as it was cheaper. Just called and cancelled in Jan. Apparently they get a load of people to get cable TV in August and then they all call and cancel in January.