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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VicTorious1

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^

Sony Vue - works on a PlayStation 4 and 3, Roku, Amazon Firestick, Chromecast, online and iOS and Android. The Elite Slim package is $34.99 and comes with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, BTN (with 3 BTN alternates), FS1, FS2, FoxSports Regional, SEC Network and all local channels, except ABC.

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Nobody Likes a…

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:02 AM ^

I use sling but if you want to do it the free way there are always streaming torrents which provide pretty great quality but are behind tv a minute or so. So if you can stay off twitter and are ok with the remifications of illegal streaming there is always that

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tdcarl

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:08 AM ^

I use my parent's TV provider login and a Chromecast to get the games onto my TV. Streaming definitely has its drawbacks at times, but the few bucks a month I give my parents to use their login is a whole lot cheaper than a cable bill. 


When all else fails, firstrowsports. Definitely a last resort though.

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reshp1

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:08 AM ^

Playstation Vue has been great so far. They carry almost all the CFB channels in their base $35/mo package with no add-ons and they also have pseudo DVR functionality. Picture quality and stability/performance (on a PS4) is miles above Sling, which I had last year and would crash left and right on any of the 3-4 devices I tried. Vue has a free 7 day trial.

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BlueMaize

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:09 AM ^

PlayStation Vue sounds like the way to go for this - I had no idea that so many channels were available for it. Seems like a no brainier compared to how much a comparative package would cost on cable.



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Bohica

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:10 AM ^

As other stated, PlayStation Vue is the way to go. Slightly more than SlingTV, but the BTN and DVR makes it worth it. Try em both (free one week trial) and see which you prefer. Just make sure to align your SlingTV free trial in a week where Michigan plays on a non-BTN channel.



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DonAZ

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:10 AM ^

I'm up in the wilds of West Virginia this summer and fall and the only internet I can get is satellite.  It works fine for e-mail and some short streaming, but for streaming live content it wouldn't work.  Oh, and surprisingly there really aren't any sports bars in this county.

So for me it's going to be Sirius radio for the games.  I'll endure Brandstatter while I picture the goings-on for the game.

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UMProud

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:16 AM ^

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/

 

They offer 3 packages...I got the middle one @ 34.95/month (75+ channels) which offers almost all the sports stations Michigan would use (BTN, ESPN, FOX) ... only one missing is CBSN which Michigan had 1? game on last year.  It's month to month so you can cancel anytime and they offer a 7 day trial.  You can go to the page, add it to the cart & get a zip code pop up box to check availability.  The interface is easy to use, you can DVR in the cloud and the image quality is HD very good.  Also comes with NFL network as part of the bundle.

I use a Roku to access PS Vue.  So in addition to Vue, I installed channel apps (ESPN app, AMC app, National Geographic app, etc) on my Roku and used my PS Vue credentials to unlock the content on these apps.  Huge library of stuff!

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LSAClassOf2000

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:15 AM ^

Just an FYI to the board - this thread will also be bumped occasionally to mitigate multiple occurences of this question as well, because it will happen, particularly beginning tomorrow morning, if history around here holds. Just another attempt at decluttering that we're trying to institute this year - evolving policy, as always, of course. 

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reshp1

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:25 AM ^

Unfortunately no. Android is the closes thing, but they bork some things for mobile due to agreements with the content providers. It does work on a $35 FireStick though. I think they need a device that they can verify you are only streaming at your home and not sharing with people all over the country. 

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haiku

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:36 AM ^

To sum up the answer to your question, yes and no.

You have a couple of options. You can download the PS Vue app for use on tablet/phone. 

You can also log on to ESPN or BTN from your browser by using your PS Vue account and watch from there. 

So, although you can't pull up channels from the PlayStation website, you can use your Vue account to log on to ESPN and BTN. Hope that helps. 

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translator82

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:21 AM ^

I'm doing one of these two things since I've joined the cord cutter group:
*Stream the games on my computer with Watch ESPN or whatever BTN/Fox's platform is called (Fox Sports' stream of the Utah game was awful last year), using my brother's cable login. If you're trying to stream from an international locale, get a VPN so that you won't get blocked.

*Go to the alumni bar and watch there. Since I'm in NYC these days, that'll be Prof. Thom's or Barleycorn.

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bsgriffin1

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:34 AM ^

I have had Plastation Vue for the past couple months and I LOVE IT. I have the middle package for 35$ a month and get all ESPN, BTN, SECN, Fox sports 1 & 2 and Fox Sports Detroit, and NFL Network. plus 70+ other channels. 

 

Paired with Charter Internet, I'm around 65$ a month.

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His Dudeness

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:32 AM ^

I genuinely don't understand why some smart person hasn't done to live streaming tv what popcorn time has done for movies. There has to be a way. Please, nerds. Help us.

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allintime23

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:35 AM ^

Good for you but I simply can't live like that. I have every sports channel I can get and normally watch football until the last pac 12 snap is snapped. I imagine you can get what you need through streaming these days but that's a risk I can't take.

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haiku

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:40 AM ^

I'll throw in another vote for PS Vue. However, to those who are thinking about it, please note that ABC, NBC, and FOX are listed on the available channels BUT they are only On Demand channels. They are not live. So if you have a football game being shown on ABC, you won't be able to watch it as it happens. 

In that case, you'll have to log on to the ESPN website with the Vue account and watch from there or hook your laptop up with a trusty ol' HDMI cable...or just buy a TV antenna to get local channels.  

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hail2victors9

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:49 AM ^

I have a digital antenna (~$10-80--I paid $15 for mine) which gets you Hi-Def ABC, FOX, and NBC for games at ND (CBS, too, for NFL/Basketball/SEC football purposes) for free.  I also use my brother's DirectTV login to access WatchESPN and BTN2Go.  I have my CPU connected to my TV via HDMI.

I'll go to someone's house or a bar if it isn't covered above (FS1) or if it's a big enough game that I don't want to risk any possible interference (streaming options).

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John Matrix

September 3rd, 2016 at 11:17 AM ^

Agreed. Similarly, I use brother's cable login for various Roku apps via the stick (ESPN, btn, nbc sports (Liverpool games), HBOgo, private Roku app for FS1), then HD antenna for abc, nbc, cbs, fox. Covers any channel I need and I only pay for Internet.

Some people might have trouble with this if they need live tv and like the traditional feeling of flipping through channels. There are a few Roku apps that have traditional live tv, but for me I can just turn on the live antenna channels. If I didn't have the login, I would potentially do sling tv or PlayStation vue. Lots of great options out there.

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tweedy

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:50 AM ^

Are all the folks saying $35 for Vue from metro Detroit? When I look (I'm in Chicago), I see Elite=$55, Core=$45, and Access=$40. Core has BTN, Access does not.  

 

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