UofM 1990

April 12th, 2018 at 3:33 PM ^

I just dropped DirecTV and replaced it with Youtube TV.  I'm saving $110 / month and have it has BTN along with every other channel that I watch except the NHL Network.  I will say that I spent about 6 hours and 3 trips to Best Buy trying to get it working, but that's probably an indication of my age rather than the actual difficulty of the system.  Anyway, I highly recommend Youtube TV. 

MGoCali

April 12th, 2018 at 3:34 PM ^

If you don't want to cut your cords, call comcast and tell them you are switching to whatever competitor they may have in your area (I know this is almost an empty threat given the ridiculous regional monopoly cable providers have --- aside -- sent a letter to the FCC about this as well). Tell them you are going to streaming or whatever, UNLESS, they add back BTN. If all of you do this, they will add back BTN. 

I can't tell you how many times the treat of leaving comcast has netted me a $30 dollar voucher for this or that. Just complain at them with threats of leaving, and they'll fold. 

SouthOfHeaven

April 12th, 2018 at 3:41 PM ^

I'm a young dude who actually just bought a house last week, and I was wondering what to do for cable and internet. If Comcast is dropping BTN, they're going to be a firm "no". 

 

I know next to nothing about YouTube TV. Would I be able to watch all of our games on it? Michigan sports is pretty much the only thing I watch on TV. I couldn't care less about any other channels and would like to go cheap. 

Boner Stabone

April 12th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^

Whatever happened to cable company's going to ala carte where you can order the channels you want and you don't get stuck with all the Home shopping, news, and other meaningless channels?

Ali G Bomaye

April 12th, 2018 at 5:56 PM ^

All the executives have stock options, which means they're incentivized to short-term profits at the expense of long-term success. And they've decided they can wring more money out of subscribers in the short term by forcing old ladies to pay for ESPN and by forcing you to pay for HSN.

Never mind that because of this business model, the vast majority of consumers are going to switch to streaming in the next 5-10 years; by that point they will have cashed out.

NittanyFan

April 12th, 2018 at 3:51 PM ^

NBC Universal bickering about how much they'll pay?

I get these guys posturing in this sort of dispute.  But actually dropping the network doesn't seem like a wise move to me.

Sports fans want their sports.  So folk will move away from Comcast while finding another way to get BTN, and those folk  likely don't ever come back.

4yearsofhoke

April 12th, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^

Looks like comcast isn't dropped in the midwest. At least from the context of this convo. I will say that it is impossible to get a coherent answer for them (and this is after a few messages) and it appears they may have outsources their customer support on twitter. EDIT*** JUST KIDDING

 

cavebeaner

April 12th, 2018 at 4:06 PM ^

....claims it will be back, that they are in negotiations with BTN.

 

Of course, they've been doing rolling removals since January, so who knows if that's the right story.

 

At any rate, if you call/chat with them and tell them you're cancelling because they don't have BTN, that may move "negotiations" along a bit.

nerv

April 12th, 2018 at 4:06 PM ^

Luckily my contract with Comcast will expire before football season. They have a few months to fix this or it is back to WoW. Would really prefer to stick with Comcast as WoW is trying to make their service look exactly like Comcast.. its just clunckier with more errors.

Sometimes the cord cutting stuff makes me scratch my head. It seems people are still paying a decent amount of money for it. After paying the cable folk for your high speed internet then paying whichever streaming service you use it seems that you are really only saving 30-50 dollars a month. I guess Im just the market willing to pay 120 instead of 80 for ease of use, DVR, less hassle, more channels etc.

uncle leo

April 12th, 2018 at 4:09 PM ^

I addressed that above. 

If you ever compare the quality of the cable/satellite signal vs internet streaming, your eyes will freak out. It's so much smoother on cable/sat.

You are at the mercy of the uploader, no matter how strong your signal is.

MGoStu

April 12th, 2018 at 4:07 PM ^

I'm ok with this. My buddy (OSU fan - I'm in WA and end up with an OSU fan as one of my best friends) lets me use his Directv log in to watch BTN.

MGoTeacher 2.0

April 12th, 2018 at 4:09 PM ^

Fuck Comcast. Called and they had no idea. Literally just opened a 3 year contract with them a couple months ago. They basically told me they don’t know what they can do. They said I will be charged $10 for every month left on the contract to terminate and to try corporate.



What an absolutely screw job. I kinda feel bad for the lady that got an ear full, I know she’s not the one fucking customers over.

Maize and Luke

April 12th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^

A buddy of mine who is a comcast install tech said they're only getting rid of it in non B1G markets/areas. He said if they're doing it here in Michigan, they (techs) haven't been told that. Take it for what it's worth.

FrankMurphy

April 12th, 2018 at 4:20 PM ^

As much as I hate Comcast, doesn't this further call into question the wisdom of Delaney's East Coast boondoggle? If the nation's largest cable operator thinks BTN isn't worth it in the heart of the Big Ten's traditional footprint, why would they think it's worth it in a region with lukewarm enthusiasm for college football (let alone mediocre programs like Rutgers and Maryland)?

jblaze

April 12th, 2018 at 4:25 PM ^

It's just a negotiating trick. Comcast is based in Philly and that area loves them some PSU.

Also, Maryland's basketball stadium is called the "Comcast Center". It's just negotiations.

However, I hope it actually happens and forces the B1G to offer a subscription plan via their app.

CaptChuck

April 12th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^

This does seem to be just regional.  The Chicago area appears to be safe for now, but like people have stated above, this is most likely a negotiation ploy to speed things up.  The same thing happend with HBO last summer in the Chicago area for a hot minute.  So in other words, enjoy the nice weather and don't worry about another airing of the BTN Classic Michigan vs Florida bowl game. 

Maize4Life

April 12th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^

2 days ago...will be switching to AT & T  b4 foorball season...They Dropped BTN and they Dropped me as well...Stupid decision...Im sure Im not the only one who can switch

UMgradMSUdad

April 12th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^

I have Cox here in central Oklahoma, and I have BTN, but in order to get it, I need to pay for extra services, and BTN come bundled with the SEC network, PAC 12 network and several other channels / networks I have no desire to watch.

MGal7577

April 12th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^

I just called Comcast 888-266-2278, chose the prompt for Add Channels.  The rep said she would forward the request keep/add BTN to the powers that be.  You will need to have the last four digits of the account holder's SSN.  Since the request is for each account, everyone needs to call in on their own.

We live in Commerce Township.  She said BTN is slated to be removed May 9 and 10.

wayneandgarth

April 12th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^

Wife did a chat with Comcast for Minneapolis area.  They said:

 

Using X1 voice remote say "YouTube" to launch the app's search engine.  Once inside the YouTube app, use the arrow keys on your reote to enter the search box and type in the words  "Big Ten Network" and then hit Ok.

 

Sounds crazy - hope just a negotiating ploy.  I pay too much to go through this BS.

SugarShane

April 12th, 2018 at 4:40 PM ^

I doubt they’re dropping it altogether. If anything it will be an add on subscription. They’re not dumb enough to give up the entire Midwest market

darkstar

April 12th, 2018 at 4:45 PM ^

for just internet?  I've done a little bit of checking around but haven't bothered too much because I'm pretty much limited to Comcast in my area.  I would love to just drop them outright and stream off another ISP.

redwings8831

April 12th, 2018 at 4:51 PM ^

They have been correcting earlier explanations/responses on twitter:

The out-of-market Big Ten Network feed, which was carried on the Sports & Entertainment package in non-Big Ten states, was dropped. The Big Ten Network in-market feed, available to customers in Big Ten states in their regular channel line-up, will continue to be available. -MSA

Bluey

April 12th, 2018 at 4:53 PM ^

HarleyMarlboro

April 12th, 2018 at 4:54 PM ^

I hate living in a Comcast monopoly area. I left for a while, tried DirecTV, Dish Network, and coed cutting, but went back because it was the easiest way to get all the channels I need.



On a quick glance, I don’t see any service that offers all the channels we need. This sucks.



ESPN

BTN

Fox Sports

Food Network

Cartoon Network

AMC

USA

Nickelodeon