Could ESPN Go Over the Top?

[HuskyDogArt]

It's only a matter of time before cable TV becomes a la carte, there's too many cordcutters.

Myself, I would only have 6 channels. Fox News, Fox Business, ESPN, CBS, Weather and Fox Network...

 

[CTMike]

If/when sling releases an Apple TV app... They will definitely be on my radar.

 

[huskypantz]

Yes. Married with 3 kids under ten. I get all my locals over hd antenna. And sling for espn.

Do you get ESPN+? The problem is as of now I need CBSSN for some UConn games and my kids love paw patrol on Nick/Jr. Fs1 for UFC. I pretty much only watch sports - usually just on weekends and an hour or two one weekday.

 

[calluke]

Do you get ESPN+? The problem is as of now I need CBSSN for some UConn games and my kids love paw patrol on Nick/Jr. Fs1 for UFC. I pretty much only watch sports - usually just on weekends and an hour or two one weekday.

The basic Sling package includes ESPN and ESPN2 for $20/month. For kids, it includes Disney, ABC Family, and Cartoon Network. (sorry, no Nick Jr). They also have a sports package for $5/month that gives you ESPN News and ESPN U among others. Unfortunately, that does not include CBSSN. For those games I either watch at a friends, radio, or I'm busy with kid stuff anyways.

 

[J187Money]

The basic Sling package includes ESPN and ESPN2 for $20/month. For kids, it includes Disney, ABC Family, and Cartoon Network. (sorry, no Nick Jr). They also have a sports package for $5/month that gives you ESPN News and ESPN U among others. Unfortunately, that does not include CBSSN. For those games I either watch at a friends, radio, or I'm busy with kid stuff anyways.

How many TVs can you run it on? I assume you would need a separate DVR if you wanted to tape anything?

 

[UCFBfan]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

 

[calluke]

How many TVs can you run it on? I assume you would need a separate DVR if you wanted to tape anything?

Currently they only allow one device at a time. But you can download app on as many devices you want or through a roku stick on any tv. You can't record but most channels Allie you can view any show from the last 3 days on demand.

 

[calluke]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

Feel free to pm me with any questions. I'll try my best to help.

 

[huskypantz]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

I think it really depends on your situation. The only thing I absolutely want to watch LIVE is UConn football and basketball. They're on a number of channels. Until I can get all of the channels, I am not breaking away.

 

[UCFBfan]

Feel free to pm me with any questions. I'll try my best to help.

Appreciate the offer. When I get more serious about it I'll look ya up

 

[Chin Diesel]

I ended up going hybrid. I tried Sling TV for a few months but it was a push $$$$wise.

I kept basic cable- straight line in to my TV. I get networks and basic cable stuff.

We use Amazon Fire TV and pay Hulu and Netflix.

Still saving almost $90/mo compared to Gucci cable package and three DVR's.

 

[UCFBfan]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows?

I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

 

[billybud]

I pay near $300 a month....but that is for Comcast cable and internet, Direct TV and a Verizon hot spot. Add in telephones and data with Verizon and that is another $226 a month.

 

[J187Money]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows? I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

The problem is that there will always be something you want on Hulu that won't be there. If you can live with that, fine. There is more content than you can consume. We probably watch Hulu and Netflix 70 pct of the time. But the 30 pct of the time we are watching TV it is stuff the family considers crucial. And most of it is non network.

The two TVs in the basement aren't hooked up to our DTV. One is a Roku TV and the other one is hooked to an Apple TV. But not sure I can give it up for the bedroom and living room. Addicted to the NFL Package.

 

[UCFBfan]

The problem is that there will always be something you want on Hulu that won't be there. If you can live with that, fine. There is more content than you can consume. We probably watch Hulu and Netflix 70 pct of the time. But the 30 pct of the time we are watching TV it is stuff the family considers crucial. And most of it is non network.

The two TVs in the basement aren't hooked up to our DTV. One is a Roku TV and the other one is hooked to an Apple TV. But not sure I can give it up for the bedroom and living room. Addicted to the NFL Package.

We just reupped our contract so I think we'll wait until it's up again to really look into this. I'm sure the landscape will change even more and cord cutting techniques will have increased and improved.

 

[huskypantz]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

 

[calluke]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows?

I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

The only way to really know if it will work for you is to try it. Sling, Hulu, and Netflix all offer at least a 1 week free trial. And if you like Sling I believe they are offering a free Roku stick (which allows you to watch Sling on your TV) if you prepay the first three months after your trial. But with no contract with any of them there is really nothing to lose by trying it out.

 

[calluke]

Here's what I've got rolling if this helps any non-cutters out there decide...

All of my local channels, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, FOX, plus 59, 20, 24, and others (HD antenna) = $0/month
ESPN, ESPN2, AMC, A&E, TBS, TNT, HGTV, Food, Disney, ABC Family, Lifetime, CNN, + more (Sling TV) = $20/month
All current shows I like on demand the day after they air (Hulu) = $8.99

 

[Nostical]

We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. Is there something to use to record TV?

Sure, it's called TIVO. I have it and it's the best DVR of them all.

 

[Chin Diesel]

One of the first things you have to do is decide what type of streaming is your go to.

Basics are Amazon, AppleTV, Roku and Chromecast.

My family has Amazon Prime already so that was easy. We bought two Fire TV sticks. They were about $40 each. Our other room has an Xbox One so that has all the apps loaded on it.

So your streaming device is a one time sunk cost and you are done. With that you get all the Amazon TV products, prime movies, music, ability to synch photos, videos, etc.

Feel free to look up comparisons of all the main streaming.

Amazon Prime is $99/year (possibly cheaper for promotions) or $8.50/month
Netflix and Hulu are about $10/month (I'm too lazy to look it up. I think one is actually $7.99 and the other is $10.99)

For me with Cox cable in Florida, I was going to pay about $61/month for high speed internet. So my cost was:

$61/month internet
$8.50/month of Amazon Prime (Prorated plus all other benefits of Prime)
$10/month Netflix (Approximate)
$10/month Hulu (Approximate)

That's $90/month for us.

Here's where I had to make a choice. I needed antennas for networks and Sling TV to replace basic cable channels (TNT, TBS, USA, Food, Travel, Disney, etc) Sling TV is $20/month. I didn't need the sports package because I have Watch ESPN App and Fox Sports and a bunch of other apps. I have great unlimited sight lines for antennas but three of the networks are 50+ miles away and I was getting spotty reception with the antenna I bought (a mid-range or better model).

My cable company offered me a bundle of basic cable including all the networks in HD, basic phone service and internet for $91/month. So, it wasn't much more to keep the bundle compared to having HD antennas and Sling TV. We did try Sling TV for a month. It works fine. It just wasn't needed for us.

So, we were paying almost $220/month for a Cox bundle with three DVR's.

We now pay-

$91 Cox bundle
$8.50 Amazon Prime
$10 Netflix
$10 Hulu Plus

$120 total or saving almost $100/month.

My only blind spot right now is no CBS SN. I'm working on that.

Bottom line is that there isn't a right or wrong answer. The streaming services are great when you travel because they can usually be launched seamlessly from mobile devices.

For the record, since we switched over about a month ago my 13 year old son and 12 year old daughter live on Netflix.

 

[J187Money]

The devil's in the detail
Can I watch Sling TV on more than one TV (or other device) at the same time?
No. Unless you create more than one account, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. The service is restricted to one stream at a time.

You can have more than one device registered to the same account, but if you're watching one and then begin streaming on another, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The devil's in the detail
Can I watch Sling TV on more than one TV (or other device) at the same time?
No. Unless you create more than one account, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. The service is restricted to one stream at a time.

You can have more than one device registered to the same account, but if you're watching one and then begin streaming on another, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming.

Nice catch. I wasn't aware of that and that probably would have been a showstopper in my house.

 

[whaler11]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

I have X1 from Comcast - which is pretty awesome. 5 tvs - 4 hd and dvrs. Every english speaking channel. 225$ w internet.

2 phones Verizon with 10 gb - $170.

The antennas are useless to me. Tried one - could only get 26 out of New London and 30.

 

[FDNY99]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

I have Fios as well...it's $185/month but I have 1 more STB and I get the movie channels/sports channels.

 

[UCFBfan]

See we have one TV in our house so I'm thinking right now it'd probably be close to a wash for us. We have one DVR and one TV set. We pay about 160 a month for cable and internet plus the one time RedZone fee we pay in September. Not having Red Zone is a non-starter for the wife, and me too. I think once our kids get older we'd be better off going the cord cutting route. Right now the kids watch PBS and only watch an average of 1.5 hours a day and only watch Sat and Sun (they're 1 and 3). So once they get older and we need more boxes/tvs/devices I think we'd be better off with doing this. Also, no SNY or CBSSN right now is a negative as well.