How do you watch your footy?

[UConnTrumbull]

Aside from illegal streaming that never seems to work, how do you watch your soccer? I have cable (optimum) but I don't pay for the higher package that includes BeIn sports and other football channels. NBC just screwed PL fans by forcing subscribers to pay more to get all the matches. Would love to get quality PL, La Liga games without blowing the bank.

 

[SAMCRO]

I get the sports package (or whatever it is called) thru FiOS... so I get BeIN, FS1, FS2, NBC Sports, etc... That gets me La Liga, Bundesliga, EPL, Series A, Champions & Europa League, Scottish Premiere League (don't watch much of that admittedly). I don;t know if I will pay to stream on NBC Sports Extra or not. Will look at the schedule and determine that.

Another option, depending on where you live and how free your time is, is to find a proper English Pub who opens up early on Match Days and shows the games. If you have a favorite team they may have a bar designated. In NYC there are a ton that open early to show the matches, and you can enjoy the games and liquid breakfast. In reality, it is cheaper to just pay the extra cable bill, as opposed to the bar/breakfast bill at the end of the match.

 

[spsct]

Season tickets in the Bundesliga. Any other league is pure hot garbage.

 

[meyers7]

I get the sports package (or whatever it is called) thru FiOS... so I get BeIN, FS1, FS2, NBC Sports, etc... That gets me La Liga, Bundesliga, EPL, Series A, Champions & Europa League, Scottish Premiere League (don't watch much of that admittedly). I don;t know if I will pay to stream on NBC Sports Extra or not. Will look at the schedule and determine that.

Another option, depending on where you live and how free your time is, is to find a proper English Pub who opens up early on Match Days and shows the games. If you have a favorite team they may have a bar designated. In NYC there are a ton that open early to show the matches, and you can enjoy the games and liquid breakfast. In reality, it is cheaper to just pay the extra cable bill, as opposed to the bar/breakfast bill at the end of the match.

I got the sports package on Xfinity/Comcast. I get everything but FS2. I'll watch a game here and there on Spanish stations also. (but no, I don't speak/understand a lick of it - well except Gooooaaaalllll!!!!)

Most of Arsenal's games are on one of the NBC channels, so I don't know that I will get the NBC Extra or not. It's not a bad price for the year, but not sure how much I would use it.

 

[upstater]

On my computer watching Fox Sports, NBCSN and ESPN. I am not sure why but on my package, even though I get all these channels, they frequently show up in Non-HD which makes them difficult to watch on TV. It is bizarre. So I prefer my computer to the FoxSports channel footage through cable.

I don't go to massive illegal hosting sites, but I do watch Serie A and the Greek League through team websites, which show the games live!!! I follow Roma and 2 Greek teams.

 

[UCFBfan]

I have the sports package through Cox so I get all the channels listed by many above. I find myself mainly watching EPL games and occasionally switch to BeIN to watch a few La Liga games. I won't be shelling out the $50 that NBC will start charging and it's going to suck because I'm not a fan of a Big 5 club so I won't catch as many games as I used to.

Last season I would watch many games on the NBCSN app on my iPad while my two little ones would watch whatever they were watching on TV.

With NBC changing their delivery method of Prem games, I'll likely find myself trying to catch more Bundesliga games on FS1.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm paying the $50 bucks. It's worth it to me and I want to support the product.

I watch a lot of BeIN. If I could only have 10 channels, BeIN would be one of them.

 

[UConnDan97]

I get the sports package (or whatever it is called) thru FiOS... so I get BeIN, FS1, FS2, NBC Sports, etc... That gets me La Liga, Bundesliga, EPL, Series A, Champions & Europa League, Scottish Premiere League (don't watch much of that admittedly). I don;t know if I will pay to stream on NBC Sports Extra or not. Will look at the schedule and determine that.

Another option, depending on where you live and how free your time is, is to find a proper English Pub who opens up early on Match Days and shows the games. If you have a favorite team they may have a bar designated. In NYC there are a ton that open early to show the matches, and you can enjoy the games and liquid breakfast. In reality, it is cheaper to just pay the extra cable bill, as opposed to the bar/breakfast bill at the end of the match.

I've pretty much got the same package but from DirecTV. If I go a single week without watching a Serie A game, I break out in hives...

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm paying the $50 bucks. It's worth it to me and I want to support the product.

I watch a lot of BeIN. If I could only have 10 channels, BeIN would be one of them.

Unfortunately I have to agree, even if Bein seems to be run by a couple of interns who borrowed a few cameras from the public library.

 

[BlueMAB]

SlingTV with the sports package. I get NBC sports. BeIn, Univision, FS1 and 2. Best part is the sports package, which includes a ton of other channels, is only an extra $5 a month.

 

[meyers7]

I won't be shelling out the $50 that NBC will start charging and it's going to suck because I'm not a fan of a Big 5 club so I won't catch as many games as I used to.

I'm paying the $50 bucks. It's worth it to me and I want to support the product.

$50 isn't bad really. About $5 a month.

 

[UCFBfan]

$50 isn't bad really. About $5 a month.

I agree it's not bad but when I already pay my cable bill plus between having two small kids I don't get tons of time to watch all the matches. It's not worth it to me.

I was really excited with what NBC was doing with the Prem League and how accessible they made it. Pretty bummed they went this route but they need to make money somehow....

 

[shizzle787]

I used to use the pirated streams, but I graduated to BeIN.

 

[meyers7]

I agree it's not bad but when I already pay my cable bill plus between having two small kids I don't get tons of time to watch all the matches. It's not worth it to me.

I agree, I don't know that I'll get it. Most of Arsenal's games have been on one of the NBC stations. Probably not worth it for the 3-4 games that would be on NBC Extra App.

 

[SAMCRO]

I agree, I don't know that I'll get it. Most of Arsenal's games have been on one of the NBC stations. Probably not worth it for the 3-4 games that would be on NBC Extra App.

Ditto for Chelsea, United, City, Liverpool, and Spurs I'd imagine. Really depends on your team and whether it is worth it or not.

 

[SAMCRO]

just from looking at the match times, you should get a good idea of who will definitely be on cable as opposed to needing to be streamed. If your team is playing 10am Saturday, and the occasional Sunday 11am slots where there is more than 1 game, that are questionable.

Here's NBC's line up for the first 7 weeks. The schedule for the first three weeks is set (in terms of TV v. Stream), weeks 4-7 are TBD on the 10am time slots. I BOLDED the "big 6" and Swansea (as I know there are fans on this board). The only game Spurs will be on NBC Sports Gold will actually be in Europe, so it works out pretty well for me.

Date Time Match Platform
Fri., Aug. 11 2:45 p.m Arsenal v. Leicester City NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 12 7:30 a.m Watford v. Liverpool NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 12 10 a.m Chelsea v. Burnley NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 12 10 a.m Everton v. Stoke City CNBC
Sat., Aug. 12 10 a.m Crystal Palace v. Huddersfield Town NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 12 10 a.m Southampton v. Swansea City NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 12 10 a.m West Bromwich Albion v. Bournemouth NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 12 12:30 p.m Brighton & Hove Albion v. Manchester City NBC
Sun., Aug. 13 8:30 a.m Newcastle United v. Tottenham Hotspur NBCSN
Sun., Aug. 13 11 a.m Manchester United v. West Ham United NBCSN

Sat., Aug. 19 7:30 a.m Swansea City v. Manchester United NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 19 10 a.m Liverpool v. Crystal Palace NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 19 10 a.m Burnley v. West Bromwich Albion NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 19 10 a.m Leicester City v. Brighton & Hove Albion NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 19 10 a.m Bournemouth v. Watford NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 19 10 a.m Southampton v. West Ham United NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 19 12:30 p.m Stoke City v. Arsenal NBC
Sun., Aug. 20 8:30 a.m Huddersfield Town v. Newcastle United NBCSN
Sun., Aug. 20 11 a.m Tottenham Hotspur v. Chelsea NBCSN
Mon., Aug. 21 3 p.m Manchester City v. Everton NBCSN

Sat., Aug. 26 7:30 a.m Bournemouth v. Manchester City NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 26 10 a.m Chelsea v. Everton NBCSN
Sat., Aug. 26 10 a.m Crystal Palace v. Swansea City NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 26 10 a.m Huddersfield Town v. Southampton NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 26 10 a.m Newcastle United v. West Ham United NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 26 10 a.m Watford v. Brighton & Hove Albion NBC Sports Gold
Sat., Aug. 26 12:30 p.m Manchester United v. Leicester City NBC
Sun., Aug. 27 8:30 a.m West Bromwich Albion v. Stoke City CNBC
Sun., Aug. 27 11 a.m Liverpool v. Arsenal NBCSN
Sun., Aug. 27 11 a.m Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley NBC Sports Gold

Sat., Sept. 9 7:30 a.m Manchester City v. Liverpool NBCSN
Sat., Sept. 9 10 a.m Leicester City v. Chelsea TBD
Sat., Sept. 9 10 a.m Everton v. Tottenham Hotspur TBD
Sat., Sept. 9 10 a.m Arsenal v. Bournemouth TBD
Sat., Sept. 9 10 a.m Brighton & Hove Albion v. West Bromwich Albion TBD
Sat., Sept. 9 10 a.m Southampton v. Watford TBD
Sat., Sept. 9 12:30 p.m Stoke City v. Manchester United NBC
Sun., Sept. 10 8:30 a.m Burnley v. Crystal Palace NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 10 11 a.m Swansea City v. Newcastle United NBCSN
Mon., Sept. 11 3 p.m West Ham United v. Huddersfield Town NBCSN

Fri., Sept. 15 3 p.m Bournemouth v. Brighton & Hove Albion NBCSN
Sat., Sept. 16 7:30 a.m Crystal Palace v. Southampton NBCSN
Sat., Sept. 16 10 a.m Liverpool v. Burnley TBD
Sat., Sept. 16 10 a.m Watford v. Manchester City TBD
Sat., Sept. 16 10 a.m Huddersfield Town v. Leicester City TBD
Sat., Sept. 16 10 a.m Newcastle United v. Stoke City TBD
Sat., Sept. 16 10 a.m West Bromwich Albion v. West Ham United TBD
Sat., Sept. 16 12:30 p.m Tottenham Hotspur v. Swansea City NBC
Sun., Sept. 17 8:30 a.m Chelsea v. Arsenal CNBC
Sun., Sept. 17 11 a.m Manchester United v. Everton NBCSN

Sat., Sept. 23 7:30 a.m West Ham United v. Tottenham Hotspur NBCSN
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Manchester City v. Crystal Palace TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Stoke City v. Chelsea TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Southampton v. Manchester United TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Everton v. Bournemouth TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Burnley v. Huddersfield Town TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 10 a.m Swansea City v. Watford TBD
Sat., Sept. 23 12:30 p.m Leicester City v. Liverpool NBC
Sun., Sept. 24 11 a.m Brighton & Hove Albion v. Newcastle United NBCSN
Mon., Sept. 25 3 p.m Arsenal v. West Bromwich Albion NBCSN

Sat., Sept. 30 7:30 a.m Huddersfield Town v. Tottenham Hotspur NBCSN
Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m Manchester United v. Crystal Palace TBD
Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m Bournemouth v. Leicester City TBD
Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m Stoke City v. Southampton TBD
Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m West Bromwich Albion v. Watford TBD
Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m West Ham United v. Swansea City TBD
Sat., Sept. 30 12:30 p.m Chelsea v. Manchester City NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 1 7:00 a.m Arsenal v. Brighton & Hove Albion NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 1 9:15 a.m Everton v. Burnley NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 1 11:30 a.m Newcastle United v. Liverpool NBCSN

 

[meyers7]

Not bad. Only 1 game I have to worry about through September.

 

[UCFBfan]

That schedule shows what I already assumed. Unless Swansea is playing a Big 6 team, they won't be on NBC and will be streamed for a fee. Of those first 7 weeks they are on TV 3 times and only one is not against a Big 6 team, Newcastle.

It sucks but that's life. Looks like I'll be following games through tweets and FotMob. Not the best but I just can't justify dropping $50 to be able to catch the few games I can catch. I know it's not a huge cost based on what else I might drop $50 on but when most games start at 10 and that the time we usually get up and going in my house, I can't seem to justify dropping that money to catch maybe two to three additional matches.

 

[ETSA]

I do not have a premium sports package so I am stuck with whatever is on my middle level expanded cable package. I follow a team in Germany, Jahn Regensburg, which I can sometimes get on a free livestream. I am watching their opening match in the Second Bundesliga right now. It was hard to find them last year in the 3rd division and usually impossible the previous year in the Regionalliga Bayern.

 

[Waquoit]

The trick is to become a Liverpool fan. (Almost) everyone loves Liverpool.