Streaming College Sports

[pepband99]

Subscribe to ESPN directly, or get the Hulu/Disney/ESPN package. It is like $13 a month, and there are usually promotions.

Come on. You’re telling me the streaming Nostradamus doesn’t know you can’t get ESPN linear channels online without a provider login? @HCCForever is showing the reality of the situation. You can get ESPN+, but then you only get + programming. No ESPN, 2, ACC, etc.

If this drags on long enough, ironically, it may spur the launch of ESPN being streamed standalone, but not fast enough to really help.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Come on. You’re telling me the streaming Nostradamus doesn’t know you can’t get ESPN linear channels online without a provider login? @HCCForever is showing the reality of the situation. You can get ESPN+, but then you only get + programming. No ESPN, 2, ACC, etc.

If this drags on long enough, ironically, it may spur the launch of ESPN being streamed standalone, but not fast enough to really help.

I know a little about the business side, I am certainly not an expert about the ins and outs of the different consumer services.

 

[pepband99]

Charter CEO Seeks To Rewrite Cable Carriage Rules in Disney Dispute

Charter CEO Christopher Winfrey hopes to compel Disney to enter into a new carriage deal that makes streaming apps available in packages

variety.com

Seems charter is going for the jugular. Very notable posturing

 

[UConnJim]

They dropped the hammer during week 1 of college football and during the US Open to make maximum impact to hurt ESPN and help their bargaining position. What I find humorous is Spectrum's statement that they are doing this for the customer. What a crock of horse dung. Missing college football games does not benefit me in the short term and I am quite sure that Spectrum only cares about their profits in the long term.

My condo complex got an low priced cable/internet package from Spectrum a few months ago. $83/month includes 125+ channels including the ESPN channels, HBO, Showtime, 2 cable boxes with DVRs, 500 MB internet, modem,... When the board told us about the deal, I said no way they could do it so cheaply. (It is a bulk rate as everyone has to subscribe and we pay every 6 months through our HOA so no Spectrum bills unless you add on channels.)

I think this is Spectrum's strategy to offer lower cost bundled packages, but in order to do it they need channel offering flexibility. I think Spectrum is doing the right thing.

 

[huskymedic]

Charter CEO Seeks To Rewrite Cable Carriage Rules in Disney Dispute

Charter CEO Christopher Winfrey hopes to compel Disney to enter into a new carriage deal that makes streaming apps available in packages

variety.com

Seems charter is going for the jugular. Very notable posturing

At stunning crossroads, Disney yanks ESPN and other channels from Connecticut-based Spectrum

With Charter Communications stating the cable TV industry is at a crossroads, Disney pulled ESPN and other channels from Spectrum as football season kicks off.

www.ctpost.com

Shortcut<<

 

[nelsonmuntz]

My condo complex got an low priced cable/internet package from Spectrum a few months ago. $83/month includes 125+ channels including the ESPN channels, HBO, Showtime, 2 cable boxes with DVRs, 500 MB internet, modem,... When the board told us about the deal, I said no way they could do it so cheaply. (It is a bulk rate as everyone has to subscribe and we pay every 6 months through our HOA so no Spectrum bills unless you add on channels.)

I think this is Spectrum's strategy to offer lower cost bundled packages, but in order to do it they need channel offering flexibility. I think Spectrum is doing the right thing.

There is going to be a long line of cable providers right behind Spectrum interested in having the same discussion with Disney.

The fact that Iger has mentioned selling ESPN in interviews means it is not conceptual, they are going to do it. Hulu and Disney are solid, viable platforms in streaming. Disney is actually kicking butt. ESPN is a different story unless they figure out a completely different subscription revenue model that matches up with their content costs. Committing $120 million a year for Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah football for the next 8 years is going in exactly the opposite direction they should be going.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

At stunning crossroads, Disney yanks ESPN and other channels from Connecticut-based Spectrum

With Charter Communications stating the cable TV industry is at a crossroads, Disney pulled ESPN and other channels from Spectrum as football season kicks off.

www.ctpost.com

Shortcut<<

A funny side note to that article is how Frontier got the writer to promote YouTubeTV for them in the article. You can actually buy any aggregator you want if you have Frontier. I have Hulu Live, and it is actually a much better value than YouTubeTV because while the price is the same, you get a lot more. Sling and Fubo are both cheaper and have most of what a person would want.

Google and Frontier cut a deal, which happens all the time, but I suspect another reason why so many internet providers are partnering up with Google/YouTube over Disney/Hulu is that they are tired of Disney's strong arm tactics.

 

[ZooCougar]

There is going to be a long line of cable providers right behind Spectrum interested in having the same discussion with Disney.

The fact that Iger has mentioned selling ESPN in interviews means it is not conceptual, they are going to do it. Hulu and Disney are solid, viable platforms in streaming. Disney is actually kicking butt. ESPN is a different story unless they figure out a completely different subscription revenue model that matches up with their content costs. Committing $120 million a year for Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah football for the next 8 years is going in exactly the opposite direction they should be going.

Disney is losing money and subscribers.

Disney is in hot water over misrepresenting losses.

New Record For Disney+: Sheds 11.7 Million Subscribers, Losses Narrow

Disney earnings: More than doubles last quarter's decline, with most in India, though some is domestic. CEO Bob Iger promises a password crackdown in 2024.

www.forbes.com

Investors Sue Disney Over Alleged Chapek Era “Cost-Shifting Scheme” to Hide Streaming Losses

The suit takes aim at former CEO Bob Chapek's lofty subscriber growth and profitability targets for Disney+. The entertainment giant faces a host of litigation dealing with efforts to boost subscriptions for its streaming service.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Disney is losing money and subscribers.

Disney is in hot water over misrepresenting losses.

New Record For Disney+: Sheds 11.7 Million Subscribers, Losses Narrow

Disney earnings: More than doubles last quarter's decline, with most in India, though some is domestic. CEO Bob Iger promises a password crackdown in 2024.

www.forbes.com

Investors Sue Disney Over Alleged Chapek Era “Cost-Shifting Scheme” to Hide Streaming Losses

The suit takes aim at former CEO Bob Chapek's lofty subscriber growth and profitability targets for Disney+. The entertainment giant faces a host of litigation dealing with efforts to boost subscriptions for its streaming service.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Investor lawsuits happen literally every day. Some company probably got sued this week for the stock going up too fast. They are frivolous and an annoyance more than anything.

Disney and Hulu are doing well. The price increases are going through and the subscriber base of actual paying customers is getting pretty big. They are in decent shape to crossing over into Netflix territory of a huge subscriber base that just keeps paying no matter what content they put on the platform. Disney and Hulu have massive libraries so they will be able to hold onto subscribers.

ESPN is another story.

 

[ZooCougar]

Investor lawsuits happen literally every day. Some company probably got sued this week for the stock going up too fast. They are frivolous and an annoyance more than anything.

Disney and Hulu are doing well. The price increases are going through and the subscriber base of actual paying customers is getting pretty big. They are in decent shape to crossing over into Netflix territory of a huge subscriber base that just keeps paying no matter what content they put on the platform. Disney and Hulu have massive libraries so they will be able to hold onto subscribers.

ESPN is another story.

All of the DTC services are losing subcscribers, raising prices and cutting content. It’s a ripoff.

5 years from now this thing won’t even look the same.

All of the services will be combined in something just like cable and it will cost more. It will also deliver less value.

 

[yuckformak]

I tried to go to ESPN directly but received invalid media message due to having Spectrum as my provider. I have no free trials left in Sling or Fubi or other packages. I will try Hula since I haven't used that in the past but part of my issue is that I hate giving more money to ESPN since they stopped access for Spectrum customers.

Due to greed from multiple areas, it sure seems like all these schmucks are conspiring to kill college football.

Go with the hulu package and lock intonation while you still can. Disney is going to be dumping ESPN

 

[nelsonmuntz]

All of the DTC services are losing subcscribers, raising prices and cutting content. It’s a ripoff.

5 years from now this thing won’t even look the same.

All of the services will be combined in something just like cable and it will cost more. It will also deliver less value.

Capturing this prediction for posterity.

 

[ZooCougar]

Capturing this prediction for posterity.

Good. I did too.

You have no predictions. You’re just full of it.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Good. I did too.

You have no predictions. You’re just full of it.

I have lots of predictions, and I am right most of the time. That is why you get angry at me.

 

[ZooCougar]

I have lots of predictions, and I am right most of the time. That is why you get angry at me.

Where are they?

You have predictions in the same sense as MHVER has predictions.

 

[HCCForever]

My condo complex got an low priced cable/internet package from Spectrum a few months ago. $83/month includes 125+ channels including the ESPN channels, HBO, Showtime, 2 cable boxes with DVRs, 500 MB internet, modem,... When the board told us about the deal, I said no way they could do it so cheaply. (It is a bulk rate as everyone has to subscribe and we pay every 6 months through our HOA so no Spectrum bills unless you add on channels.)

I think this is Spectrum's strategy to offer lower cost bundled packages, but in order to do it they need channel offering flexibility. I think Spectrum is doing the right thing.

Spectrum's bargaining may be the proper thing to do but using customers as pawns is not. I admit my TV portion of the bill isn't that bad at around $60 for Spectrum TV. That compares favorably with other options that I looked at yesterday. But Spectrum has also violated customer trust. I paid my monthly bill thru mid-September expecting to watch ESPN and other sports. But they shut that down on Thursday and I will have problems trying to get any type of refund from Spectrum. The money itself is not the refund concern. Spectrum should refund all customers with ESPN channels.

 

[huskymedic]

Here <<

 

[UConnJim]

Former President of Fox Sports Networks and co-founder of BTN:

 

[noeynox]

Good. I read today Charter Spectrum is CT based? Didn't know that. Good again. Screw ESPN. Go charter Spectrum

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Good. I read today Charter Spectrum is CT based? Didn't know that. Good again. Screw ESPN. Go charter Spectrum

They moved their headquarters to Stamford (near the train station) about 2 1/2 years ago

 

[noeynox]

Well that is one way for "CT" to stick it to ESPN.

 

[pj]

All of the DTC services are losing subcscribers, raising prices and cutting content. It’s a ripoff.

5 years from now this thing won’t even look the same.

All of the services will be combined in something just like cable and it will cost more. It will also deliver less value.

A DTC service needs a large and diverse enough content bundle, similar to what cable networks have had in their linear channel lineup, that they can charge high prices and have most people want to pay them.

Right now, too much desirable content is locked up in cable deals or in other places (movies). It's hard to assemble a valuable content bundle.

That said, the convenience of streaming with a large pool of on-demand content will one day win out. It just is hard to get there from here.

Think of the challenge UConn would have putting together a "UConn Sports" microchannel. Who owns historical content of past UConn sporting events? Old UConn football games (Fiesta Bowl?), NCAA basketball tourney games, Big East tourney games, season games. Pulling all the rights together would be a gargantuan task.

Ideally, we'd have thousands of such microchannels, they'd be assembled into large sports channels, each on one streaming service. UConn fans would know they could find all UConn sports, live and historical, on streaming service X, live events in real-time and historical on demand. It would be both convenient and UConn fans would be highly motivated to subscribe.

 

[Sole]

What I would like is to just purchase a big east package and uconn football and hockey package to watch on my cell phone

 

[HCCForever]

One thing that I hate about DTCs is the interface especially if you have multiple packages. There was nothing better than having cable and easily and quickly selecting your desired channel from the channel guide. Not so easy, at least for me, with DTCs.. I especially hate when I am not in the correct timeslot on the guide and cannot switch immediately without first selecting the correct timeslot. Cable was more forgiving and just switched to the channel. Perhaps I am missing some DTC integrator which would make it easier. At the moment, I only have Spectrum streaming and Roku but will be moving off of Spectrum due to their recent activities.

 

[noeynox]

One thing that I hate about DTCs is the interface especially if you have multiple packages. There was nothing better than having cable and easily and quickly selecting your desired channel from the channel guide. Not so easy, at least for me, with DTCs.. I especially hate when I am not in the correct timeslot on the guide and cannot switch immediately without first selecting the correct timeslot. Cable was more forgiving and just switched to the channel. Perhaps I am missing some DTC integrator which would make it easier. At the moment, I only have Spectrum streaming and Roku but will be moving off of Spectrum due to their recent activities.

I find that Amazon Fire has channel guide that aggregates all your live channels from all your streaming services. I hardly ever use it. It takes my YTTV, PlutoTV, Freeve, Prime channels and one other one and creates one long channel guide. All it really ever did for me is show me how much garbage there is that i DON'T want to watch.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

One thing that I hate about DTCs is the interface especially if you have multiple packages. There was nothing better than having cable and easily and quickly selecting your desired channel from the channel guide. Not so easy, at least for me, with DTCs.. I especially hate when I am not in the correct timeslot on the guide and cannot switch immediately without first selecting the correct timeslot. Cable was more forgiving and just switched to the channel. Perhaps I am missing some DTC integrator which would make it easier. At the moment, I only have Spectrum streaming and Roku but will be moving off of Spectrum due to their recent activities.

Every cable interface I have ever used had a multi second lag unless I was going up or down one channel. There is literally no facet of cable technology that is within five years of the DTC services.

It is faster to go from Disney to Max to Paramount to Netflix on my Roku than it was to surf through the movie channels on cable, and the library is several multiple times larger DTC.

 

[ctchamps]

Another article that mentions this could be a pivitol turning point:

Cable TV giant Charter has stuck a dagger into Bob Iger with Disney and ESPN on the ropes

 

[ctchamps]

Exactly right. Which means they are going a la carte with the channel menu. That is a death sentence to ESPN. Whether people cut the cord and go to streaming or the cable companies push ESPN to a la carte, the outcome is the same to ESPN. They are dead.

The point I was making about ESPN winning every time they got into it with a cable company was that ESPN HAD TO WIN EVERY TIME. One loss would have been the end of their business model, so ESPN could never back down to any cable company, for the last 20+ years. And now ESPN lost, and one loss will lead to two and to ten and to all of the aggregators and cable companies going a la carte. When that happens, ESPN can no longer outbid everyone else, and many of the sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) will go DTC. ESPN's best case is becoming a niche sports content provider and production company. That company will generate maybe 30% of the revenue that ESPN generates today.

Just spitballing here and no where near as knowledgeable as many here are (or pretend to be) but will the vicious cycle with college conference payment demands/increases and the sports broadcasters willingness to accommodate those conference realignment money demands going to hurt ESPN now that the distributors of content are putting the brakes on Disney?

It seems those long term contracts with conferences were predicated on the ability for Disney to keep upping their demands. Is it possible that ESPN will not be able to fulfill their obligations causing them to declare bankruptcy or try to get those contracts renegotiated to avoid bankruptcy? If so what will be the future for conference realignment?

 

[KryHavok]

What I would like is to just purchase a big east package and uconn football and hockey package to watch on my cell phone

Ditto. I don't get CBSSN, so when the football team plays, I'm furiously clicking ESPN's gamecast. I would've hoped that I could watch it on Paramount+, which I got primarily for Italian Serie A, but no luck there. Granted, that would put UConn sports behind a paywall, but at this point the school needs and deserves funds given how much they show they can achieve despite getting doors constantly slammed on them.

 

[ZooCougar]

Ditto. I don't get CBSSN, so when the football team plays, I'm furiously clicking ESPN's gamecast. I would've hoped that I could watch it on Paramount+, which I got primarily for Italian Serie A, but no luck there. Granted, that would put UConn sports behind a paywall, but at this point the school needs and deserves funds given how much they show they can achieve despite getting doors constantly slammed on them.

Easy workaround. Just subscribe to YouTube TV during football season.