Cutting The Cord on Cable/Satellite TV Service?

Dollar

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2006
11,086
Man, this sucks. I wasn't even too upset at first because the Bruins and Sox seasons are over, but now I realized that I can't even watch the recordings I saved of the 2011 Bruins Cup run that I had been saving for the last few months and was finally going to get around to re-watching. Not to mention all the other NESN programming I had recorded over the last six months. This really sucks.
 

kfoss99

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2009
1,190
Just got an email notice from YouTube TV that they will no longer carry NESN. This is a huge deal breaker for me. Anyone think they’ll be able to work it out?
Posted in Media forum I just got the email.

The CBS/Viacom deal was an extra $15 and NESN's asking price must have been a bridge too far.

I'd cancel the service, with a price increase. As it is, cable may be competitive in price, with the recent price increase.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,247
from the wilds of western ma
Does NESN offer a stand alone app that you can pay for? I’d dump Netflix if it was more or less a wash. Otherwise, I’m done with YouTubeTV if this isn’t resolved by the new Bruins season. I just made the change from cable a month ago. Fucking bullshit.
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,720
Yup, I have been an evangelist for YouTube TV but if they don't have NESN by the start of the Bruins season, I am dumping their asses. Jacking up the price and dropping NESN will be the end for me.
Not sure how I will replace it. Maybe I'll just keep my money and try to cut back on sports.
 

Vinho Tinto

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 9, 2003
7,046
Auburn, MA
Yup, I have been an evangelist for YouTube TV but if they don't have NESN by the start of the Bruins season, I am dumping their asses. Jacking up the price and dropping NESN will be the end for me.
Not sure how I will replace it. Maybe I'll just keep my money and try to cut back on sports.
Start with your local cable company. As a new customer, you will get their best offer.
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,720
I don't think I could go back to cable, and I especially would not to sign a contract with a cable provider. I think for me it's likely to be a combo of illegal streams, radio, and trying not to pay attention to sports as much.

I'd probably be better off if I replaced youtube TV with the Criterion channel and kept the rest of the money.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
I don't know what ATTTv is, but I got an offer for $40 off $50 purchase (can use twice) in AMEX Offers.
 

Sille Skrub

Dope
Dope
SoSH Member
Mar 3, 2004
5,930
Massachusetts
The CBS/Viacom deal was an extra $15 and NESN's asking price must have been a bridge too far.
So let me get this straight... the organization that cheaped out on the greatest player of our generation is now trying to overcharge for their TV network?

I’d rather find an illegal stream than give the Red Sox a dime in 2021 to be able to watch the Bruins play. I’m also not going back to cable.
 

gtmtnbiker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
1,723
Over on Reddit, someone said that Comcast posted on their blog that they might be dropping NESN when the contract is up for renewal in December. Can’t find the blog post myself.

I’ll continue to keep YTTV but will just get a cheap MLB subscription in the spring.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Apr 22, 2016
8,469
New York City
I’ll continue to keep YTTV but will just get a cheap MLB subscription in the spring
If you live in the Boston sports market that’s not going to work because MLB.TV blacks out home-market games. I have YTTV in NYC and it’s impossible to watch a non-national Yankees game (not that I would want to unless the Sox are playing them) because YTTV dropped YES and Yankees games are blacked out here on MLB.TV.
 

gtmtnbiker

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Jul 15, 2005
1,723
If you live in the Boston sports market that’s not going to work because MLB.TV blacks out home-market games.
yes, that’s true. I was thinking that I would get a cheap vpn subscription to make this work. In any case, I’m sticking with YTTV for now.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,617
I have enjoyed YTTV for the most part but they dropped YES also. Has me thinking about going back to cable for a while if I can get a deal.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
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Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
RIP Slingbox
https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/dish-shutting-down-slingbox-1234826514/Dish to Shut Down Slingbox Service and Devices, Which Will Become ‘Inoperable’ in 2022
Slingbox is a great product. But it feels like this was always going to happen. They stopped making these over 3 years ago.

But it does suck, in a pinch the Slingbox always gave me a chance to watch my home TV. I have YouTubeTV too, which I didn't have two years ago, so it should not change much. But I like to have options.
 

Fratboy

Mr. MENsa
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Nov 29, 2003
18,150
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I'm about to take the leap. Right now, I'm paying $120 before taxes and fees for 200Mps Xfinity + digital preferred or whatever, and looking at Fubo.tv. In my town, my ISP choices are Xfinity and Fios. Which is more streaming friendly, and which is going to give me a better price for Internet only service? Fios seems more transparent with their pricing, and Xfinity seems to want to couple their services only with TV service, which, well, defeats the purpose.
 

gtmtnbiker

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Jul 15, 2005
1,723
I'm about to take the leap. Right now, I'm paying $120 before taxes and fees for 200Mps Xfinity + digital preferred or whatever, and looking at Fubo.tv. In my town, my ISP choices are Xfinity and Fios. Which is more streaming friendly, and which is going to give me a better price for Internet only service? Fios seems more transparent with their pricing, and Xfinity seems to want to couple their services only with TV service, which, well, defeats the purpose.
If you have Comcast now, then switch to FIOS or sign up for Comcast under a different name if you have a significant other. I have Comcast 600Mb service and I'm paying $69/month. Not sure what you mean by streaming friendly. Both providers have internet only options.
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
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Nov 16, 2004
19,271
Well this is going to suck:

https://gizmodo.com/comcast-prepares-to-screw-over-millions-with-data-caps-1845741662
Next year, Comcast will start charging Xfinity customers in northeastern US states overage fees for exceeding their monthly data cap. As The Verge reports, customers not on an unlimited plan who exceed 1.2 TB of data in a month will have to pay $10 for every 50 GB of data they go over, topping out at $100. To put that into context, streaming HD video over uses about 3 GB per hour. Cloud gaming over something like Stadia uses about 10 GB of data every hour at 1080p. So if you’re not watching your data usage carefully, you could end up with a higher than normal monthly bill.
 

SumnerH

Malt Liquor Picker
Dope
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Jul 18, 2005
31,885
Alexandria, VA

gtmtnbiker

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Jul 15, 2005
1,723
“screw over millions”? Are there millions of Comcast subscribers who both (a) don't have an unlimited plan; and (b) routinely download over 1.2 TB a month?

I'm a pretty voracious data pack-rat, and I don't come anywhere near 1.2TB. 1.2 TB is ~13 hours of 1080p or ~6 hours of 4K video a day, every day.
I'm around 1.2 TB. I believe this also counts upload as well as downloads.
 

tmracht

Member
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Aug 19, 2009
3,070
I think millions is probably high, but there is certainly a segment of the market it will affect. Last month alone my house was at about 2.5TB of data between work from home, video streaming, game downloads/stadia playing, remote schooling.

edit: 2.5TB not 3.5TB.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
19,271
We're only at 650-700gb usually per month and I really don't consider us really heavy Internet bandwidth users. We're on it a lot, but it's generally not high bandwidth stuff like 4k video or gaming for longer periods of time. I think the article is a bit over the top, but I can see many easily going over 1.2TB with a couple kids who stream and game a lot.

Unless you are on the highest end plans, they're all going to be capped.

As of January 1, 2021, the plan will be available nationally. It does not apply to Xfinity Internet customers on our Gigabit Pro tier of service, Business Internet customers, customers with Prepaid Internet, or customers on Bulk Internet agreements.

https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service/data?CMP=ILC:PD:BAU:ALL:COM:GEN:INT:NA5f495019eb20f
 

gtmtnbiker

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Jul 15, 2005
1,723
I was just on the chat with Comcast to complain about the change in terms and to confirm that I can opt out of my contract due to this. It turns out my contract is up Dec 21st so I'll be switching to FIOS.
I do suggest people unhappy with this change to contact Comcast to complain. I did this and also gave them a 0 on the scale of 0-10 would I recommend Xfinity due to this.
 

gtmtnbiker

Member
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Jul 15, 2005
1,723
In another forum, someone posted this:

Had the cap for years here in Florida.

The solution? Call and ask to cancel your service. They will miraculously be able to find a plan for you that includes unlimited data at no additional cost.

Rinse and repeat 12-24 months later when your "offer" expires.
 

gtmtnbiker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
1,723
I think I'd rather lose Internet service or pay for a higher tier than get on the phone with Comcast once, let alone every 12–24 months.
I agree that on the phone it would be a pain. That's why I utilize the chat feature so I can continue to work.
 

ElcaballitoMVP

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Nov 19, 2008
3,932
What seems to be the best service these days? I've been using YoutubeTV for a year or so now, like it a lot, but got an email saying NESN was no longer going to be part of their package next year, which was the main reason I opted for it over the other options. At $65 a month, it's starting to creep up to cable territory so I'm looking for something a little cheaper that still has a decent number of channels.
 

Marceline

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Sep 9, 2002
6,441
Canton, MA
What seems to be the best service these days? I've been using YoutubeTV for a year or so now, like it a lot, but got an email saying NESN was no longer going to be part of their package next year, which was the main reason I opted for it over the other options. At $65 a month, it's starting to creep up to cable territory so I'm looking for something a little cheaper that still has a decent number of channels.
If you want NESN, it's Fubo TV. All the services (except Sling, which doesn't have NESN) are pretty much $65 a month now.

Fubo's plan with 500 hour dvr is $65.
 

passle

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
136
Erie, PA
Thanks for the tip about personalVPN - SoSH to the rescue again! It seems to be working, YTTV didn't detect it - when it's disconnected I see my local PA networks and Boston networks when it's connected. YouTube TV requires a login every 90 days in general but every 30 days for NESN and NBC Sports Boston to watch pro teams. In a strange quirk when I watch on an iPad, iPhone or computer it always show my local PA networks, but when I watch on AppleTV or Roku it shows Boston local networks,
As a followup to this post, personalVPN wasn't the answer. Google Chrome continues to report my actual physical location. I've tried setting a Boston location in Developer Tools and also tried using the Location Guard extension but Chrome somehow defeats them. Any other suggestions?
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,369
I am in the "I switched from cable to YoutubeTV and now I'm pissed that NESN isn't carried by YoutubeTV" group. Really frustrating. It's almost like NESN is trying to make it difficult to watch their product.

I don't want to go back to cable. And for me, YoutubeTV is still somewhat cheaper. It just means I won't get NESN, which suuuuuuuuucks. So it's back to listening to Sox games on the radio for me, and for when they are shown on national broadcasts. Just like the old days for me from before I got my first taste of cable.

And to be fair, I do enjoy listening to the Sox on the radio. Always have. So it might not be as big a deal for me. I can listen in the background while I do other, productive, things, instead of just parking myself in front of the TV.

But still...every once in a while I'd like to, you know, actually watch the Boston Red Sox (or Boston Bruins) play.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,054
Hingham, MA
It's ridiculous. Signed up for YTTV originally when it was $39.99 a month. It's now $64.99 a month - a 62.5% price increase in 2 years - and no NESN. It's outrageous really.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,369
It's ridiculous. Signed up for YTTV originally when it was $39.99 a month. It's now $64.99 a month - a 62.5% price increase in 2 years - and no NESN. It's outrageous really.
Crazy. Still cheaper than cable but still.

I’m really still waiting for the pure a la carte option where each channel sells itself as its own entity, to be delivered online. So if the ONLY thing you want to watch is NESN, and they charge $10/mo, all you pay is $10/mo but all you get is NESN.

I only watch a handful of channels anyway so this is my dream scenario.
 

Vinho Tinto

Member
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Dec 9, 2003
7,046
Auburn, MA
It's almost like NESN is trying to make it difficult to watch their product.
RSNs are starting to get push back on what they want to charge. Both cable and internet TV are walking away from them with the belief they aren’t moving the subscriber needle like they used to. As has been mentioned, these moves happening while they all continue to raise prices (Comcast just announced price increases and data caps for internet) is frustrating for the customer. Wireless is rolling out home internet. Interested in seeing if added competition benefits customers (or if Verizon and TMobile just mirror Comcast).
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
Crazy. Still cheaper than cable but still.

I’m really still waiting for the pure a la carte option where each channel sells itself as its own entity, to be delivered online. So if the ONLY thing you want to watch is NESN, and they charge $10/mo, all you pay is $10/mo but all you get is NESN.

I only watch a handful of channels anyway so this is my dream scenario.
How much do think this package should cost:

ESPN
ESPNU
ACCN
SECN
4 OTA networks without local stuff
CNBC
MSNBC
NESN
HBO
Showtime
TNT
TBS
USA
BRV
MLBN
NBC Sports
NBC Sports Boston
NFLN
NHLN
FS1
CBSSN
FX
 

gtmtnbiker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
1,723
I don't want to go back to cable. And for me, YoutubeTV is still somewhat cheaper. It just means I won't get NESN, which suuuuuuuuucks.
I don’t think YTTV is cheaper anymore but it does have a superior viewing experience. The UI is snappy and lets you easily FF or REW with great preview. Unlimited DVR. Per user recordings. Smart recordings where I say I want to watch the Patriots and it record all of the games for me automatically no matter the time or channel. Lastly, it also make VOD available if I didn’t start recording a show at the beginnont of the season.


It's ridiculous. Signed up for YTTV originally when it was $39.99 a month. It's now $64.99 a month - a 62.5% price increase in 2 years - and no NESN. It's outrageous really.
It sucks but they still have a superior product. I’m able to mitigate the price pain by splitting the cost with two other people. I’m actually paying $10 more to get the sports package...actually one person in my group is because he wanted those networks.

RSNs are starting to get push back on what they want to charge. Both cable and internet TV are walking away from them with the belief they aren’t moving the subscriber needle like they used to. As has been mentioned, these moves happening while they all continue to raise prices (Comcast just announced price increases and data caps for internet) is frustrating for the customer. Wireless is rolling out home internet. Interested in seeing if added competition benefits customers (or if Verizon and TMobile just mirror Comcast).
I’m glad to see the pushback. It sucks that I don’t get NESN but I’ll have to use MLB to follow the Sox. I also have to get the location spoofing software to watch it real time or be happy watching it later.
 

garlan5

Member
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May 13, 2009
2,684
Virginia
As a followup to this post, personalVPN wasn't the answer. Google Chrome continues to report my actual physical location. I've tried setting a Boston location in Developer Tools and also tried using the Location Guard extension but Chrome somehow defeats them. Any other suggestions?
I use the chrome extension too with a vpn. This maybe obvious but be sure to set the location to fixed. I obviously set it to the same area my vpn is faked to. For me YTTV still gives a error or something about not detecting location etc etc (I'd need to try it again and see) but if you ignore it or close the box it will work.

For the record i'm using an old lap top for this (2014 hp laptop). I dont think it will work on tablets or phones even though you can get the same gps spoof extension. I want to say i may have had issues with a newer laptop but not 100% certain. I'll try to remember next time it use it to try the new lap top and remember what the error or pop up box says.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,054
Hingham, MA
This is actually more of an internet story than cutting cable, but after a year or two my Fios 100/100 plan increased from $39.99 to 54.99. Since my contract has expired, I went to check out their introductory rates - they are now offering $39.99 for 200/200. So I started an online chat and within 10 minutes, had my monthly rate reduced and my speed doubled. Nice little mini xmas gift!
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
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Dec 10, 2007
20,380
This is actually more of an internet story than cutting cable, but after a year or two my Fios 100/100 plan increased from $39.99 to 54.99. Since my contract has expired, I went to check out their introductory rates - they are now offering $39.99 for 200/200. So I started an online chat and within 10 minutes, had my monthly rate reduced and my speed doubled. Nice little mini xmas gift!
I might have to do the exact same thing. Good looking out!
 

Matty005

Member
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Aug 28, 2005
925
Arlington, MA
For those YouTube TV Subscribers since June of 2018 (I am not, only since 2019, but my buddy sent me this:

For the rest of December, Google is giving loyal YouTube TV subscribers a free Chromecast with Google TV (normally $49). The catch? You will need to have subscribed to YouTube TV
since June 2018 with no pauses or cancellations to qualify for the complimentary Chromecast.

Google is notifying eligible customers through their YouTube TV account’s email address, so check your inboxes if you’re part of that dedicated crowd. The offer is only valid until December 31, which gives you just a few weeks to claim the free Chromecast before the deal is over.