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OT: Bucs, Pens launch streaming service

HailToPitt725

Head Coach
May 16, 2016
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$17.99/month but you avoid any blackouts… thoughts? Seems like a great deal for cord cutters who pay for ESPN+ and MLB TV currently.
 
$17.99/month but you avoid any blackouts… thoughts? Seems like a great deal for cord cutters who pay for ESPN+ and MLB TV currently.
I believe it will be subject to Blackout restrictions. I use ESPN+ and MLB.TV for Pens and Pirates, but I'm out of market. I don't believe they work in the Pittsburgh market. Plus, I get my ESPN+ as part of a Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle included in my cell phone plan and MLB TV is only $150 for the year. And I get a ton more from those subscriptions.

I wonder if they are going to offer a discount for an annual plan? I'd like to buy it for my son who is at college in Western PA. My MLB.TV and ESPN+ get blacked out and he loves the Bucs and Pens. He has to stream them from random sites now because it is the only way for him to do it. So this will offer an opportunity to do it legally. Hopefully they get a ROKU or X-Box app soon so that he can watch on his TV.
 
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Seems like this is what the Pens/Pirates fans need to drop cable and get YouTube TV, SlingTV, or Hulu Live.
I switched to YouTube last September. Very happy with my choice. Saving a ton and that is with upgrading all my streaming services to premium, no commercial, levels. I do slightly miss the NHL Network and MLB Network. I rarely watched either. But during the NHL playoffs, I'd watch the morning highlights and I'll miss the MLB draft coverage on MLB. Hopefully they will simulcast the draft on MLB.TV.
 
I believe it will be subject to Blackout restrictions. I use ESPN+ and MLB.TV for Pens and Pirates, but I'm out of market. I don't believe they work in the Pittsburgh market. Plus, I get my ESPN+ as part of a Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle included in my cell phone plan and MLB TV is only $150 for the year. And I get a ton more from those subscriptions.

I wonder if they are going to offer a discount for an annual plan? I'd like to buy it for my son who is at college in Western PA. My MLB.TV and ESPN+ get blacked out and he loves the Bucs and Pens. He has to stream them from random sites now because it is the only way for him to do it. So this will offer an opportunity to do it legally. Hopefully they get a ROKU or X-Box app soon so that he can watch on his TV.
To be honest, I was assuming this will be similar to NESN’s streaming service for the Bruins/Red Sox that doesn’t have blackouts since they’re all owned by FSG. I think the reason why it might avoid blackouts is because this is only for in-market fans ( :( ).
 
I'm surprised it's that much. So I'd only be saving like $50 if I got that plus this thing.

Yea, there's not any huge savings anymore. Eventually it will be as much as cable. They still have to pay the carriage fees. Probably the only way they can offer the 30% discount on cable is they have almost no employees. No installers. No customer service phone reps.
 
Yea, there's not any huge savings anymore. Eventually it will be as much as cable. They still have to pay the carriage fees. Probably the only way they can offer the 30% discount on cable is they have almost no employees. No installers. No customer service phone reps.

I was honestly thinking it would be like $100/month. I can probably get my cable bill down to $180, for much less hassle, if I call and threaten to leave.
 
To be honest, I was assuming this will be similar to NESN’s streaming service for the Bruins/Red Sox that doesn’t have blackouts since they’re all owned by FSG. I think the reason why it might avoid blackouts is because this is only for in-market fans ( :( ).


That's exactly what it is. It is only for people in SportsNet Pittsburgh's coverage area, which means pretty much the western half of PA, all of West Virginia, parts of eastern Ohio, parts of western Maryland, and parts of western New York. If you live in those areas you will get all the games, no blackouts. If you are outside those areas you will not be able to get the service. Outside what is considered a part of the Pirates' market you have to get mlb.tv to watch the games.
 
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That's exactly what it is. It is only for people in SportsNet Pittsburgh's coverage area, which means pretty much the western half of PA, all of West Virginia, parts of eastern Ohio, parts of western Maryland, and parts of western New York. If you live in those areas you will get all the games, no blackouts. If you are outside those areas you will not be able to get the service. Outside what is considered a part of the Pirates' market you have to get mlb.tv to watch the games.
So if I live in central pa, this is a no go?
 
I believe it will be subject to Blackout restrictions. I use ESPN+ and MLB.TV for Pens and Pirates, but I'm out of market. I don't believe they work in the Pittsburgh market. Plus, I get my ESPN+ as part of a Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle included in my cell phone plan and MLB TV is only $150 for the year. And I get a ton more from those subscriptions.

I wonder if they are going to offer a discount for an annual plan? I'd like to buy it for my son who is at college in Western PA. My MLB.TV and ESPN+ get blacked out and he loves the Bucs and Pens. He has to stream them from random sites now because it is the only way for him to do it. So this will offer an opportunity to do it legally. Hopefully they get a ROKU or X-Box app soon so that he can watch on his TV.
They don’t
Can confirm

I’ll swap back to FuboTV for hockey season -
From YouTubeTV -
Will be a helluva lot cheaper
 
It depends on exactly where. You should be able to find a coverage map on line somewhere which will tell you if you are in the Pirates' coverage area. The areas don't always make a lot of sense, so it's hard to say one way or the other.
I get the Pittsburgh, philly, and baltimore, nationals on comcast. No blackouts
 
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Yea, there's not any huge savings anymore. Eventually it will be as much as cable. They still have to pay the carriage fees. Probably the only way they can offer the 30% discount on cable is they have almost no employees. No installers. No customer service phone reps.
Eventually it'll be more than cable. Unless people are stealing stuff, to be able to keep up with streaming and get Pirates/Pens and get YTTV or Hulu Live... It's over $200. Used to be a savings. Streaming service prices only going up. Pretty much a no win.
 
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I remember when YouTube tv was cheaper than cable. Now, it is cable(price wise).
 
I remember when YouTube tv was cheaper than cable. Now, it is cable(price wise).

No it isnt. Maybe if you got the most basic cable without ESPN and stuff.

When I first got YTTV when ACCN came out, it was $50/month. Now, its $73/month (thanks Biden). I pay $161.36 for a Fios Internet/YTTV Bundle. Fios doesn't discount YTTV in that bundle so the only benefit of doing it that way was just having 1 bill and easier to compare to a cable/internet bundle.
 
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Eventually it'll be more than cable. Unless people are stealing stuff, to be able to keep up with streaming and get Pirates/Pens and get YTTV or Hulu Live... It's over $200. Used to be a savings. Streaming service prices only going up. Pretty much a no win.

Its getting closer to cable but it can never be more because they have 0 customer service or installer infrastructure. Its basically just 20 programmers in an office in the Bay Area.
 
After YouTube TV's last price hike I'm now paying $17.55 less per month than I was with cable, when I made the switch a few years ago it was almost $30 less.
 
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Eventually it'll be more than cable. Unless people are stealing stuff, to be able to keep up with streaming and get Pirates/Pens and get YTTV or Hulu Live... It's over $200. Used to be a savings. Streaming service prices only going up. Pretty much a no win.
The biggest difference is that it's much simpler to dump one streaming service for another and there are infinitely more options.

I don't watch a lot of TV. Just don't find much that is on to be very entertaining. If I have to pay more premiums to watch sports, that won't be a difficult call. I'm old enough that I don't mind just looking up the box scores to follow a team.
 
I almost spit out my coffee reading that!

Yeah, it was a real zinger. Let's see him add $50 to his current monthly donation and just call it a win/win. Of course he won't be doing that, though.

When Pitt fans start shaming other fan who already donate, that's when I just want to give $0 and wash my hands of all this.
 
Yeah, it was a real zinger. Let's see him add $50 to his current monthly donation and just call it a win/win. Of course he won't be doing that, though.

When Pitt fans start shaming other fan who already donate, that's when I just want to give $0 and wash my hands of all this.

I don't understand how you can follow a professional college sports team where fans are required to pay the players directly and be "against it." Not saying you have to donate big bucks but if you dont agree with fans paying the players, you shouldn't watch. This sport isnt for you. Stick to the NFL, where a portion of your ticket purchase goes to the players since you are ok with paying players indirectly.
 
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I don't understand how you can follow a professional college sports team where fans are required to pay the players directly and be "against it." Not saying you have to donate big bucks but if you dont agree with fans paying the players, you shouldn't watch. This sport isnt for you. Stick to the NFL, where a portion of your ticket purchase goes to the players since you are ok with paying players indirectly.

I donate. $20/month. Don't like being told I should up it by $50. Especially by someone who probably doesn't give $70/month himself.
 
Wait, there's a mandatory component to the NIL? I didn't get that email.

Its implied. The sport has entirely changed. Its a pro sport now but the player payment model is different from the NFL and NBA. The fans have to pay directly rather than indirectly.
 
Its implied. The sport has entirely changed. Its a pro sport now but the player payment model is different from the NFL and NBA. The fans have to pay directly rather than indirectly.

I'm sure they'll be intertwined soon enough. Just attach a mandatory 412A donation to season tickets, etc.
 
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