New ESPN Streaming Details

A couple of cable systems negotiated this into their carriage deals. There will likely be more providers, but at what cost.

Hulu/ESPN+/Disney+ doesn't have the expansive sports that I want. ESPN+ is folded into the new ESPN plus ESPN on ABC. It is everything sports they can offer. In addition, they are going to have interactive for betting. That I will not partake of.

 

The answer is no. ESPN will still carry all of ESPN except ESPN+ which can be bought individually or in a bundle. It wouldn't surprise me to see YouTube TV negotiate to have ESPN+ as part of their carriage deal with Disney, but at what cost.

In the meantime, you get to continue to pay $94.25 monthly for YouTube TV which is owned by Google. I dislike Google even more than I dislike Disney, but you have to deal with the devil to get the programming you want. I intend to cancel the biggest devil.

 

I could get by with less too even though I'll be pretty low at $138 total for internet and streaming. My wife has to have certain channels/programs, and she likes to watch movies. It is what it is.

Tablo/antenna has also been a game changer. Locals cost a bundle, and they are wanting more in future carriage agreements. Look for both streaming TV providers and cable to experience more price increases due to locals demands.

I have been streaming since August 2017. My total for internet and streaming started out around $95 so $138 is still reasonable to me, even where I have been in the mid $180s while waiting for standalone sports streaming to come online. When I left cable, I had just gotten another increase from Cox Cable. My internet and cable were going up to $225. I said enough was enough and decided to learn how to stream. I've saved a ton of money over cable and internet during these now going on 8 years.

 

Being in the older generation, Georgia is my Google and FSU is my Disney.

 

$300 total for cable and internet? You are exactly the type of person who should be streaming. If you are at $380, that draws a wowzah!

I use Amazon Fire Sticks 4K Max, one for each television, costs about $40 each. Roku is another consideration, but the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max has much more storage than Roku, 16 to 4, plus costs less. You can have many more apps on the 4K Max without degrading your system speed.

There is very little to do for maintenance. I go into my apps and clear cache about once a month. Don't clear data as that will wipe out things you have saved in the apps.

You'll learn the more internet speed the better, nothing more annoying than to experience buffering, a delay in your transmission. I have AT&T 1000 fiber internet. Cox tells you they have fiber, but that is at the road. Cox is still running standard cables from the road to the house.

It's a bit of a pain to get your streaming devices set up with content, but the savings justify the one-time pain. Also, streaming content is almost limitless so long as you have the storage available to hold the apps on your streaming device.

Look into Tablo with an antenna that pick up your locals. In my case, I had to install an outside antenna. Depending on how close you are to your locals' towers, you may be able to get by with an inside antenna. The Tablo gives you a group of channels, but the bigger point is that you plug your antenna into Tablo which routes through your modem to each of your streaming devices. Tablo runs about $100 for a one-time purchase.

Happy Streaming!

 

Thanks, this will affect me as I will be subscribing to Max, now named back to HBO Max, as part of my subscription plan when ESPN comes online. Upgrading for a month is easy, better than using Sling Blue for a month at a much higher cost.

 

Yes, but you do have to pay for a full month even if you cancel. There are no refunds in streaming.