How will you watch Blues games this year?

[Blanick]

As a cord cutter, every year it feels like a mad scramble to find a way to watch my Blues games. In the past I have used both YoutubeTV and Hulu+LiveTV but it seems like their ongoing contract disputes with Sinclair's RSNs have no end in sight. Last year I used NHL.tv alongside with a VPN from my laptop and then chromecast it to my TV. Now this year NHL.tv has gone away and been replaced with ESPN+ but I am hesitant to sign up because I don't know if they are going to carry all/most Blues games. Do any of my fellow Blues fans have any insight on ESPN+ or have another alternative to watch games this year?

How are you going to watch Blues games this year and why TF is this so difficult year after year?

Click to read more...

 

[Stealth JD]

NHL Live Games Video & Streaming Schedule Game Center Live

I live in FL though, so the only blackouts I have to deal with are when the Blues are playing in Sunrise or when they're on the National Broadcast. Then I either have to log in to my in-laws Spectrum account and watch through their cable package, or find a stream on sportsurge.net

 

[BlueOil]

 

[Thallis]

I am not allowed to discuss this topic on these boards

 

[Stelmacki]

I was planning on using the Bally Sports Midwest app even though I just have charter internet, but no cable. It’s worked for Cardinals games.

 

[BluesTraveller]

I was planning on using the Bally Sports Midwest app even though I just have charter internet, but no cable. It’s worked for Cardinals games.

That really works? When I tried in the past with FS Go, it rejected me. Going to have to try again.

 

[Stelmacki]

That really works? When I tried in the past with FS Go, it rejected me. Going to have to try again.

When Bally took over it took a few weeks until it started working smoother, but it always worked for me.

 

[ort]

I still have cable but have been so close to cutting it off forever.

I plan on paying for the NHL package and using a VPN to trick it into thinking I'm somewhere else so I can actually watch my hometeam. Are we allowed to discus such things on here? If not, I will drop it, if so, I would be interested to hear how this has worked out for others.

I want to give them my money and it always feels like they don't even want it. bLackout rules are draconian and anti-consumer. I can't believe it's 2021 and we still have to put up with this crap.

 

[Ranksu]

NHL.com/tv

 

[Em etah Eh]

I had charter TV and dropped it a few months ago because the price was going back to regular pricing. I might just go back to them since I've already got their internet and there still aren't that many options that get local sports. They now offer a streaming only option, so I don't have to pay for a box or anything, but I'm not sure what all channels that gets me and if it allows me to log into those channels' apps the same way regular charter tv did.

Is it still Charter, AT&T that pretty much get Bally's?

 

[Brian39]

As a cord cutter, every year it feels like a mad scramble to find a way to watch my Blues games. In the past I have used both YoutubeTV and Hulu+LiveTV but it seems like their ongoing contract disputes with Sinclair's RSNs have no end in sight. Last year I used NHL.tv alongside with a VPN from my laptop and then chromecast it to my TV. Now this year NHL.tv has gone away and been replaced with ESPN+ but I am hesitant to sign up because I don't know if they are going to carry all/most Blues games. Do any of my fellow Blues fans have any insight on ESPN+ or have another alternative to watch games this year?

How are you going to watch Blues games this year and why TF is this so difficult year after year?

It should work exactly like NHL.TV did. They are advertising that they are carrying 1000+ out of market games and there are a total of 1,312 games league-wide this season. There are 78 national TV broadcasts this year and 75 games that are "ESPN+ exclusive" broadcasts that don't count toward that "out of market" total. So that leaves 1,159 potential out of market games that ESPN+ could be streaming and they are advertising "more than 1000." That "access more than 1000 out of market games" is the same language used when it was NHL.TV so there is no reason to think that ESPN+ will for some reason stream some amount over 1000 but less than the 1,159 out of market games that exist on the schedule.

In terms of coverage, ESPN+ is going to be the same service as NHL.TV.

The question is about VPNs and blackouts. It is unclear whether ESPN+ will work in conjunction with a VPN. Disney+ and Hulu seem to detect VPNs and prevent streaming a lot better than other streaming services, so it is likely ESPN+ will be the same. Considering that ESPN+ is about half the price that NHL.TV was, it would make sense that they intend to crack down on VPN usage. But we probably won't know until the season starts and people are trying it.

To answer your initial question, I chip in for my dad's cable so I can use a login for the Bally Sports app. I already have ESPN+ and will use it to watch games around the league, but there is no sense risking a ban with a VPN when I have a cable login.

Edit: NHL.TV does still exist outside North America, so people outside the US should be fine using whatever they were using before.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

It should work exactly like NHL.TV did. They are advertising that they are carrying 1000+ out of market games and there are a total of 1,312 games league-wide this season. There are 78 national TV broadcasts this year and 75 games that are "ESPN+ exclusive" broadcasts that don't count toward that "out of market" total. So that leaves 1,159 potential out of market games that ESPN+ could be streaming and they are advertising "more than 1000." That "access more than 1000 out of market games" is the same language used when it was NHL.TV so there is no reason to think that ESPN+ will for some reason stream some amount over 1000 but less than the 1,159 out of market games that exist on the schedule.

In terms of coverage, ESPN+ is going to be the same service as NHL.TV.

The question is about VPNs and blackouts. It is unclear whether ESPN+ will work in conjunction with a VPN. Disney+ and Hulu seem to detect VPNs and prevent streaming a lot better than other streaming services, so it is likely ESPN+ will be the same. Considering that ESPN+ is about half the price that NHL.TV was, it would make sense that they intend to crack down on VPN usage. But we probably won't know until the season starts and people are trying it.

To answer your initial question, I chip in for my dad's cable so I can use a login for the Bally Sports app. I already have ESPN+ and will use it to watch games around the league, but there is no sense risking a ban with a VPN when I have a cable login.

Edit: NHL.TV does still exist outside North America, so people outside the US should be fine using whatever they were using before.

This is actually a real win for me. Instead of paying fir nhl.tv like in past, I pay fir espn+ And get a bunch of other stuff for basically same $.

 

[Bluesfan54]

No matter how we watch, it will be a lot more fun with butts in the seats.

 

[Majorityof1]

I pay for cable specifically for Blues games. I cord cut and went to youtube, but then they lost Fox/Bally sports MW. So I signed back up for cable. My regional network is weird for the Blues. It sometimes shows Blues games, so they all get blacked out on NHL gamecenter, and I assumeESPN. However, the Blues are the last priority on a list of like 5 pro teams and multiple colleges across multiple sports. So I only get the games on TV if only one or none of the others are playing. I can usually watch it on the app though.

My phone provider does pay for Disney+ bundle with hulu and ESPN+ though. So hopefully ESPN doesn't black me out and I can just use that.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

It should work exactly like NHL.TV did. They are advertising that they are carrying 1000+ out of market games and there are a total of 1,312 games league-wide this season. There are 78 national TV broadcasts this year and 75 games that are "ESPN+ exclusive" broadcasts that don't count toward that "out of market" total. So that leaves 1,159 potential out of market games that ESPN+ could be streaming and they are advertising "more than 1000." That "access more than 1000 out of market games" is the same language used when it was NHL.TV so there is no reason to think that ESPN+ will for some reason stream some amount over 1000 but less than the 1,159 out of market games that exist on the schedule.

In terms of coverage, ESPN+ is going to be the same service as NHL.TV.

The question is about VPNs and blackouts. It is unclear whether ESPN+ will work in conjunction with a VPN. Disney+ and Hulu seem to detect VPNs and prevent streaming a lot better than other streaming services, so it is likely ESPN+ will be the same. Considering that ESPN+ is about half the price that NHL.TV was, it would make sense that they intend to crack down on VPN usage. But we probably won't know until the season starts and people are trying it.

To answer your initial question, I chip in for my dad's cable so I can use a login for the Bally Sports app. I already have ESPN+ and will use it to watch games around the league, but there is no sense risking a ban with a VPN when I have a cable login.

Edit: NHL.TV does still exist outside North America, so people outside the US should be fine using whatever they were using before.

Do you have a link or confirmation anywhere on ESPN plus banning people for VPN usage? Don’t want to try if that is confirmed.

I would really love to be able to cut the cord on cable. As I already have ESPN plus. Paying for a VPN services would be cheaper than paying for Charter.

 

[joe galiba]

with a TV

 

[Brian39]

Do you have a link or confirmation anywhere on ESPN plus banning people for VPN usage? Don’t want to try if that is confirmed.

I would really love to be able to cut the cord on cable. As I already have ESPN plus. Paying for a VPN services would be cheaper than paying for Charter.

I don't have a link/confirmation and I don't have any reason to say it is likely. But (like all streaming services) using a VPN is a violation of their ToS and violating ToS is grounds for an account ban.

I'm not scared enough of that happening that I wouldn't try it at all, because I think the risk is fairly minor. It's just not a minor risk worth taking for me since I have a cable login to utilize the Bally Sports App.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

I c

I don't have a link/confirmation and I don't have any reason to say it is likely. But (like all streaming services) using a VPN is a violation of their ToS and violating ToS is grounds for an account ban.

I'm not scared enough of that happening that I wouldn't try it at all, because I think the risk is fairly minor. It's just not a minor risk worth taking for me since I have a cable login to utilize the Bally Sports App.

Thanks. I can’t risk it then. My brother uses the same family account to watch Disney plus. He has two one and half year old twins addicted to Mickey Mouses Clubhouse. I’m sure the world would end if I got the account banned lol.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I’d cancel, but my 91y father-in-law has dementia and is familiar with how to use Directv remote, so we just keep it for his sake. I know there are a lot cheaper options, but we have other factors that make the choice. I subscribe to the NHL package.

 

[joe galiba]

I’d cancel, but my 91y father-in-law has dementia and is familiar with how to use Directv remote, so we just keep it for his sake. I know there are a lot cheaper options, but we have other factors that make the choice. I subscribe to the NHL package.

sucks
my 85 year old father-in-law has dementia as well
my mother-in-law died suddenly in May and he is living on his own for the first time in over 60 years
we set up Onstar for him if he gets confused while driving (he is actually still a good driver, just doesn't always remember where he is going) and set up the remote and tv to tell him out loud what channel he is on
but it is a real struggle sometimes

 

[EL Bandito]

NHL66 mostly

 

[Brian39]

sucks
my 85 year old father-in-law has dementia as well
my mother-in-law died suddenly in May and he is living on his own for the first time in over 60 years
we set up Onstar for him if he gets confused while driving (he is actually still a good driver, just doesn't always remember where he is going) and set up the remote and tv to tell him out loud what channel he is on
but it is a real struggle sometimes

Dementia is absolutely brutal and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I don't want to sound callous, but an 85 year old with dementia absolutely shouldn't be driving. Even if the skills are currently still there, they are going to go at some point and the majority of families learn they have gone after an incident. The odds that you and your family will recognize the tipping point based on something other than a crash are pretty slim.

As a prosecutor, one of the worst experiences of my career was a careless driving causing death case where the defendant had dementia. There are no winners in any careless driving causing death case, but even less so when the main issue is whether the defendant has the cognitive function to recognize what is going on around them. You have a defense attorney fairly asserting that we shouldn't prosecute and incarcerate a person with limited mental capacity and a victim's family fairly asserting that these limited capacities are exactly what caused the death of a loved one so someone needs to be held accountable for such a person being behind the wheel. Dementia is a nightmare and tacking on a tragic death, a criminal case and a civil case is a near-guarantee that two families get devastated. If anyone holds power of attorney or provides regular care for a driver with dementia, then that person is very likely to get sued for damages caused by that driver. The criminal case likely means that the state winds up dictating the end of life care for the person with dementia after a finding of incompetency to stand trial or a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. Or that the state is ordering the person to remain incarcerated pending proceedings to protect the community. Or that the dementia isn't quite bad enough to eliminate legal culpability and the person is convicted and gets to end life in prison.

This is all worst case scenario of course, but it is not a crazy unlikely scenario. I saw too many crashes involving elderly people with diminished mental capacity. I only saw the one resulting in the death of another, but I saw plenty of frail people in handcuffs or hospitals because they hurt themselves or left the scene in confusion and an officer suspected drugs.

Take his f***ing keys away before the driving skills are gone, not after you learn the hard way that they are gone. It's going to be a brutally hard conversation whenever it happens. I watched my grandmother descend into an unrecognizable shell of herself. We put off the nursing home too long out of guilt and it was a horrible mistake. The decision to take his keys is going to be a painful one, but it is less painful to do it before a crash than after.

 

[Xerloris]

I'm moving in about a month to a place where the best internet I can get is 1.5 mbs so watching anything online is out of the question.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

sucks
my 85 year old father-in-law has dementia as well
my mother-in-law died suddenly in May and he is living on his own for the first time in over 60 years
we set up Onstar for him if he gets confused while driving (he is actually still a good driver, just doesn't always remember where he is going) and set up the remote and tv to tell him out loud what channel he is on
but it is a real struggle sometimes

I'm happy to be able to do it. He worked hard his whole life, served in the Navy in WW II, cared for a wife who slowly died of muscular dystrophy over many years. We're really happy to have him with us. If there were more little things like this I could do to make his life more comfortable right now, I'd do it. He mostly just watches the Game Show Network. But he's kind and appreciative of everything. You couldn't imagine a better house guest. I lost my father to dementia several years ago, so it means a lot to have a chance to help provide for my wife's dad.

 

[Celtic Note]

I’d cancel, but my 91y father-in-law has dementia and is familiar with how to use Directv remote, so we just keep it for his sake. I know there are a lot cheaper options, but we have other factors that make the choice. I subscribe to the NHL package.

Sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Been though something similar.