MSG Networks now leaves Optimum. Now what do I do?

[devilsblood]

Directtv stream is another option that would carry everything if you do the "choice" package.

I'm calling optimum over the weekend. I don't understand the offer they gave for Fubo. If I did that offer, why would I continue with optimum?

After MSG left Comcast I pirated it for awhile, but it sucked.

Signed up for Directv Stream last year at some point and it's pretty good. I actually liked comcast better, but it's pretty good.

 

[JK3]

Oh boy.

 

[Patrik26]

I will add that streaming services like FUBO and Directv Stream and Hulu with live TV and Youtube TV are essentially cable without a box. They aggregate a bunch of channels and charge you monthly and from time to time they lose a contract and a channel or channels will go dark. They offer better portability than cable of course but I am a Directv Stream subscriber and lost the entire ESPN/ABC family of channels around August/September for a week or two. I figured they'd work it out and they did but the niche channels generally don't come back if they drop off.

I'm sure that at some point the cord cutting sounded like a great idea and if you steal programming it's inexpensive but at this point I think the promise of a la carte TV is a myth. You pay a lot more for it in my view. Even the stuff my wife watches (Chip and Joanna and similar shows) is now part of a separate streaming package that costs more than it should). I think Netflix is up to about $20 per month?

THIS. THIS. THIS. Between Netflix, FUBO, ESPN+ and who the f*** knows what else we're subscribed to, we're probably close to $200 per month. If the Gotham app worked (and from what I read it sucks) I could knock of $65 by getting rid of FUBO. Once the Devils season is over I'll suspend the service until the beginning of the next season.

 

[HoliksGhost]

I’m going to try just keeping Optimum ESPN+, NHL network and TNT… pretty frustrating but I get a huge discount with Optimum, so not switching

 

[Billdo]

Directtv stream is another option that would carry everything if you do the "choice" package.

I'm calling optimum over the weekend. I don't understand the offer they gave for Fubo. If I did that offer, why would I continue with optimum?

Unless you're in an area with a different, quality and reliable internet provider, you'll still pay Optimum one way or another. I tried to fully leave Comcast and it worked for 6 months until the Tmobile at home internet stopped working out of the blue and went crawling back to Comcast for internet only.

 

[HoliksGhost]

I guess I’ll be hearing a lot more Chico on the radio

First they take away Erika, now this

 

[Louskoolaid89]

Oh boy.

It's all about the he said she said bullshit!

 

[forceten]

"In this economy..."

The economy: S&P Up 24% in 2024 (today's news)

 

[Louskoolaid89]

Doesn't look i can get MSG on Fubo.

 

[Billdo]

Doesn't look i can get MSG on Fubo.

You can, you just have to add on I think.

 

[NjDevsRR]

You can, you just have to add on I think.

$16 extra a month for regional

I found someone to share this so its gonna work out for me

 

[CalamityX23]

Good time for YES to sweep in and carry the Devils

 

[NJDevs26]

Oh boy.

There’s almost never any ‘good guy’ when two conglomerates get in a PR war

 

[Billdo]

There’s almost never any ‘good guy’ when two conglomerates get in a PR war

And MSG is not to be believed anyway. This now the second company who has ended negotiations with them and what normal business would "offer to charge less" to another company? None. Those tweets are almost like they're gaslighting Optimum.

Good time for YES to sweep in and carry the Devils

The Devils just signed reupped with MSG over the summer I believe.

 

[jkrdevil]

Directv Stream also has the sports pack which will give you NHL Network (plus a whole bunch of sports networks if you want more than just hockey). You still have to have choice to get the RSN’s though.

Re: ESPN+ Depending on device (usually one with cell or location services) it requires that to be on along with the IP. So a VPN may not work — though I was able to watch a Caps-Devils game on my phone from JFK Airport earlier this year and used it to catch some of the action when I was in Europe.

But a VPN on a smart tv like device should. I have Nord which I have found to be effective.

 

[HBK27]

I will add that streaming services like FUBO and Directv Stream and Hulu with live TV and Youtube TV are essentially cable without a box. They aggregate a bunch of channels and charge you monthly and from time to time they lose a contract and a channel or channels will go dark. They offer better portability than cable of course but I am a Directv Stream subscriber and lost the entire ESPN/ABC family of channels around August/September for a week or two. I figured they'd work it out and they did but the niche channels generally don't come back if they drop off.

I'm sure that at some point the cord cutting sounded like a great idea and if you steal programming it's inexpensive but at this point I think the promise of a la carte TV is a myth. You pay a lot more for it in my view. Even the stuff my wife watches (Chip and Joanna and similar shows) is now part of a separate streaming package that costs more than it should). I think Netflix is up to about $20 per month?

Yeah, YouTubeTV was originally a relatively low cost alternative to cable, but that's no longer the case.

Here's their pricing history:

• April 2017: Launched at $34.99 per month.
• February 2018: Increased to $39.99 per month.
• April 2019: Raised to $49.99 per month.
• June 2020: Price went up to $64.99 per month.
• March 2023: Increased to $72.99 per month.
• December 2024: Announced an increase to $82.99 per month, effective for new subscribers immediately and for existing subscribers starting January 13, 2025.

I switched over from Fios in the Spring of 2020, so I came in at $49.99 and am up to $82.99 (66% increase) less than 5 years later. And it's not like they added anything of significance - actually lost some channels, including Tennis Channel which my wife enjoyed. Also never had NHL Network, which I miss. There's a lot I like about YouTubeTV, but at this price I'm considering just dropping it or looking at other options.

For Devils games, I originally pirated them but my brother still has Fios so I'm able to use his account to stream via Gotham. Works well enough - though I have to mirror it from my phone to the TV and there's maybe a 2-3 minute window that you can rewind within so you basically have to watch live. If that goes, not sure what I'd do for games (which may be the case as there's a chance he moves out of the area). ESPN+ doesn't work that well on my TV - had a ton of issues during the last game with it buffering/freezing up, but I supposed I would maybe get a VPN and use that service if I could get it to stream properly. Paying $30 a month just for Devils games is a no go for me.

 

[New Jerseys Devil]

Arghh!

 

[Whaddagoal]

Directtv stream is another option that would carry everything if you do the "choice" package.

I'm calling optimum over the weekend. I don't understand the offer they gave for Fubo. If I did that offer, why would I continue with optimum?

I had moved to DTV streaming last year, no regrets. Was a prior Verizon customer but really have enjoyed the DTV switch. Cost is about the same maybe slightly more but I get more channels and haven't had an issue with the regional sports channels.

Just have to make sure you choose that package.

I had been debating with Fubo vs. DTV and DTV won out.

Only noticable oddity is the stream itself is about 60-80 seconds behind live/Verizon so if I am in here sometimes I get a whiff of the goals right before I see em. Verizon seemed to have been bleeding edge live feed.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I can attest that Fubo is good quality for what it provides. I live in NJ and am in a Comcast area. When they took off MSG, I cut the cord, kept the internet and ordered Fubo. It isn't cheap necessarily. Adding the regional sports package tacks on an extra $14 per month. But all I watch is sports, so it's worth it for what I need.

You can also pause your subscription for as long as you'd like/need to, so I've paused it for 6 months when the hockey season ends and you don't get charged. So that's convenient if you don't watch anything but hockey like me.

How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on fubo?

The main reason I haven't switched to fubo is cause it would be just as expensive anyway on a normal monthly basis in needing internet plus fubo for me but canceling from when the MSG Devils coverage ends to the start of the next season like you're doing could save a good chunk of money.

Directv Stream also has the sports pack which will give you NHL Network (plus a whole bunch of sports networks if you want more than just hockey). You still have to have choice to get the RSN’s though.

Re: ESPN+ Depending on device (usually one with cell or location services) it requires that to be on along with the IP. So a VPN may not work — though I was able to watch a Caps-Devils game on my phone from JFK Airport earlier this year and used it to catch some of the action when I was in Europe.

But a VPN on a smart tv like device should. I have Nord which I have found to be effective.

How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on there?

 

[Satans Hockey]

Yeah, YouTubeTV was originally a relatively low cost alternative to cable, but that's no longer the case.

Here's their pricing history:

• April 2017: Launched at $34.99 per month.
• February 2018: Increased to $39.99 per month.
• April 2019: Raised to $49.99 per month.
• June 2020: Price went up to $64.99 per month.
• March 2023: Increased to $72.99 per month.
• December 2024: Announced an increase to $82.99 per month, effective for new subscribers immediately and for existing subscribers starting January 13, 2025.

I switched over from Fios in the Spring of 2020, so I came in at $49.99 and am up to $82.99 (66% increase) less than 5 years later. And it's not like they added anything of significance - actually lost some channels, including Tennis Channel which my wife enjoyed. Also never had NHL Network, which I miss. There's a lot I like about YouTubeTV, but at this price I'm considering just dropping it or looking at other options.

For Devils games, I originally pirated them but my brother still has Fios so I'm able to use his account to stream via Gotham. Works well enough - though I have to mirror it from my phone to the TV and there's maybe a 2-3 minute window that you can rewind within so you basically have to watch live. If that goes, not sure what I'd do for games (which may be the case as there's a chance he moves out of the area). ESPN+ doesn't work that well on my TV - had a ton of issues during the last game with it buffering/freezing up, but I supposed I would maybe get a VPN and use that service if I could get it to stream properly. Paying $30 a month just for Devils games is a no go for me.

What are you using for internet? I gotta imagine a decent speed internet plus $82.99 for YouTubeTV has to be pretty close to the same cost as just a fios bundle of internet/tv

 

[Better Call Sal]

How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on fubo?

The main reason I haven't switched to fubo is cause it would be just as expensive anyway on a normal monthly basis in needing internet plus fubo for me but canceling from when the MSG Devils coverage ends to the start of the next season like you're doing could save a good chunk of money.



How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on there?

Cloud DVR is great. With the package I’m paying for, it’s unlimited so you can record as much as you want. And when you pause your subscription, it saves all of your recordings so they’re all there when you restore it.

I will say on our LG smart TV, Fubo can be laggy and annoying to function. But if you’re using the app on your phone or laptop, it works really easily.

 

[aero8279]

I had moved to DTV streaming last year, no regrets. Was a prior Verizon customer but really have enjoyed the DTV switch. Cost is about the same maybe slightly more but I get more channels and haven't had an issue with the regional sports channels.

Just have to make sure you choose that package.

I had been debating with Fubo vs. DTV and DTV won out.

Only noticable oddity is the stream itself is about 60-80 seconds behind live/Verizon so if I am in here sometimes I get a whiff of the goals right before I see em. Verizon seemed to have been bleeding edge live feed.

The "Choice" package seems to be the lowest that includes msg which is what I'm looking to switch to. I don't think I'd need to add the extra $15 per month sports package cost to the cost of the plan but I'm not 100% sure

How bad is the lag behind the actual game? Gotham seems pretty behind.

 

[glenwo2]

Oh boy.

Sorry but MSG Networks is still DOLAN and I don't trust that POS or anything he says.

 

[jkrdevil]

How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on fubo?

The main reason I haven't switched to fubo is cause it would be just as expensive anyway on a normal monthly basis in needing internet plus fubo for me but canceling from when the MSG Devils coverage ends to the start of the next season like you're doing could save a good chunk of money.



How is the cloud dvr and fast forwarding on there?

I have Directv Stream through my Condo association. We get the streaming android boxes from DTV. Never had a problem with fast forward or pauses, but I don’t use the DBR that much to be honest and I don’t know what it is like if you just use the app.

The "Choice" package seems to be the lowest that includes msg which is what I'm looking to switch to. I don't think I'd need to add the extra $15 per month sports package cost to the cost of the plan but I'm not 100% sure

How bad is the lag behind the actual game? Gotham seems pretty behind.

DTV Stream is about a minute behind traditional cable. Any streaming service is going to have a lag.

 

[forceten]

Streaming services that include live TV have gotten so expensive that the cable+internet deals are cheaper or about the same. They all missed the point of "cord cutting".

That said -- if you can find a friend with a cable TV service and have them create you an e-mail account on their account, you can login to the apps. ESPN+ still requires a sub, but it's cheap. And for TV shows, well, I can show you a better way to handle that involving Sonarr (internet DVR, essentially) and Plex that puts all the shows you want to watch from any network or service on one app, stored on a computer in your house. It's what I do. I have no clue what show is on what network anymore.