Toggle sidebar

NHL.TV / Center Ice / ESPN+ Discussion - Part IV [See the warning in OP]

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
SJSharksfan39 said:
After a full day with many games I think I'm ready to say that ESPN+ is garbage and I know why they decreased the cost of the out of market service. We get less games, poor quality, and a service that is a massive massive downgrade from what we had. Navigation is terrible, everything is incorporated so I don't know what I'm pressing, and I'm actually angry that we got such a downgrade. This is how they treat NHL Fans (Like Crap) and it's getting nauseating. The NHL needs to figure out how to sell their product and I don't think they actually care. Gotta get that sweet ESPN money I guess.

By the way, all this bad mouthing of NBC, I liked their coverage, and I miss their theme song. Was it great? Not really, but it was doable and I already miss John Forslund on the national telecasts.

Also, f*** NHL Network with a f***ing Chainsaw. Put those games on a streaming service you f***ing Idiots (NHL).
Click to expand...

Rose colored glasses. NHL.tv was massively uneven in its stream quality. Its navigation and native support was terrible most of the time, it was way too expensive for what it offered, and watching the same three commercial over and over again was obnoxious as hell. ESPN+ has its warts, but given its expansive catalog and the fact its got more incentive to improve, I don't see the warts lasting long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ElysiumAB and CPTN71
Tawnos said:
You got literally the same number of games as you're getting from ESPN+.
Click to expand...

That can't be true. I was able to get every out of market game from GameCenter/NHL.TV

In comparison on ESPN+ there are several out of market games I can't watch. Today for example the Coyotes and the Sabres are playing and I can't watch that game.

Not like that particular game is a barnburner or anything but it's a NHL game on a weekend, so I would have watched.
 
HoltzYourHorses said:
That can't be true. I was able to get every out of market game from GameCenter/NHL.TV

In comparison on ESPN+ there are several out of market games I can't watch. Today for example the Coyotes and the Sabres are playing and I can't watch that game.

Not like that particular game is a barnburner or anything but it's a NHL game on a weekend, so I would have watched.
Click to expand...

It’s on NHL Network.
 
Tawnos said:
You got literally the same number of games as you're getting from ESPN+.
Click to expand...
So far in the first handful of days, there have already been so many unavailable. The only unavailable games used to be blackouts for local market, or something shown on NBCSN or NBC. Now it includes stuff on Hulu, NHL Network, TNT….
 
HoltzYourHorses said:
That can't be true. I was able to get every out of market game from GameCenter/NHL.TV

In comparison on ESPN+ there are several out of market games I can't watch. Today for example the Coyotes and the Sabres are playing and I can't watch that game.

Not like that particular game is a barnburner or anything but it's a NHL game on a weekend, so I would have watched.
Click to expand...

FeatherHead said:
So far in the first handful of days, there have already been so many unavailable. The only unavailable games used to be blackouts for local market, or something shown on NBCSN or NBC. Now it includes stuff on Hulu, NHL Network, TNT….
Click to expand...

Blackouts always included games on NHLN except for last season. Not sure why that happened, other than maybe the figured with the shortened season they wouldn't. The Coyotes/Sabres is on NHLN. Had that been the case two years ago, you wouldn't have had access to it on NHL.tv.

When I said literally, I meant literally rather than exactly. It's the same format. The ESPN+ package is every out-of-market games minus those on linear national TV (ESPN and TNT) and NHLN. The NHL.tv package was every out of market game minus those on national TV (NBCSN and NBC) and NHLN. It's the same thing.

@FeatherHead ESPN+ includes the games on Hulu. Those are the same national broadcasts as the exclusive ESPN+ ones. It also includes the games on ABC.

ESPN and TNT will be showing 66 exclusive games this year. 16 on ESPN and 50 on TNT. NBCSN showed up to 90. The national TV schedule you can't access from the streaming subscription is less than it was under the old contract. I'm not really sure if the NHLN schedule increased, and if so by how much, but the Rangers are on there twice in October and that feels pretty normal to me.

In other words, your perception has changed, but the reality has not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CNYCrunchfan1 and FeatherHead
Tawnos said:
Blackouts always included games on NHLN except for last season. Not sure why that happened, other than maybe the figured with the shortened season they wouldn't. The Coyotes/Sabres is on NHLN. Had that been the case two years ago, you wouldn't have had access to it on NHL.tv.

When I said literally, I meant literally rather than exactly. It's the same format. The ESPN+ package is every out-of-market games minus those on linear national TV (ESPN and TNT) and NHLN. The NHL.tv package was every out of market game minus those on national TV (NBCSN and NBC) and NHLN. It's the same thing.

@FeatherHead ESPN+ includes the games on Hulu. Those are the same national broadcasts as the exclusive ESPN+ ones. It also includes the games on ABC.

ESPN and TNT will be showing 66 exclusive games this year. 16 on ESPN and 50 on TNT. NBCSN showed up to 90. The national TV schedule you can't access from the streaming subscription is less than it was under the old contract. I'm not really sure if the NHLN schedule increased, and if so by how much, but the Rangers are on there twice in October and that feels pretty normal to me.

In other words, your perception has changed, but the reality has not.
Click to expand...

FYI - All NHLN games appear on ESPN + after the exclusivity window ends which is not very long.
 
The other day I put in a rant about ESPN+ being garbage and I think I was a little harsh. There are two things I like about ESPN+ from an apple TV perspective. I like the quality, and I like Multi-Cast. I haven't had any issues with the service from those two issues at all and it's been pretty clear for the most part. I still think the navigation could be so much better, they should give you an option to hide scores, and I still say f*** NHL Network for not being like NBA, MLB, and NFL and be more widely available. Just think how much you can grow the game if you could stream that on a provider like Youtube TV or even NHL.Com. Hell, put it as part of the ESPN+ subscription. I don't understand why the NHL won't do anything with thier own network, especially now that they have really embraced the whole streaming thing on ESPN+.
 
The NHL corporate office has essentially contracted out its management, leadership, and responsibility of their NHL product to E$PN and several other TV, cable, and $treaming network$. The result for NHL fans/viewers around the world is a rather disappointing and irritating experience compared to how great it could have easily been.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FMichael
jkrdevil said:
I think it is an issue with the app itself. I have the same problem when using the app on the iPhone. When watching on a fire stick I can switch just fine.
Click to expand...

Hopefully this gets worked out soon so I can watch the Jets feed. Although, lord knows no one misses Sportsnet or having Kevin Sawyer for Jets home games.
 
FWIW: It looks like the live games shown exclusively on the NHL Network are made available for replay 24hrs later on ESPN+.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FMichael
For me, espn+ games look heaps better when watched on hulu instead of the espn app. Is that everyone else's experience too? Finally upgrading to 4k has made streaming games frustrating to watch because of the compression so any upgrade in quality helps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peterrod16
FMichael said:
So we can watch Original 6 matchup Rangers/Leafs tomorrow night …
Click to expand...

It's so frustrating and actually very surprising how difficult it is to watch NHL games sometimes. I am out of market, and have ESPN+ but still cannot watch the game. The only (legal) option for me is to upgrade my cable package and pay for shit that I don't need. Why can't I just pay $10 and just watch that one game? Or give me a package without blackouts for double the price. Most of us would probably pay $15 per month instead of $7 if we could get rid of the whole blackout thing.
 
Tawnos said:
Blackouts always included games on NHLN except for last season. Not sure why that happened, other than maybe the figured with the shortened season they wouldn't. The Coyotes/Sabres is on NHLN. Had that been the case two years ago, you wouldn't have had access to it on NHL.tv.

When I said literally, I meant literally rather than exactly. It's the same format. The ESPN+ package is every out-of-market games minus those on linear national TV (ESPN and TNT) and NHLN. The NHL.tv package was every out of market game minus those on national TV (NBCSN and NBC) and NHLN. It's the same thing.

@FeatherHead ESPN+ includes the games on Hulu. Those are the same national broadcasts as the exclusive ESPN+ ones. It also includes the games on ABC.

ESPN and TNT will be showing 66 exclusive games this year. 16 on ESPN and 50 on TNT. NBCSN showed up to 90. The national TV schedule you can't access from the streaming subscription is less than it was under the old contract. I'm not really sure if the NHLN schedule increased, and if so by how much, but the Rangers are on there twice in October and that feels pretty normal to me.

In other words, your perception has changed, but the reality has not.
Click to expand...

28 games on ESPN/ABC, 50 TNT. 78 total exclusive on tv. plus the 75 on ESPN+.

I think NHLN releases schedule a month at a time-ish.
 
So my Flyers are getting blacked out 4 times this month. Such a f***ing joke because of some amateur bit part Irish Tv channel that you have to pay for.

Really pisses me off that the NHL keep selling rights to that joke of a channel Premier sports.
 
Ringmaster said:
Why is the blues and yotes game blacked out on ESPN+????
Click to expand...
This doesn't make sense to me either. If you're located in Santa Monica, then you're in the blackout area for the Kings and Ducks, but not the Yotes. Technically, the blackout area is based on the geo location of the IP address you're using to access ESPN+.
Blackout Information (from last season's data).
There are so many annoyances and uncertainties with this new season's TV/streaming coverage policies.
 
A few points on the ESPN Player-coverage that has replaced NHL.tv in a number of countries in Europe.

* Pre game and intermission coverage is a bit of a hit and miss. On one of the Maple Leafs pre season games I got to hear Elliotte Friedman and the lady on duty give instructions to the director. I got the full coverage on TNT, ESPN and some regional games, on others just the game and last night on the Maple Leafs-game I got arena footage during the intervals.

* The lack of an app for my smart tv and Apple TV is annoying. Streaming from my phone to my tv is pretty bad for the first minute or so and the stream gets interrupted once or twice per match, with the app on my phone telling me 'the game is temporarily not available', after refreshing it is a bit of a lottery wether the stream resumes at the same spot it got stopped.

* In general the quality of the streams is not bad after the initial phase. The graphics have a tad bit of a grain that I don't believe NHL.tv had for me in the years I have been using the product.

* I don't like the fact that hockey is buried below about one hundred college football games on the weekend. I am not sure too many people in Europe care about South Alabama vs Texas A&M. Let alone the South Florida Football press conference.

* I like the In the Crease highlight show that we get tossed in. Also The Point is an interesting addition.

* Obviously it is a lot cheaper than NHL.tv and unlike others we do not seem to have blackouts. So far I have been able to stream every game I wanted to with both home and away feeds available. I also like the fact that we have some college hockey available.

That's all about a week into the new season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Faterson
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom