NESN UPDATED - NESN's contracts with Xfinity, Cox and Spectrum extended until 3/15/2025

[Fenway]

NESN wants Xfinity, Cox, and Spectrum to pay more a month and keep NESN on the basic tier. The cable companies want to pay less and move NESN to a more expensive tier.

Xfinity refuses to add NESN 360 to available apps on X1 boxes saying the app does not meet industry standards and frankly it doesn't.

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[smithformeragent]

Give me an excuse to stop watching, and I’ll never come back.

 

[sarge88]

Give me an excuse to stop watching, and I’ll never come back.

I wish I were that strong!

Kids are grown…no games or meets to go to…work is a grind and one of the things I look forward to in life is watching my teams play.

 

[smithformeragent]

I wish I were that strong!

Kids are grown…no games or meets to go to…work is a grind and one of the things I look forward to in life is watching my teams play.

I definitely watch more of of habit than enjoyment at this point.

It’ll probably change a bit once my boy is old enough to understand what’s going on (if he cares about sports).

I remember my old man constantly remarking about how boring and generic the product had become in the 90s.

I’m there now.

I used to watch all 82 (live or on TiVo).

I honestly don’t think I’d miss it at this point. Plenty of other stuff to stream. My wife is ready to cut the cord, but we’ve held on basically for live sports.

Xfinity is a racket for sure, but I like being able to speak what I want to watch into the remote and not have to do all kinds of gymnastics to log into various streaming services separately to watch something.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Far be it from me to get on the side of mega corporations. But NESN has become so addicted to putting out a high school level production, and then demanding exorbitant fees for it (all while denying publicly there’s any actual problem), that I am sort of rooting for it to fall apart.

If it was not a jointly owned venture of the Red Sox and Bruins and the broadcasting rights to those respective team was actually up for bid, it would have been gone long ago. There isn’t a single aspect of what they do at this point where they’re not obviously cheaping out.

I’ve used the example a few times, but whenever I watch MSG, I can’t believe the difference in production quality. It’s like night and day.

 

[JAD]

When I was a kid, in my teens, there was a time when didn't miss a single Bruins game from 1972 through 1980 whether the game was on TV or radio I was there watching or listening. I remember lying in bed late at night listening to west coast games or even if my friends and I were camping out - I would have a transistor radio in the tent listening to the game. But that was long ago and far away... a much simpler time. Then in the early 80s I went away to college in the Hudson River valley and could no longer watch and try as I may could not really listen on the radio, very poor reception too much static. But I did have my subscription to The Hockey News sent to my dorm. Days before internet and cable availability.

I was back in the Boston area in '86 watching and following the Bruins through their cup runs in the late eighties. But my steadfast interest began to wane throughout the 90's as the priorities of life began to take precedence. Married and raising a family didn't allow extra spending on cable packages and NESN. I would still catch and watch games when and where I could, but I was damned if I was going to pay for something I could once watch for free. Usually, catch games at friends houses or national television or ESPN .. especially the playoffs. Yes, I had cable at that point but just basic.

How I miss the days of channel 38 Bruins broadcast. Now everybody wants you to pay. Yes, I get irked having to pay for air to fill tires at the gas station, or a glass of water in places. Those things once yse to be free. Next they'll be charging us an annual fee for the air we breathe.

Now I live in Florida, but still follow the Bruins and Hockey. Hockey being my first love of sports and truly the only sport I'm passionate about. But I don't pay to watch games be broadcast, other than my internet service and only use free streaming services. The internet fills in a lot of the missing information. I will pay to go see a game once a year (I've got tickets for March 8th in Tampa this spring - birthday gift from a lady friend) but at this stage of my life if I miss a game it's not the end of the world.

Love my Bruins and always will support them, but for me paying to watch a game when not in attendance got out of hand long ago and isolated many fans. As I've said elsewhere, I'm from a different generation before paying for something you once got for free became the norm.
You'll all find alternative ways to watch the games and maybe even save a few bucks.

 

[smithformeragent]

I can’t even imagine what the world will look like in 25 years.

I remember watching the Patriots Sundays at 1, maybe some of the 4pm game of the week (usually Dallas or San Fran) and then I couldn’t wait to watch NFL Primetime on Sunday nights to see what else happened across the league.

I have RedZone on right now and am easily to watch every scoring play from every game.

 

[Mione134]

I have xfinity. I'm already paying a lot. Putting NESN on the expensive tier would not be feasible.

 

[Fenian24]

I have xfinity. I'm already paying a lot. Putting NESN on the expensive tier would not be feasible.

Fubo here I come

 

[Ace0813]

I have xfinity. I'm already paying a lot. Putting NESN on the expensive tier would not be feasible.

I'd cancel my TV service so fast.

 

[Mione134]

I'd cancel my TV service so fast.

Over the years, I've had my fair share of conversations with Comcast workers who have helped with cost or given discounts.

But if they're trying to put f***ing NESN on a higher tier? I'm going to have to seriously figure out other options. The amount of money these corporations want is absolutely insane.

I found a bill from 7 years ago that was WAY less than what I pay now that I almost couldn't believe it.

 

[Ace0813]

Over the years, I've had my faith share of conversations with Comcast workers who have helped with cost or given discounts.

But if they're trying to put f***ing NESN on a higher tier? I'm going to have to seriously figure out other options. The amount of money these corporations want is absolutely insane.

I found a bill from 7 years ago that was WAY less than what I pay now that I almost couldn't believe it.

For internet and TV I am at $200/mo. It's asinine.

 

[lextune]

For internet and TV I am at $200/mo. It's asinine.

Tell them your friend (me), just signed up for xfinity cable/internet last year, (my only stipulation for cable was "all I need is NESN"), and he (me) "only" pays $175.

 

[Fenian24]

For internet and TV I am at $200/mo. It's asinine.

300. I have to have the highest speed for work and have no choice on internet. I was getting rid of cable anyway but this NESN garbage just solidifies it. So it will be Fubu, ESPN+ and MAX for TNT games.

It's nice that the NHL makes it so easy to watch, a mostly inferior product to even 10 years ago, so easy.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Over the years, I've had my fair share of conversations with Comcast workers who have helped with cost or given discounts.

But if they're trying to put f***ing NESN on a higher tier? I'm going to have to seriously figure out other options. The amount of money these corporations want is absolutely insane.

I found a bill from 7 years ago that was WAY less than what I pay now that I almost couldn't believe it.

Not sure how NESN gets away with in your world. If their product was decent, I’d be with you. But they’re shameless money grubbers as much as these corporations just on a smaller scale.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

From the provider standpoint, it’s sort of ridiculous how obvious it is that they’ve bought out all of our federal representatives.

I moved into an apartment in 2020 and had a choice of three different providers. Price was “reasonable” for all three. Then, in 2022, the owner of the complex (Avalon) announces that the only option for internet and cable is now Verizon and that the fee is to be paid directly to the building monthly.

How that isn’t immediately deemed the most blatant violation of antitrust law, I do not know. At some point, these corporations don’t have any more market share to bleed dry and the only option is to monopolize. We need government to combat the problem but it isn’t much use when bribery has essentially been legalized.

 

[sarge88]

From the provider standpoint, it’s sort of ridiculous how obvious it is that they’ve bought out all of our federal representatives.

I moved into an apartment in 2020 and had a choice of three different providers. Price was “reasonable” for all three. Then, in 2022, the owner of the complex (Avalon) announces that the only option for internet and cable is now Verizon and that the fee is to be paid directly to the building monthly.

How that isn’t immediately deemed the most blatant violation of antitrust law, I do not know. At some point, these corporations don’t have any more market share to bleed dry and the only option is to monopolize. We need government to combat the problem but it isn’t much use when bribery has essentially been legalized.

My mom moved into elderly housing a few years ago and I didn’t believe her when she said Comcast was the only option for cable there.

I was wrong but situations like this are wronger!

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

But some will still pay to watch their team

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

What are Pittsburgh fans charged for "Penguins 360"?

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I wish I were that strong!

Kids are grown…no games or meets to go to…work is a grind and one of the things I look forward to in life is watching my teams play.

I got stuck paying for both directv and Fubo with the ESPN blackout but it’s really nice to bring your streaming anywhere and not have it glued to your residence. Can throw the smart phone in the handsfree holder and not miss games when in the car as well.

300. I have to have the highest speed for work and have no choice on internet. I was getting rid of cable anyway but this NESN garbage just solidifies it. So it will be Fubu, ESPN+ and MAX for TNT games.

It's nice that the NHL makes it so easy to watch, a mostly inferior product to even 10 years ago, so easy.

I have directv stream and EarthLink for internet under $200. EarthLink is way better than Verizon even though it’s their service. Would look into that combo.

 

[KnightofBoston]

I keep looking for a reason to pay to watch bruins games


And everytime I just get a reason to keep pirating streams. The weird porn pop ups and occasional freeze ups are worth it. Ps vue used to freeze all the time and spectrum would always give me oh gee shucks thems the breaks responses when I’d come home and my dvr was black for 2 hours where the game should have been

 

[sarge88]

I got stuck paying for both directv and Fubo with the ESPN blackout but it’s really nice to bring your streaming anywhere and not have it glued to your residence. Can throw the smart phone in the handsfree holder and not miss games when in the car as well.


I have directv stream and EarthLink for internet under $200. EarthLink is way better than Verizon even though it’s their service. Would look into that combo.

The biggest problem I have with streaming is that I often don’t watch games in real time. I like the convenience of the DVR that cable provides.

 

[northeastern]

I keep looking for a reason to pay to watch bruins games


And everytime I just get a reason to keep pirating streams. The weird porn pop ups and occasional freeze ups are worth it. Ps vue used to freeze all the time and spectrum would always give me oh gee shucks thems the breaks responses when I’d come home and my dvr was black for 2 hours where the game should have been

I've used YouTube TV for a while, once yttv and NESN broke up I tried paying for the nesn app, it was a horrible experience at absurd prices. Pirating makes the most sense... it works well >90% of the time and I don't need to spend $15 a month for a inferior experience.

 

[TD Charlie]

I have xfinity. I'm already paying a lot. Putting NESN on the expensive tier would not be feasible.

I have the middle tier specifically for NESN. If they push it to the higher plan i will literally just cancel cable and find…other ways wink wink to watch the games.

 

[eightspokedb]

The biggest problem I have with streaming is that I often don’t watch games in real time. I like the convenience of the DVR that cable provides.

You can watch games on demand on Hulu....they just don't carry all the games

Don't get me started about blackouts .... My RedWing friends can't watch any games except for national broadcast and I miss the four Bruins/Wings games each season....