Felonious Python
Minor League Degenerate
- Aug 20, 2004
- 30,707
- 8,856
There was a bit of last-minute confusion on how to watch the Lightning this season, with the new arrangements the NHL finds itself in. That's what this thread is for.
There seems to be two main roads right now: online/smart TV, and traditional TV.
In order to get all potential Lightning games, you'd need Sun, Bally FL, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, & TBS. It also seems that there are four games exclusive to ESPN+. Hopefully it'll be such a disaster, they'll put it on TV as well.
In-market traditional TV: maybe still the simplest option, although getting more expensive. A basic cable package should have everything on the list. (except the ESPN+ games)
Out-of-market traditional TV: depending on your carrier, NHL Center Ice may be your only option if you don't want to start messing with online.
Now the fun stuff. Online/smart TV.
In-market online: Purely the cheapest option I've found is to get ESPN+ ($7/mo) and a paid, streaming quality VPN to get around the local blackout. I'll link to Tom Spark (good name), who doesn't seem to be influenced by 'big VPN' sponsorship money. I don't really care what you get (as long as you're satisfied), but realize that a VPN will, by its nature, slow your internet speeds down to some extent. Tom Spark likes WeVPN ($3-$10/month, but you can also save an additional 10% with code TOMSPARK)
VPNs are also only really useful for getting around geo-blocks. If you're concerned with privacy, a determined entity isn't going to be stopped, and if you're concerned about the government, what better honeypot than owning a bunch of VPN companies? You're still logging into Facebook and Google anyway.
However, the added benefit is that once you've got a streaming VPN (not all of them can do this), you can use them on your Netflix, Disney+, etc. as well and get the content in other countries. The big risk (and this has been happening recently) is that there will be a crackdown on VPNs by Disney, and it'll take days or weeks for the VPN company to figure out how to work around it.
Note: In order to get a VPN to work with your Smart TV, it does depend on your TV brand, but if you can access the Google Play Store, downloading the associated app on your TV should allow you to access your VPN from there. You can also connect your PC to your Smart TV via Ethernet cable. Finally, you can buy a router with VPN features, although that's a bit outside the scope of this thread.
The less risky option, if you're a Spectrum customer, is Spectrum Internet TV Choice. $35/mo, or really closer to $50/mo due to network fees. Local channels and the ability to choose all the channels you need for this. You are able to use this with a smart TV or your devices. The downside, besides not having ESPN+ for those 4 games, is that no one at Spectrum knows exactly how it works. You may need to choose Fox Sports 1 in order to take Sun Sports (and that seems to also give you Bally FL, although you only chose one), but then after that you can remove FS1, but you don't have access to this menu, it's just the people at Spectrum? The point is, it may take some persistence.
Check to make sure first. https://www.spectrumchoicechannels.com/
DirectTV Stream at $70/month has every Lightning game (except the four on ESPN+). This may not be able to be bundled with AT&T Fiber in your area if you have low fiber.
Xfinity users can take a quiz to help them determine what they need. $75/month seems to get them internet & TV Help Me Decide | Xfinity
Out-of-market online: ESPN+
There seems to be two main roads right now: online/smart TV, and traditional TV.
In order to get all potential Lightning games, you'd need Sun, Bally FL, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, & TBS. It also seems that there are four games exclusive to ESPN+. Hopefully it'll be such a disaster, they'll put it on TV as well.
In-market traditional TV: maybe still the simplest option, although getting more expensive. A basic cable package should have everything on the list. (except the ESPN+ games)
Out-of-market traditional TV: depending on your carrier, NHL Center Ice may be your only option if you don't want to start messing with online.
Now the fun stuff. Online/smart TV.
In-market online: Purely the cheapest option I've found is to get ESPN+ ($7/mo) and a paid, streaming quality VPN to get around the local blackout. I'll link to Tom Spark (good name), who doesn't seem to be influenced by 'big VPN' sponsorship money. I don't really care what you get (as long as you're satisfied), but realize that a VPN will, by its nature, slow your internet speeds down to some extent. Tom Spark likes WeVPN ($3-$10/month, but you can also save an additional 10% with code TOMSPARK)
VPNs are also only really useful for getting around geo-blocks. If you're concerned with privacy, a determined entity isn't going to be stopped, and if you're concerned about the government, what better honeypot than owning a bunch of VPN companies? You're still logging into Facebook and Google anyway.
However, the added benefit is that once you've got a streaming VPN (not all of them can do this), you can use them on your Netflix, Disney+, etc. as well and get the content in other countries. The big risk (and this has been happening recently) is that there will be a crackdown on VPNs by Disney, and it'll take days or weeks for the VPN company to figure out how to work around it.
Note: In order to get a VPN to work with your Smart TV, it does depend on your TV brand, but if you can access the Google Play Store, downloading the associated app on your TV should allow you to access your VPN from there. You can also connect your PC to your Smart TV via Ethernet cable. Finally, you can buy a router with VPN features, although that's a bit outside the scope of this thread.
The less risky option, if you're a Spectrum customer, is Spectrum Internet TV Choice. $35/mo, or really closer to $50/mo due to network fees. Local channels and the ability to choose all the channels you need for this. You are able to use this with a smart TV or your devices. The downside, besides not having ESPN+ for those 4 games, is that no one at Spectrum knows exactly how it works. You may need to choose Fox Sports 1 in order to take Sun Sports (and that seems to also give you Bally FL, although you only chose one), but then after that you can remove FS1, but you don't have access to this menu, it's just the people at Spectrum? The point is, it may take some persistence.
Check to make sure first. https://www.spectrumchoicechannels.com/
DirectTV Stream at $70/month has every Lightning game (except the four on ESPN+). This may not be able to be bundled with AT&T Fiber in your area if you have low fiber.
Xfinity users can take a quiz to help them determine what they need. $75/month seems to get them internet & TV Help Me Decide | Xfinity
Out-of-market online: ESPN+
Last edited:
