News Article: There are no local streaming options for the 2021 Hurricanes season

[Svechhammer]

Jan 2021 status:



And it appears that Fox Sports has been removed from Spectrum and AT&T streaming options as well.

At this point, if you live in the Raleigh area, the ONLY way to watch the Canes this season is to have a Spectrum, Google Fiber or DirecTV subscription. Otherwise, you have no legal way to watch the team.

Older Comments:
They could not reach an agreement with Sinclair Communications, which owns all the regional Fox Sports sites. As of March 1st, you will no longer be able to view any FS channels on YouTube TV.

So yeah, if that's how you watch the Canes, you have 3 days to figure out a workaround.

Click to read more...

 

[AeroFishOne]

TV companies are committing suicide

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

TV companies are committing suicide

The alternative for Sinclair is to not have that content and people aren't going to pay for cable to watch Bass Fishing.

When sports franchises and leagues get big TV contracts, it really shouldn't be celebrated like it is. It's money out consumers' pockets. The TV distributors and telcos/internet companies are just intermediaries. Increased content cost --> increased distribution cost --> increased service cost.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

I guess Hulu is the last legal option

 

[geehaad]

 

[The Faulker 27]

This blows. I'll find a way to watch the games, and I'll be damned if I cancel my YTTV subscription. That's what they want us to do. f***ers.

 

[DaveG]

Least surprising development. So what's left? Because no way I'm paying for f***ing spectrum cable or the like

 

[AeroFishOne]

Least surprising development. So what's left? Because no way I'm paying for f***ing spectrum cable or the like

I can still get my local sports through ATT now but the sports got moved to the most expensive tier. They also jacked up the location so I get the Atlanta region instead of abc but I watch through the fox sports go app. The only tv I watch is sports so I’m screwed if too many options fail

 

[Sens1Canes2]

How much does one save by not having cable/satellite and going with something else?

 

[NotOpie]

How much does one save by not having cable/satellite and going with something else?

In my case between $100 and $140 a month

 

[DaveG]

How much does one save by not having cable/satellite and going with something else?

About $80 a month in my case, or nearly $1000 a year.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

In my case between $100 and $140 a month

That’s surprising to me. I have Comcast bundled high speed internet and the next to highest cable package and pay like $110 per month total. I think the internet by itself would be like $50.

Are there significant regional differences between internet and cable provider prices that causes you to save that much by cord cutting? Genuinely asking as I have no idea.

 

[AD Skinner]

That’s surprising to me. I have Comcast bundled high speed internet and the next to highest cable package and pay like $110 per month total. I think the internet by itself would be like $50.

It is for a while, but then they jack it up after a year or so to where you're paying 80+ dollars a month just for internet. They'll give you a different promotional rate for a while if you complain at them enough but who's got that kind of time? I use hulu live and it probably is more expensive using that than it would be to just use the spectrum tv, I dont want to pay those dickweeds a penny more than I have to.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

It is for a while, but then they jack it up after a year or so to where you're paying 80+ dollars a month just for internet. They'll give you a different promotional rate for a while if you complain at them enough but who's got that kind of time? I use hulu live and it probably is more expensive using that than it would be to just use the spectrum tv, I dont want to pay those dickweeds a penny more than I have to.

Huh. I’ve had Comcast for 3 or so years (admittedly not contiguous) and never went above like the $110 (maybe $120) I’m paying now. My promo when I moved to my new place was $89 per month and bumped to $120 after a year. Unless they’ve got like tiered promotions? When I lived at my previous place for a year and a half it was also a lower price for a year then bumped to around the $110-120 mark.

I do only have one modem and one cable box, maybe if I had to rent more it’d be higher.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

To me the real issue is lack of foresight and creativity. There's no reason they couldn't unbundle and charge a premium for certain packages - sports packages fit that bill perfectly.

Without the Sinclairs of the world paying for the TV rights, there's not content. Without the streaming services providing an option to cable, monopolistic behavior dominates. And that's what we're experiencing right now. An entity that has a minor monopoly on content is trying to leverage their advantage over the innovators. As Hank said, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Whomever said Sinclair is trying to force people to watch their channels, they are right as well....in essence trying to force the issue. I think it is now down to Hulu and AT&T TV...and who knows how long that goes. Spectrum is a shit show and doesn't offer a basic package with FS channels. I hate those f***ers.

Judging by ratings, the vast majority wouldn't pay. To makeup for the revenue lost, the increase in price for those that do would be astronomical in magnitude. Cable isn't unlike insurance in its viability being rooted in cost sharing.

I maybe buy the theory of Sinclair's motives to an extent. However, I have a hard time believing they're so obsessed with the leverage of a monopoly of sorts that they lose sight of cord cutting and what that really represents. If people have made the decision that the content isn't worth paying for, they're not just going to run back to cable if its not available on an alternative. [MOD] It's just becomes lost revenue.

In these disputes, I don't fault the distributors or providers. The real problem is the underlying cost of content. 25 years of inflation is roughly 70%. 25 years of NBA tv inflation, for example, is roughly 850%. That type of growth is irresponsible. I cringe thinking about the next national NHL contract. More money will come out of my pocket indirectly, but the content will be the same.

 

[LostInaLostWorld]

Having been a cord cutter for years first with PSVue and then YTube it definately sucks. After trtying to figure the best way forward I said F it and Ill get Spectrum for basically $24 more a month.

Went to Spectrum store. Got the box and all. Hooked everything up. Box installed firmware and then everything goes dark. No output to TV and goddam if it didn't kills my modem/internet. Of course they can't fix it over the phone.

At least a tech out here by 10 tomorrow.

Bastards!

 

[Johniac]

I still pay Charter Spectrum for internet and DirecTV for cable, but have to be in a high tier to get Fox Sports South. I mainly keep this configuration because it works well, but it has been pricey. I mostly watch DirecTV for the Canes games and don't need all that other junk. Something's got to give!

 

[Navin R Slavin]

The reason the cable companies are squeezing now is because when 5G actually arrives, the game is over. Laying last-mile cable is only going to get more expensive, and building more antennas will only get cheaper.

 

[Stickpucker]

Grr...and I really didn't like Hulu TV left them for YTTV.

Hulu you can pay for no commercials and still get commercials on the only good networks they carry for on demand content...so crap.

 

[DaveG]

Grr...and I really didn't like Hulu TV left them for YTTV.

Hulu you can pay for no commercials and still get commercials on the only good networks they carry for on demand content...so crap.

Yeah comparatively speaking YTTV had a significantly better configuration than Hulu. Still not as good as Sling or PSVue layout wise, though better streaming quality than Sling.

How the leagues haven't gone the route of telling the cable companies to f*** off and have the georestrictions removed from their streaming services is beyond me at this point. It would be the #1 thing I would do were I running the show with the NHLs broadcasting.

 

[MinJaBen]

Yeah comparatively speaking YTTV had a significantly better configuration than Hulu. Still not as good as Sling or PSVue layout wise, though better streaming quality than Sling.

How the leagues haven't gone the route of telling the cable companies to f*** off and have the georestrictions removed from their streaming services is beyond me at this point. It would be the #1 thing I would do were I running the show with the NHLs broadcasting.

Why do you think it is the cable companies that enforce the geo-restrictions? I always assumed that was a league thing to protect ticket sales.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Why do you think it is the cable companies that enforce the geo-restrictions? I always assumed that was a league thing to protect ticket sales.

I think there’s two reasons for blackout restrictions.

Back in the day it was fashionable to black out footballs game in the local market unless the game sold out, so I think that’s what you’re talking about.

But it blacks out anything on NHL.tv if it detects the game is televised in your local market. That doesn’t have anything to do with ticket sales, and more to do with wanting you to watch it “natively.” I imagine the NHL doesn’t care - they want you watching the game however you can (and in fact have a tremendous interest in you paying $150 for their in-house service, so they probably don’t like blackouts since they prevent people from buying it). It’s likely the cable companies or stations that want to restrict people from finding alternatives to their products as much as possible.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I think there’s two types of blackout restrictions.

Back in the day it was fashionable to black out footballs game in the local market unless the game sold out, so I think that’s what you’re talking about.

But NHL.tv blacks out anything on NHL.tv if it detects the game is televised in your local market. That doesn’t have anything to do with ticket sales, and more to do with wanting you to watch it “natively.”

I live in CT and I’m blacked out of Rangers and Bruins games. Not the Islanders though which makes zero sense. What’s totally f***ed about it though is that you can’t even get MSG without having Direct TV in my part of the state. It’s great for Direct TV because every bar in the state has to have it for the Rangers and Knicks.

 

[LostInaLostWorld]

Gotta admit Spectrum came through. Took an hour but got cable and internet up and running. Had to keep adjusting the line input strength to get it working.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Sorry guys, had to ditch a good bit of the conversation here. Just to provide a guideline, discussions of streams, VPNs, ways to get around geo-restrictions, acquiring other logins, and the like aren't
kosher. We run a respectable establishment here.

6) Streams/Copyrighted Material/Illegal Topics:
Do not post any of the following:
• Links to or requests for links to illegal streams
• Discussions of illegal streaming services or proxies
• Large portions of ANY article. The reader must have incentive to visit the source.
• Excerpts from any publication without providing editorial commentary
• Discussions of piracy techniques

FWIW when PlayStation cut PSVue, I switched to Hulu Live and I've been pretty happy with it - I think it's DVR function is better and the stream is closer to realtime. The only downside is that there's no native support for live TV in the PlayStation version of the Hulu app so I have to cast it from my phone or my laptop.