Friday, March 29, 2024

Streaming local channels (well, some of them)

I'm fortunate in that I have an antenna to watch local channels. Not everyone is in such a situation. I wasn't, for a while, and it cost me a bit to get where I could.

I bought an antenna, pole, and paid to have it put up. Then bought Tablo to make the channels available on all my TVs. Altogether, it cost a few hundred dollars. But there has to be a cheaper way, right?

Well, there is. Maybe. Kinda.

Of the vMVPD services that carry locals -- YouTube TV, Sling TV (limited markets), Hulu+Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo -- the cheapest that carries them in all markets is $73 YouTube TV. But can't it be obtained cheaper?

No. But maybe.

If you only want CBS, you can subscribe to Paramount Plus for $12/month. You'll get your local CBS station live.

If you only want NBC, you can subscribe to Peacock for $12/month. You'll get your local NBC station live.

So, for $24/month you can get CBS and NBC, Plus a lot of other content. That's not bad. But what about ABC and Fox?

There is no comparable option for those channels live. If you are willing to get them on-demand -- think of it as if you always used a DVR for those channels and never watched live -- and are only concerned about prime time shows, then you have an option with Hulu, for $8/month.

That means $32/month gets you two local channels and two other prime time channels. Not exactly what you get from, say, YouTube TV, but not too bad.

Of course, if you can get locals with an antenna, do that. It's a lot cheaper in the long run, especially if you live close enough to get them with an indoor antenna. My Streaming Life enjoys local channels with an antenna. But, if that wasn't an option, Paramount Plus, Peacock TV, and Hulu would get me close enough for my purposes.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

MLB still doesn't want my money

In the 22 years since MLB TV launched (yes, it launched in 2002), Major League Baseball has continued to black out games to fans willing to pay good money to watch them.

Even if I don't start counting until I started streaming full time, it's still been over 13 years that MLB doesn't want my money.

I enjoy watching baseball games, and would love to watch the Braves play ball this year. The season starts today, but, as it's been every year since I dropped cable, I can't watch Braves games live. Major League Baseball blacks out the Braves in my town, even though we're over four hours (and nearly 250 miles) away from the stadium.

The usual explanation is that the rights are part of contracts with sports networks. And while it is true that the blackouts are part of the contracts, those contracts aren't 22 years long. They aren't 13 years long. The contracts have expired but been renewed with the restrictions still in place. MLB has kept it. It's not that they are prevented by contract, it's that they chose to have contracts like that. MLB is to blame, not the regional sports networks.

I'd like to stream baseball, but it won't happen this year. Maybe in the future, but I'm not holding my breath. My Streaming Life would be better if there was baseball, but I've done without it for all these years. Until they lift the blackouts for streamers, I'll continue to miss the games on TV. But I got radio, so I can still enjoy the games.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Most popular paid live streaming services

I'll say up front that I don't normally use a paid live TV streaming service. At least, I thought I didn't. Turns out I do.

Recently, a survey by Cord Cutters News revealed that by far, YouTube TV is the paid live TV streaming service that most respondents use, with all the others far behind.

YouTube TV, according to our survey, has more subscribers than Sling TV, Hulu, Philo, and Frndly TV combined.

Here is a breakdown of the live TV streaming services results according to our readers.

  • YouTube TV 27.4%
  • Sling TV 8.7%
  • Hulu with Live TV 7.5%
  • Philo 6.5%
  • DIRECTV STREAM 5.6%
  • Frndly 2.9%
  • Fubo 2.9%

Clearly, YouTube TV is connecting with cord cutters in a way that is helping it stand out. Yet many cord cutters do not subscribe to a live TV streaming service. According to our survey, 41.7% of our readers do not pay for one, which is a slight increase compared to the same period in the fall 2023. This lines up with what the Leichtman Research Group found: almost 7 million Americans canceled a satellite or cable TV service in 2023 but only 1.9 million switched to a live TV streaming service.

Of that number of new subscribers to a live TV streaming service, the majority picked YouTube TV. YouTube TV added 1.9 million subscribers in 2023. Hulu + Live TV added 100,000 and Fubo only added 173,000 subscribers. Sling TV lost subscribers in 2023.

Those services, called vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributors), are essentially streaming cable platforms. I don't use them. Except, I do.

I subscribe to Frndly TV, but it's not exactly the same as YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu+Live TV, or DirecTV streaming. Those have local channels -- Sling has some local channels in some markets, while the others have all the major local channels -- while Frndly and Philo do not. But, in reality, Frndly and Philo are otherwise just like those services, except missing local channels, major news services, and major sports networks.

My Streaming Life doesn't use the big services except during college football season. I like Frndly TV because of its family friendly content. But, if  you are a fan of YouTube TV, you are not alone. Not by a long shot.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How many pay services?

A recent poll indicates that most streamers use four or fewer paid streaming services.

That's surprising to me because I was under the impression that most streamers subscribed to a lot of services. That was true at one time, but it has dropped to a smaller number faster than I thought it would.

The poll, conducted by Cord Cutters News, says that nearly 2/3 of streamers use four or fewer services:

According to our readers, 63.3% pay for four or fewer streaming services, 47.3% pay for three or fewer streaming services, and 27.3% pay for two or fewer streaming services.

While most cord cutters still pay for four or fewer streaming services, the number of cord cutters paying for five or more is up slightly since October 2023. Last October 66.2% of cord cutters paid for four or fewer services. Now that number is down to 63.3%. Part of that number may be the growth of sports across multiple streaming services like the NFL airing a playoff game exclusively on Peacock back in January.

So, what would four streaming services cost every month for the average cord cutter? (Why with ads? Because cable TV has ads.)

  • Disney+ $7.99 with ads.
  • Paramount+ $5.99 with ads.
  • Discovery+ $4.99 with ads.
  • Netflix $6.99 with ads.

Total Cost: $25.96 a month.

I use two services  myself. The only one of those four I use is Paramount Plus, and I don't really pay for it, as it comes with Walmart Plus. I'm not counting that.

I have Prime Video, but that's only because I pay for Amazon Prime for shipping benefits. I rarely watch anything from Prime Video.

I don't pay for Peacock, as it's included with my Xfinity Rewards.

I do pay for Frndly TV ($9/month). I also pay for Pub-D-Hub ($6/year, works out to 50¢/month).

And, right now, that's it. For under $10/month, I have all the pay services I want. The other pay services I have are free. If you counted Prime Video, I would still pay less than the poll indicates, so I would still feel I'm doing well.

My Streaming Life doesn't include a lot of pay services. I'm able to watch what I want with little expense. I like it that way.

Monday, March 25, 2024

The top free streaming services

Recently, Tom's Guide had a list of their top free streaming services for Roku. Using Roku's naming convention, they called it "The best free channels on Roku."

Most of the items on the list are correct, in my opinion. But, I'm not agreeing with the entire list.

The list is of eight services:

  1. The Roku Channel
  2. Tubi
  3. Pluto TV
  4. Crackle
  5. Newsy
  6. PBS Kids
  7. TED
  8. The Bob Ross Channel

I don’t really have a problem with any of their items. The items in positions 1-3 would be on my list as well. I will say that I consider Xumo Play is more deserving than Crackle, but I'd probably have Crackle in my top ten. Maybe top eight.

I agree with PBS Kids being on my top ten/eight.

The CW -- the app now just says "CW," having dropped the "The" -- should be on the list as well. It has all of the CW network shows available on demand, including current season shows.

My list would also include Hoopla or Kanopy, both which provide free content provided by your local public library. Well, if your library has an agreement with one of the services.

I would also put one of my favorites, Pub-D-Hub, to the list. The service does have a paid service, but it's really cheap, less than $5/year. Yes, per year. Even the free version has a lot of good content.

Oh, and YouTube. That's always a good service to have.

There are other services that would apply to Fire TV devices, and others that would apply to Google TV devices. While the Tom's Guide list, and my alternative entries, are focused on Roku, they are not Roku specific. This list applies across platforms.

My Streaming Life has used more free streaming services over the last few years. To my mind, that's the way to go.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Google Docs

First, understand that I do have my issues with Google. Of course, I have my issues with Microsoft, Apple, and most every large technology company. Since they all have issues, I deal with them as best as I can, and use the features that I like the best, provided the irritation isn't too much.

I've used Microsoft Word for many years, but have grown tired of how much it cost over time. In recent years, I've used Open Office, LibreOffice, and Only Office apps, but I've also used Google Docs. And that's the topic of the video I want to share today, from Explaining Computers:

[YouTube]

Yes, I understand the issues with relying on Google, because of privacy issues. But, it's cheaper than Microsoft Word, and Microsoft 365 is no better, and im my opion, worse in regards to privacy, and definitely worse in regards of security.

My Streaming Life involves using several Google services in the creation of this blog. And while I do have some concerns about Google, they're not the worst of the lot. And there is some benefit from them.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

So, $40 for the new sports only streaming service?

Rumors are that the new streaming service from ESPN, Fox, and Warner Discovery will run around $40/month.

That's a lot of money, in my opinion. But where are those rumors coming from. Well, USA Today reports the expectation is around $40, if not more:

... [former Fox Sports Networks president Bob] Thompson predicted it could cost more than $40 per month.

The math would have work for three companies that are paying huge fees to sports leagues for the rights to show this content. For example, ESPN, Fox, NBC, CBS and Amazon are scheduled to pay the NFL more than $100 billion combined through 2033 for rights to broadcast NFL games on their networks.

It would also have to take into account how the introduction of this streaming service will spur more viewers to ditch cable television – which has been a huge source of revenue for companies such as ESPN, the most expensive channel on cable television.

Variety says it could run more than $40:

But if you add up the distribution fees for ABC, Fox, ESPN and the other cable networks, it suggests the bundle will have to carry a retail price of at least $50 per month, according to Morgan Stanley’s Ben Swinburne.

Will I pay that much? Probably not, especially since Sling TV includes ESPN and is $40.

Whatever happens, I wouldn't use it year round. I only subscribe to a sports package during college football season, and even then, it's not continuous. I'll subscribe on a Saturday for 30 days, which covers 5 Saturdays. I'll cancel, and save the days in between, subscribing the following Saturday for another 30 days. Three times covers 15 weekends, which is the full season. Once more covers bowls, and then I'm done until the next season.

I may try it when it comes out, but not until college football season. My Streaming Life doesn't include year round sports. It certainly doesn't need a sports service that expensive.