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I continue to feel as though the primary reason I would subscribe to Cable Television would be sporting events. This remains the main televised event where I ca

I continue to feel as though the primary reason I would subscribe to Cable Television would be sporting events. This remains the main televised event where I can see the value in following along in realtime, and for which the advertising is already inescapable, making it feel like less of a slap in the face that I'm being advertised to in addition to also paying for the rights to view the content stream. Fortunately, I don't actually care about sports broadcasting, so I ditched cable years ago and haven't looked back. (The other realtime argument I hear frequently is news, but I find a wide variety of online sources to be better at delivering this content anyway. I prefer to read my news.)

jjawssd 9y ago
Sporting events can also typically be watched at your local neighborhood bar, potentially negating the need to subscribe to cable.
- geoffpado 9y ago
  Assuming you support a local and/or popular team. If you've moved a significant difference but still want to follow a team you grew up with, the bar option might not be available.
  - lprubin 9y ago
    If you've moved out of your favorite team's market, most sports offer a fairly cheap paid online streaming plan.
  - WorldMaker 9y ago
    Many cities have "go to" bars or social clubs to watch non-local teams. For College teams, often the alumni group will track chapters in other cities and they will have a preferred bar or meeting spot to catch games together. Also, if you ask kindly ahead of time many sports bars, in my experience at least, are happy to accommodate an out of the way screen to a non-local game. Get to know a bar close to you and often they will be happy to have your business on your game days. Find some other fans in the area and they are often even happier to have your business. Sometimes that's how those "go to" bars start and suddenly you find they are so happy for your business it becomes a thing and they have your team's logos on a banner outside announcing a game day drink special.
mcpherrinm 9y ago
Youtube TV ($35/mo) seems like the best place for getting a variety of sports TV right now, and unlike cable you can watch it outside your home. Unfortunately it's only available in a few markets right now. I assume it'll expand if it's successful. https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7068923?hl=en&ref_topic=7071745 https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7068923?hl=en&re...
- GauntletWizard 9y ago
  I'd say the exact opposite. If it's successful, it's competitors (the vastly powerful Telco/Cable/ISP hybrid monstrosities that significantly grew from the scattered bits of Ma Bell) will move to squash it - Making deals with sports broadcasters, simply cutting off the deals with Google, or putting pressure on Google in other ways - They're gearing up to silently disrupt Google in a variety of ways, many of them underhanded (Which is what the Net Neutrality debate is actually about - They're negotiating for rents from Google, and the question isn't if they will, but how much). It's only if it manages to gather steam slowly that it has a chance of really disrupting the networks. (Of course, I still really wish Google had simply starved the beast in the early tens; In 2010 or 2011, Google could simply have put less effort into copyright protection and more into original programming, and utterly rewritten the Movie and TV industries in one fell swoop)

jjawssd 9y ago

Sporting events can also typically be watched at your local neighborhood bar, potentially negating the need to subscribe to cable.

geoffpado 9y ago
Assuming you support a local and/or popular team. If you've moved a significant difference but still want to follow a team you grew up with, the bar option might not be available.
- lprubin 9y ago
  If you've moved out of your favorite team's market, most sports offer a fairly cheap paid online streaming plan.
- WorldMaker 9y ago
  Many cities have "go to" bars or social clubs to watch non-local teams. For College teams, often the alumni group will track chapters in other cities and they will have a preferred bar or meeting spot to catch games together. Also, if you ask kindly ahead of time many sports bars, in my experience at least, are happy to accommodate an out of the way screen to a non-local game. Get to know a bar close to you and often they will be happy to have your business on your game days. Find some other fans in the area and they are often even happier to have your business. Sometimes that's how those "go to" bars start and suddenly you find they are so happy for your business it becomes a thing and they have your team's logos on a banner outside announcing a game day drink special.

mcpherrinm 9y ago

Youtube TV ($35/mo) seems like the best place for getting a variety of sports TV right now, and unlike cable you can watch it outside your home. Unfortunately it's only available in a few markets right now. I assume it'll expand if it's successful. https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7068923?hl=en&ref_topic=7071745 https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7068923?hl=en&re...

GauntletWizard 9y ago
I'd say the exact opposite. If it's successful, it's competitors (the vastly powerful Telco/Cable/ISP hybrid monstrosities that significantly grew from the scattered bits of Ma Bell) will move to squash it - Making deals with sports broadcasters, simply cutting off the deals with Google, or putting pressure on Google in other ways - They're gearing up to silently disrupt Google in a variety of ways, many of them underhanded (Which is what the Net Neutrality debate is actually about - They're negotiating for rents from Google, and the question isn't if they will, but how much). It's only if it manages to gather steam slowly that it has a chance of really disrupting the networks. (Of course, I still really wish Google had simply starved the beast in the early tens; In 2010 or 2011, Google could simply have put less effort into copyright protection and more into original programming, and utterly rewritten the Movie and TV industries in one fell swoop)