Not this year… but eventually. The RSN’s are the only reason blackout rules exist. If they all go bankrupt or get out of the sports business, the new version of whatever is left will not be subjected to those rules. I know apple gets a bad rap around here… but people don’t realize how easy things would be with every game (from every team) at the tip of their fingers (even if you don’t have an apple device). Instantly watching the previous nights game… or skipping to a fun part of a game earlier in the season… multi-tasking between work tasks or emails with the game in a PIP screen in the bottom corner. This is how things are consumed now anyways. It’s only a matter of time before sports is fully done this way as well.
I’m old fashioned I guess, because I’d far rather just turn my TV on to the right channel for live events. But I definitely want people to have the flexibility to watch however they want, for sure.
You can stream live events to your TV, and there are very few households that don't have some streaming device, which is no different than needing a cable box. The bottom is gonna fall out of cable once live sports move to streaming. People are already cutting the cord en masse, and this was all that was holding it back. In the streaming world, there's zero reason for cable to exist without sports.
Why do you need 3 boxes? Get one, buy 3 Rokus for $29 each, download the Xfinity streaming app to the Roku and watch all of your channels on the other tvs. I have 7 tvs but only 1 cable box. Saves me a lot of money.
Does this work with their on demand side too? We only have cable for the Astros but the Mrs will watch mysteries at the museum while we are doing laundry/work in the bedroom.
There will always be a TV option. People are never going to stop having awesome home theater setups and TV technology continues to evolve by leaps/bounds while the prices continue to drop. But it wasn’t that long ago that we weren’t all walking around with basically a TV in our pocket. Now we all are. And our pocket TV’s have better resolution than any of the TVs that were around when the Rockets last won a championship, lol.
On topic but off topic. My wife and I are moving back to Texas this summer. A little north east Texas town called Carthage. I suspect they show Rangers games up there, but was wondering if anyone knows if they carry Astros games. I have MLB package so it wouldn't matter unless they have blackout range there.
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Weekend-Rap/2023/02/26/mlb-rsns.aspx MLB currently is negotiating with pay TV distributors in the Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh markets about carrying baseball games in those markets after Warner Bros. Discovery shuts down its AT&T SportsNet channels, sources said. Mariners games still will be available via Root Sports in Seattle since the team owns the majority of that regional sports network. Even after the AT&T SportsNet RSNs shut down in Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh, an MLB source said that local fans in those markets still will be able to watch games on linear TV and, likely, streaming. MLB is prepared to produce pre- and post-game shows around those local games. Comcast’s Xfinity has systems in Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh, and it owns six NBC Sports-branded RSNs in markets where it is the dominant cable system. But sources said Comcast has no interest in expanding into AT&T SportsNet’s markets.
Sounds like phase one of MLB’s plan will start with these networks and not the Bally ones. The Astros are by far the most high profile team of this group so we shall see how the finances are disseminated.
Not 100% sure, but on a fall Friday night go watch the high school football team, best small town football in the nation
I read that and thought the same. MLB stepping up to protect their product in these markets Is a good thing. Fingers crossed!!!
Question for anyone who can answer. Is FUBO the best non-cable TV provider bet to watch the Astros? Or is there a cheaper option ? (other than the unreliability of streaming).