How to watch the Illini

#1      
How are fans watching the Illini this year?

I cut the thread after the season but will need to pick one of the streaming services again. I suppose we don't know as much as we'd like about the viewing schedule, but I assume that between BTN and ESPN we'll get most of the games. Might sign up tonight to watch some college football....
 
#2      

sacraig

The desert
How are fans watching the Illini this year?

I cut the thread after the season but will need to pick one of the streaming services again. I suppose we don't know as much as we'd like about the viewing schedule, but I assume that between BTN and ESPN we'll get most of the games. Might sign up tonight to watch some college football....

I'm a happy YouTube TV subscriber. They just dropped all the Sinclair RSNs, though, so if that's important it may be a nonstarter for some. I hope they're back eventually, but who knows.
 
#3      
I'm a happy YouTube TV subscriber. They just dropped all the Sinclair RSNs, though, so if that's important it may be a nonstarter for some. I hope they're back eventually, but who knows.

I am also quite pleased with YouTube TV. The BTN is available and I see most games.
 
#4      

unimaroon

Baja Ontario
How are fans watching the Illini this year?

I cut the thread after the season but will need to pick one of the streaming services again. I suppose we don't know as much as we'd like about the viewing schedule, but I assume that between BTN and ESPN we'll get most of the games. Might sign up tonight to watch some college football....
My research found YouTube TV and hulu live to have the best sports channel line ups. YTTV is the superior platform, sling is the cheapest.

As I understand it, YTTV is the first Fox sports regional contract renewal for new owner Sinclair broadcasting. Sinclair appears to exist in a unique world of their own making so their negotiations are awkward. I am hopeful that things will get more realistic when other content providers contracts are up and/or when the NHL and NBA return.
 
#5      

sacraig

The desert
My research found YouTube TV and hulu live to have the best sports channel line ups. YTTV is the superior platform, sling is the cheapest.

As I understand it, YTTV is the first Fox sports regional contract renewal for new owner Sinclair broadcasting. Sinclair appears to exist in a unique world of their own making so their negotiations are awkward. I am hopeful that things will get more realistic when other content providers contracts are up and/or when the NHL and NBA return.

Yeah I suspect the start of MLB will be a strong push in the direction of YTTV and Sinclair reaching a deal, too. For now it's no loss, but I hope it is figured out by the time baseball season rolls around again (yes I know it technically hasn't ended).

Also, there is a super secret way to use YTTV to get out of market NFL games if you care to do some digging.
 
#7      
I literally just completed 4-5 free trials of cut-the-cord style streaming services. YouTube TV is the best cable/satellite replacement there is imo but it’s also the most expensive. It has the easiest user interface and all the content I need, with a good DVR setup.

Hulu Live Plus was my second favorite—excellent content but it wasn’t as easy to navigate for me. But it is $10 a month cheaper unless you want to FF through DVR recordings in which case you have to pay an extra $10 on Hulu thus negating any savings.

I hemmed and hawed back and forth and finally went YouTubeTV
 
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#8      

WINT

Kewanee, IL
Any problems with the stream at all?
No. YTTV is legit. 2 years ago I went with PS Vue for basketball season, last year with YouTube. Both were great. Can get multiple TVs streaming different games.
 
#9      
No. YTTV is legit. 2 years ago I went with PS Vue for basketball season, last year with YouTube. Both were great. Can get multiple TVs streaming different games.

I had PS Vue as well until they killed it then went YouTube. Canceled it when sports got cancelled in March and despite trying all the others stuck with it when football got going.
 
#10      
What if I only want to watch Illinois games? Is there a streaming service where I can just pay for a single game view?
 
#11      
I literally just completed 4-5 free trials of cut-the-cord style streaming services. YouTube TV is the best cable/satellite replacement there is imo but it’s also the most expensive. It has the easiest user interface and all the content I need, with a good DVR setup.

Hulu Live Plus was my second favorite—excellent content but it wasn’t as easy to navigate for me. But it is $10 a month cheaper unless you want to FF through DVR recordings in which case you have to pay an extra $10 on Hulu thus negating any savings.

I hemmed and hawed back and forth and finally went YouTubeTV

Did you try FUBO?
 
#12      
Love YouTube tv. Didn’t like the price increase and addition of Viacom stations. Buts it’s the best for sports. I can’t think of a channel for sports it doesn’t have. Even has the random cbs and nbc sports channel that usually carries the odd early season basketball tournament.
 
#13      
I dropped YTTV with the recent price increase and am now on the lower tier of Hulu Live. The only thing I currently miss is NFL Network and with Hulu I have to watch ads on my dvr which is infuriating. All that to save 10 bucks a month.
 
#14      

sacraig

The desert
Love YouTube tv. Didn’t like the price increase and addition of Viacom stations. Buts it’s the best for sports. I can’t think of a channel for sports it doesn’t have. Even has the random cbs and nbc sports channel that usually carries the odd early season basketball tournament.

As someone living in Pac-12 country, I know it doesn't have Pac-12 Network. That's a out it, though.
 
#15      
Have Hulu Premium + Live and it's good for sports, but I've been looking to switch to something else as its starting to feel like I'm watching as many commercials on their TV shows as I would on cable. Granted it's still half the price cable was.
 
#16      
Yes that was my most recent test. For some reason I didn’t really get my local networks with it so it was basically worthless to me for football this weekend. Did some googling and apparently Fubo offers live local networks in most major metropolitan areas but I live in the middle of nowhere. No issues with YTTV or Hulu however. And still about half the price of cable.
 
#17      
Has anyone tried Philo? Seems too good of a deal to be true. Wondering what it's like.
 
#18      
I stream through AT&T TV Now which includes four ESPN's, two Fox Sports, NBC Sports, CBS sports, BTN, SEC, ACC and Marquee. There hasn't been a game that I wanted to watch but couldn't (except NFL) in the 18 months since I cut the cord. I share this because I never hear it brought up in these discussions and am curious what I'm missing with the usual front runners YTTV and Hulu? There's no contract so I'm always open to a switch.
 
#19      
I picked up Hulu to watch some college football, and the streaming was good. Since it has a free trial and is cheaper, I'll definitely give it a chance. If I read their packages correctly, you can upgrade to take out ads. Might do that if my wife and I wind up binge-watching any of their shows. I can always give youtube a try.

It'd be nice if we knew what stations were needed in advance, but it's a crazy year. Hopefully I don't have to switch because of the channel line-up missing some games.
 
#21      
I picked up Hulu to watch some college football, and the streaming was good. Since it has a free trial and is cheaper, I'll definitely give it a chance. If I read their packages correctly, you can upgrade to take out ads. Might do that if my wife and I wind up binge-watching any of their shows. I can always give youtube a try.

It'd be nice if we knew what stations were needed in advance, but it's a crazy year. Hopefully I don't have to switch because of the channel line-up missing some games.
Be forewarned, it will remove a lot less ads than you realize. A ton of shows still have ads even with premium, it's incredibly frustrating.
 
#24      
Hope this is the right place to ask. How do we stream Illini basketball this year without cable TV?
 
#25      

alaaji

Morocco
Sling TV now has a sports add on that includes the Big Ten network. If you sign up for Sling Blue and just add the Sports Extra option. I have used Sling in the past but haven’t tried it with the sports option. It looks like the total damage will be $40. Not too bad IMO.