Cutting the Cord

[Count Walewski]

Sports are the only reason I still have cable. I couldn't live without local baseball or college football.

[whytev]

Sports are the only reason I still have cable. I couldn't live without local baseball or college football.

Sometimes I'm thankful I don't like a local team. The MLB app is the best thing to happen to baseball in years.

[HalfSmokes]

I really wonder what the long term effect on local allegiances will be when the best way to watch baseball (even if you have cable) prevents you from watching a local team

[nfotiu]

I really wonder what the long term effect on local allegiances will be when the best way to watch baseball (even if you have cable) prevents you from watching a local team

MLB, NHL, NCAA and NBA all have a big problem looming.  There is no way they are going to make anywhere near the money they make now off of RSNs, where every single cable/dish subscriber in their viewing area pays around $5/month for the channel, and only around 1% of those actually watch the channel regularly and would be willing to pay for it by choice.  They can't charge baseball fans $500 a month for the channel.  And they can't start selling the local streams a la carte because they will piss off or break contracts with the RSNs counting on the carriage fee gravy train. 

The 100 million plus/year that a lot of teams are making from that model is going to disappear eventually, and they'll probably just have to accept that.  I wonder how long they'll hold onto that model while the cord cutters and cord nevers increase in numbers, and they are losing a tonne of marketing by having the games not available to a large and young demographic.

[HalfSmokes]

Look at the Dodgers- local cable companies are holding the line on rate increases for channels few people want and now most people in la can't actually get their games

[Mathguy]

But there are so many additional benefits at the bar that it's cost effective.

You can watch those games with MLB TV. I too enjoy watching multiple games at the same time. But, compared to going to a bar every night, it's cheaper to pay for cable, internet, and MLB TV

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

But then you have to, like, bathe and get dressed and that kind of thing.  That's a pain. 

But there are so many additional benefits at the bar that it's cost effective.

[Slateman]

But there are so many additional benefits at the bar that it's cost effective.

Not if your married

[Ed Stroud]

Sports are the only reason I still have cable. I couldn't live without local baseball or college football.

I am with you.  My kids have all cut the cord, but I could not get by without MASN & BTN (and ESPN/FS1) for Nats and Terps sports.

[Ray D]

How are you going to watch Game of Thrones without HBO?

[whytev]

How are you going to watch Game of Thrones without HBO?

Steal it.

[GburgNatsFan]

You can buy HBO a la carte now.

How are you going to watch Game of Thrones without HBO?

[Mathguy]

Well, I know I've been out of DC for 4 years, but it's not true - one doesn't have to bathe and get dressed in the OBX places I frequent.

But then you have to, like, bathe and get dressed and that kind of thing.  That's a pain. 

[varoadking]

Well, I know I've been out of DC for 4 years, but it's not true - one doesn't have to bathe and get dressed in the OBX places I frequent.

TMI

[Optics]

People talk about cutting the cord and watching everything online but personally I like watching TV on my big screen instead of on my significantly smaller computer monitor.

[HalfSmokes]

The two are not mutually exclusive- I dropped cable and stream everything to my tv

[DPMOmaha]

People talk about cutting the cord and watching everything online but personally I like watching TV on my big screen instead of on my significantly smaller computer monitor.

I stream everything through the TV and the quality isn't any different, sometimes it's better, than cable, assuming your internet signal can keep up and anymore they all can.

[Ray D]

You can buy HBO a la carte now.

Without a cable account?

[HalfSmokes]

Without a cable account?

Yep ($15 a month) at this point, it's just sports that require cable

[comish4lif]

What about ESPN?

I can get the networks over the air if I want to watch the news. And Hulu for the shows to stream, next day.

I would lose ESPN, is there a way to watch it live without Cable?

[HalfSmokes]

sling gets you ESPN

[Ray D]

Yep ($15 a month) at this point, it's just sports that require cable

Sorry for my ignorance but I don't understand. Can you get HBO through the air?

[HalfSmokes]

No, you need something to install the HBO now app (Apple TV/Roku/fire tv...) or a computer/tablet

[ajk9hy]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nationals/comments/4d1imf/2016_guide_for_cordcutting_inmarket_nats_fans/

Hello fellow Nationals enthusiasts. I recently decided to ditch cable and leave my household's soul source of entertainment as the 100mb "dumb pipe" internet connection. I saved a ton of money, but knew that the only drawback I'd suffer is when baseball season rolled around. Living in NoVA, I knew a mlb.tv subscription would blackout the Nationals (and Orioles) games, so this morning I spent an hour seeking the perfect work around. I believe I have found it and wanted to share it with all of you whom may share this predicament. Follow the simple steps below if you can't afford or don't desire cable TV and want to semi-legally watch your favorite team play every game this season.
1.) Navigate to MLB.tv and purchase either the single team package ($84.99) or the all teams package ($109.99). If you are an enrolled student at a university, or have a friend/family member that is either active duty or carries veteran status like I did, you will be able to save 35% off of either package! So my all team subscription ended up being ~71 bucks for the entire season.
2.) Next, head over to Unlocator.com and start a 7-day free trial (it's only $4.95 per month after that, but enter coupon code "Homerun" to save 25% off!). Sure, if you only plan to stream on your computer you can go with a free VPN or proxy solution to mask your IP address. The beauty of this solution, however, is that it allows you to use its service on most all household devices. Currently I have my Xbox One and Windows 10 PC configured with their DNS, and was able to do so in just a couple of minutes. Going with DNS changing is far superior to a VPN because you'll set it once and not have to screw with it for the rest of the season. It also doesn't slow traffic speeds on your everyday internet usage as a VPN most certainly would until you disconnected from it.
3.) Once your account is created at unlocator your free trial begins. Click on the setup guide up top and find your device you wish to watch the games on. Follow the respective guide and input the primary and secondary DNS server addresses they provide.
4.) Confirm you are good to go by navigating to the MLBtv blackout checker. When I follow this link it shows that I am in NY, and my only blackout restrictions are on the Yankees & Mets!
I don't know if this will be taken down by the mods or not (it probably will be), but I just wanted to share this with everyone as I am ecstatic to have found such a simplistic and reliable work around. The total cost works out to $15 per month if you are able to use the mlb.tv & the unlocator discount ($71+21=92/6=$15.33/mo.) Here's to a great 2016 season everyone!!!

[GburgNatsFan]

No. Over internet. If you have a Chromecast or Roku device (which plugs into your TV, but gets "signal" from your internet) it's pretty easy to use.

Sorry for my ignorance but I don't understand. Can you get HBO through the air?