The impending death of Bally Sports

[Toddwert]

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

I'm still on DirecTV, and I'll probably stick with it for a while.

For one thing, I've negotiated $80 or so a month off the topline price to something more reasonable. For another, I like the convenience of channel numbers, and channel neighborhoods, and surfing.

I'm not so keen on having to rely on search because sometimes I just want to browse, and browsing the DTV menu has a comfortable familiarity to it (I've been with them since 1999). When I browse the streamers, 95% of what I see are of a certain type of action-adventure-thriller-horror-scifi-reality-franchise fare.

I also like how everything on DTV is centralized in one app, versus having to travel around three or four different streamers. Apple TV does centralize several streamers on their home page, although not all.

Also, not for nothing, much of what I see on DTV is also available to me in streaming as long as I input my login credentials on the various network sites.

And when it comes to baseball, my MLB Extra Innings package not only gets me the convenience of surfing games that offer both broadcasts, but I also get MLB.tv plus MLB audio gratis along with it anyway.

Lastly, I'm in a sharing arrangement where I provide the DTV credentials, and I get Netflix, Hulu, Disney, ESPN, and YouTube TV in return.

So yeah, I think I'll stick with it for a while longer.

thats my problem with all theses apps is you cant surf thru them if you watching something on the MLB app on my tv its a pain to switch to live TV and back during commerical breaks

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

On 5/3/2024 at 6:23 PM, chasfh said:

I'm still on DirecTV, and I'll probably stick with it for a while.

For one thing, I've negotiated $80 or so a month off the topline price to something more reasonable. For another, I like the convenience of channel numbers, and channel neighborhoods, and surfing.

I'm not so keen on having to rely on search because sometimes I just want to browse, and browsing the DTV menu has a comfortable familiarity to it (I've been with them since 1999). When I browse the streamers, 95% of what I see are of a certain type of action-adventure-thriller-horror-scifi-reality-franchise fare.

I also like how everything on DTV is centralized in one app, versus having to travel around three or four different streamers. Apple TV does centralize several streamers on their home page, although not all.

Also, not for nothing, much of what I see on DTV is also available to me in streaming as long as I input my login credentials on the various network sites.

And when it comes to baseball, my MLB Extra Innings package not only gets me the convenience of surfing games that offer both broadcasts, but I also get MLB.tv plus MLB audio gratis along with it anyway.

Lastly, I'm in a sharing arrangement where I provide the DTV credentials, and I get Netflix, Hulu, Disney, ESPN, and YouTube TV in return.

So yeah, I think I'll stick with it for a while longer.

Can't disagree with most of this. DirecTV always offered me a substantial discount to stay, but it just got to the point where I wasn't seeing the value, especially since I was already paying for Hulu (the "regular" version). Combine that with the fact that what we actually watch on TV is very little, it was just time to make the switch. Navigating Hulu Live TV is a little wonky, but we will adjust quickly enough. It helps that each of us can have our own Favorites channel guide. I also like that I can click on Sports, and it shows me all of the live and upcoming games to choose from, and I can further narrow that by sport. We also can now truly just have one remote we use for everything, which has long been an annoyance to Mrs Shades of Deivi Cruz.

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

On 5/3/2024 at 1:34 PM, casimir said:

What?!

We've always have Buckeye for home internet (and phone, when that was a thing). It's the only option in the neighborhood. We just didn't subscribe to the cable TV portion of their offerings.

[oblong]

11 minutes ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

Can't disagree with most of this. DirecTV always offered me a substantial discount to stay, but it just got to the point where I wasn't seeing the value, especially since I was already paying for Hulu (the "regular" version). Combine that with the fact that what we actually watch on TV is very little, it was just time to make the switch. Navigating Hulu Live TV is a little wonky, but we will adjust quickly enough. It helps that each of us can have our own Favorites channel guide. I also like that I can click on Sports, and it shows me all of the live and upcoming games to choose from, and I can further narrow that by sport. We also can now truly just have one remote we use for everything, which has long been an annoyance to Mrs Shades of Deivi Cruz.

Regardling Hulu Live... I remember a case this year when the Wings game was only on Hulu... and I couldn't find it.  On my phone it came right up on the main screen and I could put it on.  On my TV's app... it wasn't the same options when the app opened up.  I searched all kinds of keywoards and couldn't find it.

 

[Motor City Sonics]

Who used the Ballys app for the first time this past weekend and what did you think ?

[oblong]

I did. Once during a pregame if locked up.  It’s also behind. I got the notification on my phone before the game ended. 

[chasfh]

2 minutes ago, oblong said:

I did. Once during a pregame if locked up.  It’s also behind. I got the notification on my phone before the game ended. 

I already get that when I watch or listen to any Tigers game on any device. Drives me nuts.

[casimir]

Deactivate the game result notifications?

[chasfh]

On 5/7/2024 at 7:02 AM, casimir said:

Deactivate the game result notifications?

I like complaining better. 😁

[Motor City Sonics]

Still hasn't been resolved?   

 

Oy,  this is really bad for baseball.    What a clusterfluk 

[oblong]

Tony Paul had a thing up today.

Their deal ended April 30 and Bally claims they were blindsided by the decision to pull the games since they were still negotiated.  They were working off a six month extension.

Xfinity says only 30% of their viewers watch Bally.  They want to move the channel to a higher tier, one where you get the league networks, etc. as they claim most of their Bally viewers already have.  The implication being they would then lower the bill for everyone else (Yeah, right).

 

[theroundsquare]

increase xfinity's margins on everyone else 

[oblong]

A friend of mine in the industry said he heard rumors that the Ilitchs will move the wings and tigers to channel 20.  The Florida panthers made the move to the same company that owns channel 20 today.  Comcast isn’t budging in his words.  Have no idea if that means now or after the season.  

[Tenacious D]

We still have Channel 20?  I just hope they don’t preempt Batman or Gilligan’s Island for any games.

[oblong]

afternoon games during the week could cut into Leave it to Beaver at 2:30.

 

[Tigeraholic1]

8 minutes ago, oblong said:

afternoon games during the week could cut into Leave it to Beaver at 2:30.

 

Don't be so hard on the Beaver Ward.

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

The only thing that annoys be about the app is if I'm watching the pregame, it doesn't automatically roll me to the game. It kicks me back to the Bally home screen and I have to select the game. It's also moderately annoying that I had to select just one market/team. In Toledo with cable/DirecTV, you would get Tigers, Guardians and Reds all included. With the app, you have to pick one. Not a major deal, but annoying on days when the Tigers are off or played early.

[RedRamage]

2 hours ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

Don't be so hard on the Beaver Ward.

Sometime I've gotta re-watch some of these super old sitcoms and just laugh at how the changing slang terms make certain phrases have very, very different meanings.

[Toddwert]

Bally could be done before the end of the season

https://x.com/detroitjoechapp/status/1809989208095789172?s=46

 

[Hongbit]

49 minutes ago, Toddwert said:

Bally could be done before the end of the season

https://x.com/detroitjoechapp/status/1809989208095789172?s=46

 

An industry changing local sports network of the future pinned on the hopes of Tom Gores making it happen?  

Um yeah, count me as just a wee bit skeptical.  

Edited July 7, 2024 by Hongbit

[CMRivdogs]

Maybe it's time for Gores and Illitch to wake up and cut a deal with one of the local TV companies, or at least one with decent signals in the Metro area. I assume Comcast or whomever is the local cable monopoly carries the major stations' sub channels on their system, put the games there and work out a deal to pay production costs. 
 

Most stations have more than one substation capability so if there is a conflict games can be moved from say channel 2.2 to 2.3 for example. Most of these channels carry crap anyway, at least on commercial channels.

[Hongbit]

17 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Maybe it's time for Gores and Illitch to wake up

I couldn’t agree more.  

[Tigeraholic1]

Living out of state worries me when these things happen. All through the 90’s my area was blocked out. Forced to watch both Chicago teams and the alternative being The Reds….

[HeyAbbott]

45 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

Living out of state worries me when these things happen. All through the 90’s my area was blocked out. Forced to watch both Chicago teams and the alternative being The Reds….

Living in the Grand Rapids Area, I use the Bally streaming service to see the games. I am not sure what the alternative will be, but I would think it would be profitable for coverage to be greater than Metro Detroit. If not, it is back to the radio.

[casimir]

3 minutes ago, HeyAbbott said:

Living in the Grand Rapids Area, I use the Bally streaming service to see the games. I am not sure what the alternative will be, but I would think it would be profitable for coverage to be greater than Metro Detroit. If not, it is back to the radio.

Living just outside of Toledo, I remember when YouTubeTV cut out all 3 previously available Fox/Bally Sports offerings, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.  Depending upon what happens, since Toledo is easily within the MLB's Tiger blackout zone, it might be radio only for me as well.  I would think the Detroit sports teams would want to maintain their coverage outside of the Detroit metro area.  So would we be looking at short term pain (ie, end of this baseball season) in order to build something up for viewers like you and me in time for Opening Day 2025?