Fox Sports Go - WTF?

[Old Twins Cap]

Everyone should realize, Everyone, that there is no need to subscribe to any service, at any time, for any amount of money -- and still be able to watch just about any sporting event you desire.

 

As in, we are now able to get streams online from legitimate sources in Europe, that can't be blocked by US FBI, and which, carry US feeds.  So, I'm talking announcers, commercials, everything you get on a TV, available over the internet to anyone who can google "livestream".

 

Just saying.  You guys are living in the old economy.

 

And, it just doesn't make for a better world to give the Big Boys money.  They support really bad things.

[DaveW]

It really isn't that hard to just get MLB tv and run through a VPN or use a location spoofer.

[Mike Sixel]

I find it easier to just stop watching sports, and tv, in general. Too many things to do.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Oh, I am very familiar with the alternatives.  Just thought I'd share my family's experience, and I found it interesting that a perk, seemingly intended to encourage keeping the cable/satellite and regional sports network cord intact, has been largely cannibalized by those very same cable/satellite and regional sports network companies.  The old system can't end soon enough for me.

[Otto von Ballpark]

To summarize what I know so far:

 

No streaming Twins games

Comcast Xfinity (the largest provider in Minneapolis-St. Paul)

DISH Network

 

Streaming Twins games

DIRECTV

Charter Spectrum (except on Fire TV devices)

 

Playstation Vue advertises Fox Sports North but may not be able to provide it.

 

I haven't yet confirmed CenturyLink Prism either (a new provider in Minneapolis) -- signs point to it working, unless they have special restrictions after you sign in like Comcast.

[chaderic20]

 

Strange. You must live in an area that's in the radius of all of those teams in order to get blacked out. I split the MLB.tv package with a Cubs and Dodgers fan down here in TX. Never had any issues with blackouts.. If we were Rangers or Astros fans it may be way different. 

Try living in Iowa where on MLB.TV you're blacked out from the Twins, Brewers, White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, and Royals.  Literally 20% of the league, or up 40% if you consider that each of those six teams is playing someone else, for a total of up to 12 teams out of 30 that you can't watch in Iowa every single day.

This topic is a pet peeve of mine, and I've been figuratively given the finger enough times by MLB and cable companies that I've given up on trying to get Twins games via legitimate methods.  For years, I honestly tried everything I could, up to the point that both MLB and my cable provider both stopped taking calls/emails from me trying to get Twins games.

Yes, I could cough up $150+ a month to get a premium cable/satellite package with the add-on sports pack that it would take to get FS North here, but that's just not a realistic option.  Especially when, as has been mentioned by others, I can find a free stream with a simple google search.

[DaveW]

You shouldn't "steal" or pirate, that is wrong.

 

Instead of going for a free illegal stream, why not just pay for MLB.TV and use a VPN in that case? Or just spend the money on a cable package? I don't understand why people suddenly think it is there right to pay nothing and get everything for free. Piracy effects peoples jobs and only ends up punishing those of us who play by the rules (higher fees, etc)

Frankly I think everyone who pirates any form of video/gaming/etc should be caught and fined a minimum of $5,000

[Joey12]

I've been on my Playstation VUE 7 day trial and I can say I like it very much.  I just watched the wild game last night so I can confirm you do get FSN North.  Also all of the ESPN's and FS Sports 1 and 2.  On the 35 dollar package you also get the Golf Channel.  This pretty much covers any sports channel I watch.  You do not get NFL Network or MLB Network and that may be drawback to some.   You will want to make sure you have a fast internet connection.  I'm supposed to be getting 60 mpbs but my internet provider sucks and I've had issues with them.  I was sick of DIRECTV and cut it a couple months ago.  I was kinda surprised that I didn't miss cable all that much.  But with Baseball season coming I had to find something so I could watch the Twins and Baseball tonight. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

You shouldn't "steal" or pirate, that is wrong.

 

Instead of going for a free illegal stream, why not just pay for MLB.TV and use a VPN in that case? Or just spend the money on a cable package? I don't understand why people suddenly think it is there right to pay nothing and get everything for free. Piracy effects peoples jobs and only ends up punishing those of us who play by the rules (higher fees, etc)

Frankly I think everyone who pirates any form of video/gaming/etc should be caught and fined a minimum of $5,000

 

I gotta say, I agree. You have no right to watch a privately funded event w/o paying, no matter how outrageous the price may be. It is a constant struggle with certain younger people I know.....

[DAM DC Twins Fans]

I find it easier to just stop watching sports, and tv, in general. Too many things to do.

I pretty much agree--90% of my sports watching is tennis--just athlete vs. athlete. No dumb GMs to screw up, no blackout rules, etc. I pay about $140 per year to stream and get more than enough matches. Enough for me to have something to watch most nights while days spent baby sitting grandkids.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I've been on my Playstation VUE 7 day trial and I can say I like it very much.  I just watched the wild game last night so I can confirm you do get FSN North.

Thanks for the report!  Sounds like it is still an issue for some users at their forum, but good to know that it is possible and the free trial can be used to verify at any particular location.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

You shouldn't "steal" or pirate, that is wrong.

 

Instead of going for a free illegal stream, why not just pay for MLB.TV and use a VPN in that case? Or just spend the money on a cable package? I don't understand why people suddenly think it is there right to pay nothing and get everything for free. Piracy effects peoples jobs and only ends up punishing those of us who play by the rules (higher fees, etc)

Frankly I think everyone who pirates any form of video/gaming/etc should be caught and fined a minimum of $5,000

To be fair, content providers probably think access via a proxy is just as much stealing as those free pirate streams.  Netflix has notably started to crack down on customers using proxies.

 

And infrequent baseball watching might be a gray area for me, especially if you are a Hennepin County taxpayer.  After all, the Twins offered at least one game a week on free over-the-air TV through 2010, then pulled it after the success of their new publicly-funded stadium.

 

If you are watching regularly, though, yeah, you should probably just get a MLB.TV subscription, for quality and convenience alone, setting aside issues of legality and degrees of theft.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I gotta say, I agree. You have no right to watch a privately funded event w/o paying, no matter how outrageous the price may be. It is a constant struggle with certain younger people I know.....

Events in American sports stadiums are privately funded?

[Mike Sixel]

 

Events in American sports stadiums are privately funded?

 

Like it or not.....we don't consider the activities public. 

[South Dakota Tom]

I'm in South Dakota and a cord-cutter.  But I'm also tech-naive enough I don't understand how VPN works with mlb.tv (and they do black out Twins games here, so a basic subscription is mostly worthless to me).  Do you subscribe first and then log in through the VPN address, or get the VPN address and then subscribe?

 

Would it matter if I already subscribe to the radio portion of mlb - do I need to create a new identity through my VPN to avoid tying it to my South Dakota address?  I'm not asking anyone to tell me to do this or not do it, just (theoretically) how it might be done.

 

Like many of you, FSN isn't offered in a basic cable package - you have to ramp up to level 3 and that includes too many time-wasting channels.  An antenna, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and mlb would work just fine for me for about $300 a year.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Try living in Iowa where on MLB.TV you're blacked out from the Twins, Brewers, White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, and Royals.  Literally 20% of the league, or up 40% if you consider that each of those six teams is playing someone else, for a total of up to 12 teams out of 30 that you can't watch in Iowa every single day.

This topic is a pet peeve of mine, and I've been figuratively given the finger enough times by MLB and cable companies that I've given up on trying to get Twins games via legitimate methods.  For years, I honestly tried everything I could, up to the point that both MLB and my cable provider both stopped taking calls/emails from me trying to get Twins games.

Yes, I could cough up $150+ a month to get a premium cable/satellite package with the add-on sports pack that it would take to get FS North here, but that's just not a realistic option.  Especially when, as has been mentioned by others, I can find a free stream with a simple google search.

I have some sympathy for fans in Iowa dealing with MLB blackout policies.

 

However, it's nowhere near $150 per month to get Fox Sports North in Iowa.  Dish Network, with the add-on sports package that includes FS North, is $63 per month, price locked for 3 years.  A similar package at DIRECTV is $56 per month for the first year, and $88 per month thereafter.  That includes equipments fees, and both offer free installation.  And with DIRECTV, you could also stream FS North on any device supported by Fox Sports Go, so you could watch the Twins on your phone or tablet away from home.

 

By comparison, the cheapest standalone Comcast TV service in Minneapolis that includes FS North is about $50 per month after fees for the first year, and jumps to $75+ per month thereafter, plus an installation fee.  And as I discovered in my first post of this article, Comcast doesn't allow FS North streaming via Fox Sports Go, so you could still only watch the Twins on your home TV.

 

I'm a cord-cutter, and I don't like the blackout system, but getting Fox Sports North on either cable or satellite costs about the same everywhere you go in the Twins blackout region.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I'm in South Dakota and a cord-cutter.  But I'm also tech-naive enough I don't understand how VPN works with mlb.tv (and they do black out Twins games here, so a basic subscription is mostly worthless to me).  Do you subscribe first and then log in through the VPN address, or get the VPN address and then subscribe?

 

Would it matter if I already subscribe to the radio portion of mlb - do I need to create a new identity through my VPN to avoid tying it to my South Dakota address?I'm not asking anyone to tell me to do this or not do it, just (theoretically) how it might be done.

You can add/change a VPN or proxy at any time.  Blackouts aren't determined when you sign up for MLB.TV, they are only determined each time you load a stream.

 

Feel free to message me if you want more assistance.

[bluechipper]

 

I find it easier to just stop watching sports, and tv, in general. Too many things to do.

I'm assuming one of those things to do is commenting on TwinsDaily.

[MrGalen]

I logged on to Fox Sports Go via DirecTV and am getting today's Twins game. The listing shows NHRA Drag Racing, but it's the only option listed as Now Playing. Glad to see it's working! 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I logged on to Fox Sports Go via DirecTV and am getting today's Twins game. The listing shows NHRA Drag Racing, but it's the only option listed as Now Playing. Glad to see it's working! 

Really?  I don't see "NHRA Drag Racing" (I am seeing UFC and indeed getting UFC when I click it) and Fox has been pretty adamant they don't have the streaming rights to spring training games.  Perhaps a happy accident?

 

In any case, glad it is working for you too.  You should see Monday's game listed already if you advance the schedule.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I'm assuming one of those things to do is commenting on TwinsDaily.

 

Entirely too much, yes.

 

But, if you were listening to this conference call right now, you'd be doing this instead also.

[biggentleben]

 

Try living in Iowa

 

You lost me there...

 

[biggentleben]

 

Events in American sports stadiums are privately funded?

 

Basically, if you charge an admission fee to get in the door, streaming it live for free should only be done if the admission fee is considered a donation.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Basically, if you charge an admission fee to get in the door, streaming it live for free should only be done if the admission fee is considered a donation.

That's fair.  That is how a lot of small colleges operate, offering free streaming of their athletic events.

 

I don't think quite the same thing applies to pro sports, obviously, although I do think that pro teams in publicly funded arenas should have some obligation to publicly televise occasional events.  And the present day Twins, who might get a couple Saturday games on FOX this year, probably fall short of that, so I'm not going to lecture anybody who might pirate the occasional game.  I liked their old "one free game of the week" model -- if I was wiser, I should have lobbied for that to be included in the original stadium bill.  It wouldn't make much of an impact on the team's or the cable network's bottom line, and it would be a nice little bone to throw to the local cord cutting taxpayers.

 

Now, to the folks that pirate streams daily because they don't want to pay the modest fee for MLB.TV plus a proxy, to them I say: let your streams forever be pixelated!

[mikecgrimes]

I'm about to try to figure this out so I can give this to my dad.  While I might check in on a game every once in a while this feels like it's going to be shared like netflix passwords.  I don't think this is a workable business model at current revenues unless there's a catch.  At a certain point why wouldn't I just pay half my brothers cable bill for the summer and otherwise go exclusively Netflix Amazon Hulu?  Anyone play around with this and know anything I don't know?  Anyone have big plans to use this often.  I just can't think of many scenario's where it makes much sense.  Maybe camping or cabins but I'm not counting on getting enough of a signal to watch anything.

[Otto von Ballpark]

See my thread on this subject in the "Other Baseball" forum:

 

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/21810-fox-sports-go-wtf/

 

Mods, feel free to merge, and Mike, feel free to ask anything more specific in that thread.

[Wookiee of the Year]

Minnpost has a recent article on the topic of cord-cutting for sports fans in the Twin Cities.

 

I'll say that based on recommendations in this thread, I looked into Playstation Vue and for the first time in my life am watching Twins games at home. (I'm one of those cord-cutters who's never had cable or dish.) The interface is extremely clunky, but since 90% of the reason I got it was for Twins games, I'm not doing that much channel surfing and it's working fine.

 

It's $35/month for the basic+sports package, which is slightly steeper than I'd like to be paying, but I'm willing to do it because (1) I can drop it as soon as the Twins' season ends, and (2) it's nice to support a cable alternative.

[twinsfanstreif]

I live in KC but I use my parents login from Texas and all I get is Fox Sports Southwest, you have to have a cable subscription from Minnesota to get the Twins games which is kind of a bummer

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Minnpost has a recent article on the topic of cord-cutting for sports fans in the Twin Cities.

 

I'll say that based on recommendations in this thread, I looked into Playstation Vue and for the first time in my life am watching Twins games at home. (I'm one of those cord-cutters who's never had cable or dish.) The interface is extremely clunky, but since 90% of the reason I got it was for Twins games, I'm not doing that much channel surfing and it's working fine.

 

It's $35/month for the basic+sports package, which is slightly steeper than I'd like to be paying, but I'm willing to do it because (1) I can drop it as soon as the Twins' season ends, and (2) it's nice to support a cable alternative.

Actually there is now a cheaper alternative to Vue: Sling just added regional Fox Sports networks (including Fox Sports North) to their "multi-stream beta" package for $20 per month.  That also includes FS1 and TBS who air some games nationally (but no ESPN/ESPN2 unless you add their other $20 package for a combined $40 per month).

 

I've heard good things about Sling from some baseball fans recently, and they have a one week free trial and no contract, so I'd encourage anyone interested to try it out.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I live in KC but I use my parents login from Texas and all I get is Fox Sports Southwest, you have to have a cable subscription from Minnesota to get the Twins games which is kind of a bummer

MLB.TV, baby!  You'd get everything but Twins-KC games.  Historically they drop by the price by 50% in May, if you can wait a month or so.