Will BTN suffer in "unplugging" trend?

Kiyoat Husker

Kiyoat Husker

New member
With the current trend in "unplugging" from cable, how do you guys think the BTN will fare?

We have considered it. Switching to SlingTV, Netflix, and HD antenna would save us over $80 per month. Really the only channel I would miss is the BTN.

Funny thing is, with SlingTV comes ESPN , ESPN2, ESPNU, and (barf) the SEC Network......

 
I am sure they will start to sign deals for online distribution in the future. It is a new world for traditional cable and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

 
The unplugging trend is still at least 2-3 years away from causing any serious upheaval. It's still pretty new and isolated, for the most part.

I haven't had cable for a long time, but that's because I'm pretty internet savvy on finding things that your average customer would still have trouble with. There are now good options out there for everything except for big live events. Sling is gaining momentum, but their service still completely falls on it's face for stuff like March Madness or the Super Bowl - they can't come close to handling the traffic.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The unplugging trend is still at least 2-3 years away from causing any serious upheaval. It's still pretty new and isolated, for the most part.

I haven't had cable for a long time, but that's because I'm pretty internet savvy on finding things that your average customer would still have trouble with. There are now good options out there for everything except for big live events. Sling is gaining momentum, but their service still completely falls on it's face for stuff like March Madness or the Super Bowl - they can't come close to handling the traffic.
Click to expand...
Since you know a little something on the topic, are there better options out there besides sling?

 
IA State Husker said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The unplugging trend is still at least 2-3 years away from causing any serious upheaval. It's still pretty new and isolated, for the most part.

I haven't had cable for a long time, but that's because I'm pretty internet savvy on finding things that your average customer would still have trouble with. There are now good options out there for everything except for big live events. Sling is gaining momentum, but their service still completely falls on it's face for stuff like March Madness or the Super Bowl - they can't come close to handling the traffic.
Click to expand...
Since you know a little something on the topic, are there better options out there besides sling?
Click to expand...

Easy to use, official, legal options?

Right now, not really. The best option is to find a friend or family member that has cable and will give you their email/password credentials for the web or apple tv/roku/chromecast apps for most stations.

 
There's BTN International, which I used last year. Just requires that you use a VPN, since it's not available to North America. It had a few issues, like some games not being available til midnight, but it would be great if it were officially available to NA.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The unplugging trend is still at least 2-3 years away from causing any serious upheaval. It's still pretty new and isolated, for the most part.
Click to expand...
I disagree with this point, as it's already having an impact now. Cord-cutting is one of the main drivers for why local cable providers are providing packages w/o costly sports networks to those who want them, and it also forced ESPN to jettison their lucrative personas in an effort to save enough cash to keep their ship afloat (e.g. Collin Cowherd).

Now, if you were to say part of this is ESPN's own doing for being stupid about their contracts (e.g MNF, Bevo TV), you would have a valid point. But before unplugging/cord-cutting, ESPN had enough buffer to cover for their stupidity. Now, not so much.

Cord-cutting is also why the FCC (correctly) went to the step of classifying ISPs as utilities, not unlike water or power--because eventually, your television provider will be one of many streaming services, and the local ISP will be providing nothing more than unfettered access to the Internet, and NOT be in the business of reselling content any longer.

 
Got rid of cable myself and I'm plundering the coasts a bit as I've found a nice HD stream of BTN, not going to pay $100 to subsidize shows with rednecks catching fish with their hands and other whimsical programming just to have the privilege to watch the network. When they join the 21st century and make a sensibly priced streaming option I'll be the first in line to sign up, till then, so far I'm not missing anything.

 
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