The Sports Media Thread

[Sykotyk]

3 hours ago, the admiral said:

Chargers-Chiefs last night had some really awesome moments from what I caught on the radio. Pity it was only on a website instead of the free-to-air national network television that used to be pursuant to the league's antitrust agreement.

ESPN was never free to air. 

 

And just like with ESPN, TNT, and NFLN, the local markets of the teams in those games get their local affiliates to air the broadcast. 

[The_Admiral]

Those aren't ideal either, but you're being willfully obtuse if you think there's no difference between mass-carriage cable channels and downloading marquee football games off the internet.

[Germanshepherd]

I watched an older gentleman try to explain to his wife over the phone that the game was not on a channel but was in fact on the computer. It went about as well as you’d think. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

39 minutes ago, Germanshepherd said:

I watched an older gentleman try to explain to his wife over the phone that the game was not on a channel but was in fact on the computer. It went about as well as you’d think. 

 

Yeah, there's a real divide here. All of my TV watching is via my Xbox or a streaming device, and I have no problem navigating different apps.

 

I can't imagine explaining this to, say, my grandparents (which would really take some doing since they're all dead).

[The_Admiral]

3 hours ago, Germanshepherd said:

I watched an older gentleman try to explain to his wife over the phone that the game was not on a channel but was in fact on the computer. It went about as well as you’d think. 

Yeah, even as someone who knows how to navigate apps and menus, I don't want to do so to watch football. I can click through stuff to get to a Seinfeld rerun I suddenly find myself in the mood to watch, but when it comes to sports, me caveman, me simple. I turn on the TV and put on channel 2 and football is on. That's all I want, and with NFL games being precious commodities and the most popular live sports content, they should all be as readily accessible as possible. I didn't even like the NFL Network games. ESPN at worst, none of this NHL-ass streaming stuff for the league that matters.

[BBTV]

1 hour ago, the admiral said:

Yeah, even as someone who knows how to navigate apps and menus, I don't want to do so to watch football. I can click through stuff to get to a Seinfeld rerun I suddenly find myself in the mood to watch, but when it comes to sports, me caveman, me simple. I turn on the TV and put on channel 2 and football is on. That's all I want, and with NFL games being precious commodities and the most popular live sports content, they should all be as readily accessible as possible. I didn't even like the NFL Network games. ESPN at worst, none of this NHL-ass streaming stuff for the league that matters.

 

It basically ruins the ability to flip between different things. Like if the Phillies are on cable, flipping between a streaming football game and the baseball game is a chore (not flipping to cable, but flipping back to football requires several button clicks and then loading again.  I want instant.)

 

Also, as someone who syncs the radio to the game, the streaming presents unpredictable delay that sometimes exceeds the capability of the adjustable delay that's built in to my radio.  Also, if it buffers or you have to reload, re-syncing is next to impossible.

[Marcos Flamengo]

Don't be surprised if Pegula acquires MSG shares on MSG WNY in a near future and rename it to Pegula Sports Network or Empire Sports Network

[Germanshepherd]

ESPN shoved the game their flagship program was at and also had the finish of the year on ESPN+. I don’t get it. 
 

 

[Crabcake]

Just would like to come on here and complain about NFL+, I'm hoping when the Sunday Ticket contract ends next year NFL+ essentially becomes that, but it's so stupid that the only way to pay a flat fee to watch any NFL game I want is through a satellite dish company.  I recently moved out of the MD area and I just want to be able to watch the Ravens.  That really shouldn't be that hard in our era of streaming services.  I don't even care if I have to pay for another streaming service.  As of now you're essentially paying $5 a month to watch games you could watch on TV on your laptop, or out of market radio broadcasts.  

[Marcos Flamengo]

4 hours ago, Germanshepherd said:

ESPN shoved the game their flagship program was at and also had the finish of the year on ESPN+. I don’t get it. 
 

 

And I don't get it too. I just can't believe ESPN did that.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

28 minutes ago, Crabcake said:

 As of now you're essentially paying $5 a month to watch games you could watch on TV on your laptop, or out of market radio broadcasts.  

 

Isn't the thing with NFL+  that you can't watch it on your laptop, but only a phone or tablet?

[Kooky01]

59 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

Isn't the thing with NFL+  that you can't watch it on your laptop, but only a phone or tablet?

Yeah I think you're right. Here in Northern AZ, it's pretty hard to try and find the Titans  Snatit game (unless it's nationally televised like tomorrow night will be). 

[The_Admiral]

I decided I wanted to watch Steelers-Browns, so I turned on my TV. I waited a minute or so for the Smart TV software to load. Then I waited a few seconds for Amazon Prime to load. Then I chose my user profile and waited a few seconds for that to load. Then I clicked on the football title screen and waited a few seconds for that to load too. Then I sat through a really long block of commercials for streaming shows, during which time the picture quality gradually upgraded from potato to almost like live TV. Then the game came back on and the frame rate was ever-so-slightly off, just a teensy bit stuttery, like it was just a few frames short of what live TV looks like. I don't know if this is because my TV or internet sucks (I have the TV hardwired to the router, so it's not wi-fi) or because everyone in America was clicking through multiple menu screens to watch Steelers-Browns, but the whole thing feels vaguely suboptimal, like an uncanny-valley facsimile of an NBC telecast. The closest equivalent that came to my mind was watching the NHL on the Outdoor Life Network in 2006.

 

Pace the cord-cutters out there, this whole thing feels like a prime [ugh] example of "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered." It really feels like a disservice to make everyone have to download a game. "Well, who do YOU think should have Thursday Night Football?" Outside of a month or two where the teams are coming off bye weeks, I don't even think there should be a Thursday Night Football to be had.

[BBTV]

37 minutes ago, the admiral said:

I decided I wanted to watch Steelers-Browns, so I turned on my TV. I waited a minute or so for the Smart TV software to load. Then I waited a few seconds for Amazon Prime to load. Then I chose my user profile and waited a few seconds for that to load. Then I clicked on the football title screen and waited a few seconds for that to load too. Then I sat through a really long block of commercials for streaming shows, during which time the picture quality gradually upgraded from potato to almost like live TV. Then the game came back on and the frame rate was ever-so-slightly off, just a teensy bit stuttery, like it was just a few frames short of what live TV looks like. I don't know if this is because my TV or internet sucks (I have the TV hardwired to the router, so it's not wi-fi) or because everyone in America was clicking through multiple menu screens to watch Steelers-Browns, but the whole thing feels vaguely suboptimal, like an uncanny-valley facsimile of an NBC telecast. The closest equivalent that came to my mind was watching the NHL on the Outdoor Life Network in 2006.

 

Pace the cord-cutters out there, this whole thing feels like a prime [ugh] example of "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered." It really feels like a disservice to make everyone have to download a game. "Well, who do YOU think should have Thursday Night Football?" Outside of a month or two where the teams are coming off bye weeks, I don't even think there should be a Thursday Night Football to be had.

i absolutely hate it. I haven’t had any issues with the quality, but if I want to flip to the baseball game then flip back, it’s a click to bring up the app  menu, a click to choose Prime, a wait for it to load, a click to choose the game, another click to “play live” vs “resume”, then another wait for the game to load. 
 

I said F it and am just watching baseball.   Streaming isn’t sophisticated enough to support live sports viewing yet. Until I can have the stream on standby while I click through other things, I want no part of it. And I assume syncing to radio is nearly impossible, but fortunately local games will (I think) be simulcast on real tv. 

[AnPheitseog]

8 minutes ago, BBTV said:

i absolutely hate it. I haven’t had any issues with the quality, but if I want to flip to the baseball game then flip back, it’s a click to bring up the app  menu, a click to choose Prime, a wait for it to load, a click to choose the game, another click to “play live” vs “resume”, then another wait for the game to load. 
 

I said F it and am just watching baseball.   Streaming isn’t sophisticated enough to support live sports viewing yet. Until I can have the stream on standby while I click through other things, I want no part of it. And I assume syncing to radio is nearly impossible, but fortunately local games will (I think) be simulcast on real tv. 

They will be, I'm watching this Steelers Browns game in WPXI(Local pittsburgh NBC affiliate) 

[The_Admiral]

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

Streaming isn’t sophisticated enough to support live sports viewing yet. Until I can have the stream on standby while I click through other things, I want no part of it. And I assume syncing to radio is nearly impossible, but fortunately local games will (I think) be simulcast on real tv. 

 

Syncing to radio is probably a nightmare.

 

Still, in the name of player safety, these games should not exist on three days' rest. I thought I had a pretty solid idea to have them run from like Week 7 to Thanksgiving and then shift to Saturday the rest of the way, but that would require Congress to let them start Saturday games sooner, which they should, because college football squats over the entire rest of the week now anyway.

[ManillaToad]

Tuesday Night Football

[The_Admiral]

2 hours ago, ManillaToad said:

Tuesday Night Football

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rzp3Cij3HKE/UhF-_M8kq0I/AAAAAAAAAjA/aXB9zXJc7y4/s1600/Teen+Girl+Squad+4.png

[infrared41]

18 hours ago, BBTV said:

fortunately local games will (I think) be simulcast on real tv. 

 

I watched the game on the local ABC affiliate last night.

[infrared41]

16 hours ago, the admiral said:

Syncing to radio is probably a nightmare.

 

Of all the times I've tried syncing to radio, I was successful just once and I'm pretty sure it was pure luck.