Phoenix ditches Bally's for free OTA and Streaming. Is Detroit to Follow??

**casscorridor65** · April-28-23, 08:21 PM

Phoenix recognizes that they are not getting new sports viewers because so many people cut the cord on cable. They are returning to free sports through an antenna or through streaming apps. They acknowledged that getting younger people interested in sports through cable TV isn't working. They estimate that they will TRIPLE their viewers. They might be right.

Do many of your friends still have cable TV? Now that I think of it, I honestly don't know ONE person that has cable anymore.

Might Detroit Tiger's, Pistons, and Red Wings do this? I would love to watch sports like we did pre-90's when they switched it all to cable.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · April-29-23, 06:52 AM

I wish they all would go back to the pre-cable days. Cable is way too expensive and all they do is give lame excuses why they have to jack up rates.

**Jimaz** · April-29-23, 07:38 AM

Bally Sports Loses Rights to Phoenix Suns NBA Games As Fans Can Now Watch The Suns For Free on Broadcast TV

**Lowell** · April-29-23, 10:52 AM

I cut the cord a couple of years ago, moving away from cable television. I didn't like having a bulky cable box, but it takes some time to learn how to combine local TV with streaming subscription services like Netflix and HBO.

If you're new to the world of cord-cutting, you'll still need a cord in terms of an internet connection [[unless you use a satellite dish, which can be slow and affected by weather conditions) for streaming local TV and subscription services. However, if you're in a good location, a digital antenna might meet your local TV needs, although it won't have recording functions.

For my cord I use an AT&T fiber optic line for my internet connection, which provides one gigabyte of bandwidth to the gateway. This ensures optimal internet and TV streaming speeds, particularly for uploads which I need for business purposes. While this may be overkill for most people, there are more affordable options available.

To stream local TV, main channels, weather, and cable news networks, a streaming TV service is necessary. I used to use YouTube TV, but after they dropped local Detroit sports and raised their prices, I switched to Fubo TV. Fubo TV offers Detroit sports and the same local TV package for the same price.

The advantages of cord-cutting include the ability to easily switch services without dealing with cable boxes and the option to subscribe or unsubscribe as needed. However, the process can be complicated, and you may need to adapt to unexpected changes, like when YouTube TV canceled local sports. This may be less of an issue if you're a bit tech-savvy.

In terms of cost, I save about $30 a month compared to my previous Spectrum cable and internet bundle. However, if you opt for the minimum required internet, the savings could be around $50-$60 per month.

**Lowell** · April-29-23, 10:53 AM

And Bally recently declared bankruptcy, so it will be interesting to how that may affect us here in Detroit.

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Bally Sports Loses Rights to Phoenix Suns NBA Games As Fans Can Now Watch The Suns For Free on Broadcast TV

**EGrant** · April-29-23, 07:55 PM

I cut the cord, but then the whole Bally's saga happened so I went back to Xfinity. Its easier than bouncing around streaming platforms, and it comes with Peacock. Plus, when they raise my rates, I make a big deal about cancelling and they just cave and give me the lower rate.

**Sehv313** · April-30-23, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by EGrant

I cut the cord, but then the whole Bally's saga happened so I went back to Xfinity. Its easier than bouncing around streaming platforms, and it comes with Peacock. Plus, when they raise my rates, I make a big deal about cancelling and they just cave and give me the lower rate.

That's doing too much, seeing as if the Pistons are not a winning team anyway. Almost all Detroit teams suck right now except for the Lions [[never thought I'd be ever saying that).

I never had the cord to begin with so there was nothing to cut. Cable is so high that a lot of people are using jailbroken firesticks to watch cable anyway. They'd rather pay Tom $15 a month instead of Xfinity $160 with no extra channels. I was paying $70 a month for YouTube TV [[which was actually a decent app) until I realized I was not home enough to spend that kind of money on watching TV.

**EGrant** · April-30-23, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Sehv313

That's doing too much, seeing as if the Pistons are not a winning team anyway. Almost all Detroit teams suck right now except for the Lions [[never thought I'd be ever saying that).

I'll be sure to save room on the bandwagon when the fairweather fans jump back on.

**casscorridor65** · April-30-23, 02:40 PM

Good point Lowell. I just hear so much of the owners and their reps complaining about attracting new viewers. They MUST realize that these new viewers can't get interested in something they never see because it's on cable tv. I've noticed that when I'm at Cobb's, Common Pub, or Jumbo's, NONE of the 21-40 year-olds even glance at the game if it's on the TV. That can't be good for the future of professional sports.

Originally Posted by Lowell

And Bally recently declared bankruptcy, so it will be interesting to how that may affect us here in Detroit.

**Burnsie** · April-30-23, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

However, if you're in a good location, a digital antenna might meet your local TV needs, although it won't have recording functions.

There are standalone broadcast TV tuners available for less than $100 which record in HD; they have an antenna jack and output to HDMI to display on TV, or to USB. I picked one up at Meijer and it works nicely.

**Gistok** · April-30-23, 07:46 PM

I quit getting cable 25 years ago. Back when it first came out, it was billed as "TV without the commercials"! Now not only does it have 5 minutes of commercials for every 1/2 hour of viewing, but the cost with all the extra streaming services bundled in is at an absurd price. You know you're being ripped off if your cable bill is higher than your electric bill!!

**ABetterDetroit** · April-30-23, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by EGrant

I'll be sure to save room on the bandwagon when the fairweather fans jump back on.

Your a bigger man than us. Me and the other guy have been running around the bandwagon stomping on the hands of the fair weather Lions fans trying to clamber aboard recently. We’re doing it out of spite. We are used to having the whole thing to ourselves.

**casscorridor65** · May-01-23, 07:44 AM

LOL... You brought back a memory. I grew up in SW. I remember vividly when we couldn't even get cable in our neighborhood even though it was available in other parts of the city. It was like this well into the 90's. Barden Cable finally came through, but it was only 13 channels and my Dad said, "The hell with it..." Old times...

Originally Posted by Gistok

I quit getting cable 25 years ago. Back when it first came out, it was billed as "TV without the commercials"! Now not only does it have 5 minutes of commercials for every 1/2 hour of viewing, but the cost with all the extra streaming services bundled in is at an absurd price. You know you're being ripped off if your cable bill is higher than your electric bill!!

**1953** · May-01-23, 09:30 AM

I have cable. I quite like its reliable signal and service and the feeling of being connected to other humans who are seeing the same content as I am at the same time.

1953

**K-slice** · May-01-23, 10:00 AM

I was just speaking with one of my family elders yesterday about when local sports were broadcast over the local networks, must have been a great time to be alive.

I'm 100% in that boat where I grew up watching sports with my parents [[on cable tv in the 90's and 00's), but since I've never bought cable TV a day of my adult life I don't watch anymore. Besides the Lions that is, which I get on Fox with my antenna. Broadcast Tigers and Wings games over the air and I could 100% see getting back into watching the games.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · May-01-23, 01:26 PM

You know it's bad when they are broadcasting MLB games on AppleTV+ And I heard that starting this fall, NFL Sunday Ticket is going to YouTubeTV.

**Sehv313** · May-01-23, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by EGrant

I'll be sure to save room on the bandwagon when the fairweather fans jump back on.

If you’re a true fan, you would know it’s cheaper to buy tickets to every pistons home game each month than it is to pay for an monthly subscription cable television.

**softailrider** · May-01-23, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

You know it's bad when they are broadcasting MLB games on AppleTV+ And I heard that starting this fall, NFL Sunday Ticket is going to YouTubeTV.

I hope so. I think you used to have to have Direct TV to receive that. I'll pay for NFL Sunday Ticket.

**Lowell** · May-02-23, 10:51 AM

The primary advantage of streaming services, or even cable, is the ability to record things like sports, local news, or shows that are increasingly jammed with more and more commercials, many of them endlessly repeated.

That allows me to fast forward through the commercials and half times letting me watch them in around 60% of the time they would consume otherwise. When I actually go to a live event, it amazes me how long those breaks are.

Anybody else watch like that?

**Gistok** · May-02-23, 06:08 PM

^Lowell, since I don't have cable... I was at my sister's house for Easter, and after dinner I wanted to see what was on their cable TV... I was amazed to see 5 minutes of commercials after every 15 minutes of TV show.

I often watch Youtube when I'm at home, and have noticed something new Youtube now does... if you don't use the "Skip Ads" feature [[if it's available) after the first pair of commercials, the next set of commercials will give you one of the two that is 2-9 minutes long!! If you click on the "Skip Ads" button earlier, then future commercials will never be more than 15 seconds long.

**swingline** · May-03-23, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

When I actually go to a live event, it amazes me how long those breaks are.

Yes. This. Attending a college football game has become an interminable slog. It's not unusual for non-overtime games to exceed 3.5 hrs. And as for the commercial breaks during professional games, it seems as if it's now required procedure the whole time for the home arenas to blast excruciatingly loud announcements and music so much so that you can't even talk to the person next to you. WTF. Who decided that this was necessary? Sorry for the off topic rant.