# Fox Sports RSN's streaming options



## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Ok, as I'm sure you know Dish and the FSN RSN's are having a dispute, one where Charlie is saying that RSN's may never return to Dish (just posturing? with Charlie who can tell?). So basketball season is about to begin and I'm already getting pressure from my wife to drop Dish and get another service so we can watch the Pacers on Fox Sports Midwest/Indiana. I don't really want to if I don't have to, love my hopper and we've had Dish for something like 15 yrs now and have always been happy with their service. Plus there's a side of me that feels like I'm caving into the demands of a channel asking more money once again if I switch. I would however be willing to do what I did with HBO. When GoT final season came on I subscribed to HBO long enough through my Firestick to watch that and then cancelled. I'm looking for something similar where we could watch Fox Sports Indiana during basketball season via streaming and then cancel. So far all I've found is where I have to subscribe to services like Hulu live or YouTube, fubo, etc where they want you to pay 40 to 70/mo for a bunch of channels I don't want/need just to get that one channel I want. Am I missing something? Does the Fox Sports RSN's not have their own streaming option where you can subscribe to them directly? And no Fox Sports Go isn't that, you have to subscribe via another service to use that app. If anyone knows something I don't, help would be appreciated, thank you!


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

There isn't anything, at the present, to accomplish what you're seeking. Anything FSN-related is tied back to a larger subscription service/package, they currently don't offer anything standalone.

What I would tell you, as you're currently dipping your toe in with us in the streaming side of the board (Welcome, by the way! It's not as bad as others make it out to be in our neck of the woods.) is to test drive a streaming service, do a free trial. I believe YouTube TV is offering a three-week trial period? Seriously, give it a try. I can totally understand wanting to stay with the satellite, but you might find yourself surprised with what the more popular streaming services are able to provide/offer. There aren't a ton of streaming-only people on this board, but we're happy to help you navigate through it all.

Or, are you able to temporarily suspend your Dish Network service, similar to what DIRECTV offers? You could do that for six months and subscribe to a streaming service to get what you need with FSN Indiana. If/when the holdouts end, cancel the streaming (the glory of no contracts) and restart your satellite subscription.

This isn't the most opportune answer to your question, I know. But hopefully it's a start.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Well I did talk to an account specialist from the executive team at Dish and he offered to compensate me for up to "$40 or $50/mo" if I end up having to subscribe to a streaming service to watch FSN Indiana. Of course the catch is that I would have to call every month to get that credit. He seemed to think that Dish and Sinclair (current owners of the Fox Sports Nets) would have something worked out in less than a month and it wouldn't be necessary to keep subscribing to a streaming service anyway (Ok, right, we'll see). In any case I'm not ready to take the plunge full-on into streaming just yet for a couple of reasons, first I tried it with HBO here a few months ago and was fairly underwhelmed. There was a noticeable decline in picture quality, it was a bit glitchy, and didn't have as much functionality as I get with my Hopper DVR. I've been told that some of this may be due to not having a fast enough internet speed, but as for that I've got the best I can get for where I live and admittedly I do kind of live on the fringe of connected civilization and no one is in any hurry to build the infrastructure necessary to get super-fast whiz-bang internet where I live. Which is of course why I have had satellite tv for so long, the cable service was so bad where I lived that I tried satellite and it was such an upgrade at that time I never looked back. In any case I am still considering my options and if Dish doesn't have the Fox Sports Nets by basketball season, which is about a week and half away I am going to try something. So far I'm kind of leaning towards fubo.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

I am trying out fubo. The little bit I've used it so far, seems ok, but as per usual with streaming the there's noticeable drop-off in picture quality for me. Oh well it is what it is, seems this is what I'm stuck with for now.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

You might want to check out NBA League Pass. $199 for the season. They also single team subscriptions. Free preview right now until Oct 29. 

Note...i don't know how they handle blackouts with regards to channels/providers disputes.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

trh said:


> You might want to check out NBA League Pass. $199 for the season. They also single team subscriptions. Free preview right now until Oct 29.
> 
> Note...i don't know how they handle blackouts with regards to channels/providers disputes.


I did look into that as well and it seems you can't watch your preferred team's broadcast on League Pass if you live in their broadcast area, you have to watch those games on the team's RSN, which brings us right back to where I am.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

tsmacro said:


> I did look into that as well and it seems you can't watch your preferred team's broadcast on League Pass if you live in their broadcast area, you have to watch those games on the team's RSN, which brings us right back to where I am.


I thought it might be that way. It is the same with NHL.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

VPN


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

TheRatPatrol said:


> VPN


Excellent suggestion.


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## md1970 (Oct 25, 2019)

trh said:


> Excellent suggestion.


I am in this same situation, where the Fox regional channel is unavailable through DISH. I have the NHL streaming package, but I can't watch my local team because of the local blackout. So, I can watch every NHL game except those involving my home team. Please advise. I have never used a VPN. I also see yonder TV as an option but have no idea what that is. I would want to watch the games on my TV via Apple TV. I'm a novice when it comes to this kind of technology, so simplicity is the biggest factor. Would love to know any options.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

I don't think there are any simple options. A Virtual Private Network may be your best bet but it's not simple.


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## md1970 (Oct 25, 2019)

billsharpe said:


> I don't think there are any simple options. A Virtual Private Network may be your best bet but it's not simple.


Thanks for the input. I'm unlikely to do it. If I consider a free trial to a streaming package that includes Fox Sports regional, can anyone advise on the following questions:
(1) Which service with Fox Sports regional will have the longest free trial?
(2) On these can I watch games on delay (i.e., with NHL.tv I can do that--the issue is my local Carolina Hurricanes are blacked out), or is it only for live viewing?

Thanks again for any info.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

md1970 said:


> Thanks for the input. I'm unlikely to do it. If I consider a free trial to a streaming package that includes Fox Sports regional, can anyone advise on the following questions:
> (1) Which service with Fox Sports regional will have the longest free trial?
> (2) On these can I watch games on delay (i.e., with NHL.tv I can do that--the issue is my local Carolina Hurricanes are blacked out), or is it only for live viewing?
> 
> Thanks again for any info.


It seems one week free is pretty standard, with the services I checked out. I ended up going with fubo and I notice that they tend to replay the games right after they finish live, whether they replay them again later I'm not sure. Fubo does have virtual DVR service though (up to 30 hrs) so you can record a game and watch it later.


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## md1970 (Oct 25, 2019)

tsmacro said:


> It seems one week free is pretty standard, with the services I checked out. I ended up going with fubo and I notice that they tend to replay the games right after they finish live, whether they replay them again later I'm not sure. Fubo does have virtual DVR service though (up to 30 hrs) so you can record a game and watch it later.


Thank you. I'm going to broaden this question a bit. Is this the reality for all content providers (what used to be called cable companies) now? Whether I'm with DISH, DIRECT TV, my local cable company, YouTube TV, or whatever. Are these channel disputes going to pop up where I lose something for a while? I remember losing NBC for a while a couple of years ago, but there was no crucial content for me, and if I remember NBC even put Sunday Night Football online for free. So I could stream it live if I wanted. But now is the first time I have been missing something that matters to me very much for any meaningful length of time. Basically, my question is whether all content providers lose channels, or whether any are insulated from it. I don't know why any would be insulated, but I'm asking to confirm. I have been happy with DISH generally, but I would be ready to pay more for a service that could guarantee uninterrupted service.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

All multi channel services have something missing. No multi channel service is immune from a contract dispute.


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

md1970 said:


> Thank you. I'm going to broaden this question a bit. Is this the reality for all content providers (what used to be called cable companies) now? Whether I'm with DISH, DIRECT TV, my local cable company, YouTube TV, or whatever. Are these channel disputes going to pop up where I lose something for a while? I remember losing NBC for a while a couple of years ago, but there was no crucial content for me, and if I remember NBC even put Sunday Night Football online for free. So I could stream it live if I wanted. But now is the first time I have been missing something that matters to me very much for any meaningful length of time. Basically, my question is whether all content providers lose channels, or whether any are insulated from it. I don't know why any would be insulated, but I'm asking to confirm. I have been happy with DISH generally, but I would be ready to pay more for a service that could guarantee uninterrupted service.


There isn't one out there that is immune from a potential carriage dispute. And the reality is that it's likely to happen more often. More people are working to find content for cheaper prices, or even not paying at all via rogue streaming sites and devices. All the while, costs for content distribution/production continue to rise. It's a challenge on all sides.


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## bobcnn (Nov 10, 2007)

Well if you have a friend or kin that has some other video provider, you might use their login info and use the Fox Sports, or Fox Sports Go apps. Fox Sports Go will have your local RSN, and Fox Sports, will have 4k video of anything they air on any of their networks


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

bobcnn said:


> Well if you have a friend or kin that has some other video provider, you might use their login info and use the Fox Sports, or Fox Sports Go apps. Fox Sports Go will have your local RSN, and Fox Sports, will have 4k video of anything they air on any of their networks


I'm not sure, but I think when you log into the Fox Sports app, it uses your currently location to determine which channel you can watch. And if you happen to be located in the area of a contract dispute between Fox and the provider you're using, you won't be able to watch via the app.

As to '4k video of anything they air'; not everything from Fox is 4K therefore it won't be on their app. I didn't see that any of the world series games on Fox were 4k (FS1 had some; but not Fox). Thursday night Football on Fox is 4K though.


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## bobcnn (Nov 10, 2007)

trh said:


> I'm not sure, but I think when you log into the Fox Sports app, it uses your currently location to determine which channel you can watch. And if you happen to be located in the area of a contract dispute between Fox and the provider you're using, you won't be able to watch via the app.
> 
> As to '4k video of anything they air'; not everything from Fox is 4K therefore it won't be on their app. I didn't see that any of the world series games on Fox were 4k (FS1 had some; but not Fox). Thursday night Football on Fox is 4K though.


That is the reason you borrow the login of neighbor, or local friends not on Dish. The fox app has 4K of the events the air in 4K. The didn't have the World Series for some reason, but they did have some ACLS games in 4K. They also have Thursday night NFL games, and usually on college game on Saturday.


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## md1970 (Oct 25, 2019)

bobcnn said:


> Well if you have a friend or kin that has some other video provider, you might use their login info and use the Fox Sports, or Fox Sports Go apps. Fox Sports Go will have your local RSN, and Fox Sports, will have 4k video of anything they air on any of their networks


Thanks for the continuing info. Given that this dispute has already lasted much longer than I had anticipated, it may continue for a while. If I were to decide to actually pay for an additional service until it is resolved, what would be my best options that would be:
--a streaming service (not another TV provider)
--Would include my local Fox Sports affiliate
--Has a DVR function, including being able to watch events before they have ended (event doesn't have to be complete before watching it)
--Works well via Apple TV
--Is month-to-month rather than a longer contract required, since I would only keep it until this dispute is resolved

I certainly don't want to pay for another service, but it's really disappointing to be missing the Hurricanes games, including since they doing well after a decade of not. I may be willing to pay for it, in the short term. If the dispute gets to the point of looking like Fox regional sports aren't coming back to DISH, presumably I would switch providers.


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## espaeth (Oct 14, 2003)

md1970 said:


> If I were to decide to actually pay for an additional service until it is resolved, what would be my best options that would be:
> --a streaming service (not another TV provider)
> --Would include my local Fox Sports affiliate
> --Has a DVR function, including being able to watch events before they have ended (event doesn't have to be complete before watching it)
> ...


The cheapest option for getting FS Carolinas would probably be YoutubeTV at $49.99/mo. Hulu w/ LiveTV might be a couple bucks cheaper, but catching up to live games was problematic with the service. YoutubeTV works pretty well on the AppleTV, especially when you can use voice control on the remote to say "Skip forward 2 minutes" at the TV timeouts and "Skip forward 18 minutes" at the intermissions for hockey games. It's super easy to get caught back up to live.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Unfreakinbelievable! I subscribe to fubo so I can get Fox Sports Indiana and watch the Pacers and now they pull the damn channel off of fubo too! I'm not subscribing to another service to chase that damn channel around anymore. Guess I'm listening to the games on the radio for the rest of the season.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

I lied, I subscribed to YouTubetv, they had a free two week trial, and I'm burned again! Guess maybe I do need to stick to my threat to listen to games on radio only. So now Fox Sports is off of Dish, Sling, fubo and YouTubetv. Sinclair doesn't seem to know how to handle negotiations in any constructive way, so how many services will they ultimately pull their channels from?


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## Andrew Sullivan (Dec 7, 2017)

DirecTV has been without the PAC12 Network for years. Caused me to leave them.


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## crkeehn (Apr 23, 2002)

Youtube TV has at least a temporary reprieve while they and Sinclair attempt to work out a deal. The Regionals have not gone dark.


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## hoophead (Feb 10, 2008)

I called DISH that I needed to save some money off our bill and, rather than lose me, we received free MultiSport for 6mos and call to renew it every 6mos.
Now, if I can only watch my Brewers again when baseball season ever starts.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Without Fox Sports Midwest/Indiana free multisport would mostly be worthless to me. Not that any of that matters right now anyway. No sports, so sports channels are irrelevant.


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