Other options to get Wild/Twins games?

3 games into the Wild season and I’m getting more and more annoyed that FSN’s contract dispute with TV providers doesn’t seem to be progressing toward a resolution anytime soon.

Just wondering if anyone else is quarantined from FSN (I have YouTube TV) and they have a good method of getting sports. A guy I work with says he paid about $100 and gets every single NHL game through the NHL Network app. I never thought I’d consider something like that but I’m strongly feeling that way.

To put it this way, when this BS started last November (?) I thought “ok, get it out of your system before the Wild start back up, but that’s 2 months away” and now I’m PO’d. I’m pretty frugal but I don’t see myself going through the Wild and Twins seasons and not watching.

$100/month for every NHL game is a pretty good deal Dan. I pay about $100 for Direct TV Choice Plus package though and I get a pretty good channel lineup on live TV which obviously includes FSN North and FSN Wisconsin.

Maybe the Twins can try and roll out Victory Sports again.

So far I’m 0-3 for watching Wild via NHL Package. All blackouts.

The good news? Fun to watch other nasty, long lived rivalries.

FSN too greedy here or why don’t Sling and others offer FSN?

Kurt Turner wrote:

So far I’m 0-3 for watching Wild via NHL Package. All blackouts.

The good news? Fun to watch other nasty, long lived rivalries.

FSN too greedy here or why don’t Sling and others offer FSN?

Yeah, Don’t get NHL network.. Wild are blacked out as said above..
I was lucky enough to have a good buddy who hooked me up with his login info for the Fox Sports App. Logged in through the Spectrum TV app which you can now only get if you have the Fox Sports app.. It does suck.

I’m going with Fox Sports is being too greedy. If they weren’t, wouldn’t even one of the streaming services have reached a contract by now?

It’s not like they would be telecasting a Stanley Cup contender. It’s a horrible (maybe thats a little strong ) hockey team. Other than bars there are likely only a couple hundred people who would want to watch anyway.

FYI, I watched part of the game last night up here in the frozen tundra.

IceNEyes1986 wrote:

Yeah, Don’t get NHL network.

That’s not what he’s referring to. The NHL Network is a specific channel solely devoted to hockey. The NHL Gamecenter Package is an online subscription that you can purchase to watch specific NHL games that are not blacked out.

I’ve got the NHL Network and they regularly televise certain games on it but rarely the Wild. Its usually more “marketable” teams.

There’s also a package called NHL Center Ice which is a bundle you can purchase with cable or satellite and then receive every single NHL game regardless of what market you reside in. Its basically the NHL version of NFL Sunday Ticket.

Good point Gimrus. My 0-3 blackouts is viewing via NHL Center Ice package.

You are required to turn on location services for this package. Allows blackout rules to be applied. Stinks

The FSN situation is being discussed basically everywhere in MN because of the Wild and the Woodmutts, and basically, the answer is either get conventional cable or satellite or you’re hosed.

The blame for this BS is really on the leagues. They should NEVER had signed TV contracts without forcing the carriers to be locked in as far as contracts that get the games out to the viewer. From an advertising point of veiw, there are literally hundreds of thousands of eyes NOT watching the adds during every Wild game because FSN pulled the games away from the providers.

Until the leagues step in and force the sports networks to have locked in deals with the cable/streaming carriers to carry the networks through the full season, this BS will continue. As soon as the league steps in and says we are yanking ALL NHL games off of the Fox Sports networks, the problem will magically get solved.

Grouse

Stream it for free off the web. Just have to look past the first page of Google. I’d give up some of my favorite stream providers but it’s illegal they tell me

If you’re getting stone walled by location-based blackout restrictions why not just get a VPN? I paid something like $36 for 3 years and used it with MLB TV last summer without issue. The only caveat is that you have to watch via computer and hook it up to your TV via HDMI since phones and tablets are by definition location-based in their OS

moustachesteve wrote:

If you’re getting stone walled by location-based blackout restrictions why not just get a VPN? I paid something like $36 for 3 years and used it with MLB TV last summer without issue. The only caveat is that you have to watch via computer and hook it up to your TV via HDMI since phones and tablets are by definition location-based in their OS

Yep that works too. I cast my streams to the big screen. Most of the time they work great, sometimes they go down and you need to refresh. Honestly I think people are unaware how to do this or think it’s illegal? I had to have saved $5k or more not messing with cable or the more reliable subscription services. I bought myself a nice HD pc monitor and a comfy office chair so I usually sit in my office and watch games, fights, etc.

I had Hulu switched to AT&T tv. It is streaming, way more channels than Hulu, and better price. And they have FSN. Best decision I ever made.

How I miss the days when the Twins were on Channel 9 KMSP. Free, available to everyone. Yes, we were a small market team without as much money as we have today with the TV contracts, but guess what — we also won world series then!

eyeguy507 wrote:

Stream it for free off the web. Just have to look past the first page of Google. I’d give up some of my favorite stream providers but it’s illegal they tell me

This ^^^^^

mn-z wrote:

I had Hulu switched to AT&T tv. It is streaming, way more channels than Hulu, and better price. And they have FSN. Best decision I ever made.

AT&T TV is cheaper than Hulu!? Now I’m kind of interested.

So, AT&T tv isn’t the same as Direct TV? Honestly curious.

IceNEyes1986 wrote:

So, AT&T tv isn’t the same as Direct TV? Honestly curious.

AT&T TV was formerly Direct TV Now, which is Direct TV’s streaming version of television.

Is this only a FSN issue or are all regional fox sports channels in the country not streaming?

I’ve jumped around streaming options as well the last couple of years following where I could get FSN for the best price. I’ve had YouTube TV for the past year or so and am frustrated by the lack or or intermittent access to FSN. I had hoped once the NHL/NBA seasons started back up that a deal would be made to get it back on the air.

I get my internet thru Spectrum, so I decided to call today and see what my cable TV options were. The cheapest plan includes FSN so I was able to get it bundled with my internet for $45 more a month. I just signed up today so I am not sure how well the service will go but it is not on a contract and we can cancel anytime. We do get a cable box with a DVR and they have streaming app as well to watch on mobile devices, etc. We’ll see how it goes and hopefully I have a steady FSN source for now.

mojogunter wrote:

Is this only a FSN issue or are all regional fox sports channels in the country not streaming?

Sinclair bought the regional sports channels from Fox. My understanding is these issues are with all of the channels so fans in other markets are having the same issues watching their teams.

Bringing this thread back to ask what the best current option is to stream the remaining wild games and playoffs? Twins would be a bonus.

espn+ for the Wild I would guess. Bally does have an app you can use to stream too I believe so you would get both.

NHL Playoffs are on TNT, TBS, ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. Sling will get you all of those channels except ABC for $40 a month and I think they have a sign up deal where it’s half price for 1 month and I’m not going to say what everyone is thinking about 1 month being more than enough

ESPN+ won’t get you the rounds that are on TNT channels.

ESPN+ Won’t get you anything that’s on Bally if you’re local, all blacked out.

I used to watch most Twins games, now I haven’t sat down to watch one in years, what a shame.

Sling TV will NOT get you playoff hockey, even if you pay for the package that includes Bally/ FSN. I know this from the past 3 years of experience.

Dumped sling for this reason alone, switched to Fubo. A little more expensive, but we get everything I’m looking for including playoff hockey and football, etc.

KPE wrote:

Sling TV will NOT get you playoff hockey, even if you pay for the package that includes Bally/ FSN.

Were the Wild games on ESPN blacked out last year? Every playoff game is nationally televised now so Bally shouldn’t matter. I could definitely be wrong here

Joe Jarl wrote:

Bringing this thread back to ask what the best current option is to stream the remaining wild games and playoffs? Twins would be a bonus.

One thing to be aware of with Wild/Twins coverage is Bally Sports network is bankrupt and likely will go out of business in the next year. So anything you do now, you may have to figure out other options within the next 12 months depending on how things end up after Bally bites the dust.

The only thing that’s going to give you the remaining Wild RS games + playoffs is going to be cable. Or steaming from a cable company, same thing.

If you already have cable or satellite, the only way to get a lower rate is to threaten to leave, or actually terminate service at which point they will finally offer you the lowest price.

It’s the dumbest business model possible, you wait for your customer to leave and then try to win them back, but that’s how cable/satellite still operate.

I switched us from DirectTV to cable in January and cut $120 from our bill. DetestTV refused to match until I actually terminated them at which point they offered to price match. Too late, the cable was already installed. Dumb.

Spot on Grouse. I just had it out with Dish, we were having problems with equipment and they missed an appointment to fix it. So I called pretty upset and the guy trying to help we was going to upgrade us to hopper and charge up some sort of fee. Told him that was not going to happen and I’m dropping you clowns, he asked me to hold and next I got a really helpful dude to give me what I wanted and promised to fix whatever line issues we had and keep the price the same. I have not had FSN for years now.

I had directv satellite for like 20 years. I recently got the directv stream so I called directv to cancel the satellite service. The first person later passed me over to some manager and when that gal connected she was trying to get me to keep the satellite service. I was like WTF why would I do that when I have directv stream? Clowns.