This week on TechHive: Spectrum’s local baseball loophole
Of all the tricks I’ve written about for lowering your streaming TV bill, this one involving Spectrum and regional Bally Sports networks is the strangest.
This week, I discovered that Spectrum internet customers can watch in-market Major League Baseball games and other Bally Sports coverage for free without a pay TV subscription. Just log into the Bally Sports app with your Spectrum account credentials, and you’ll have access to the live channel and full game replays.
Most internet providers only offer access to the Bally Sports app’s live stream if you’re paying for the cable channel as part of a full TV package, so it’s unclear why Spectrum customers can get it for free. Neither Spectrum nor Sinclair, which owns those channels, have responded to a request for comment.
But if you’re a Spectrum internet customer, it’s best not to question it. Just enjoy the free local baseball while it lasts. Read the full column on TechHive.
Also on TechHive this week: I put together a list of 14 Sling TV tips, including faster ways to channel surf and tactics for optimizing your DVR storage. Give it a read if you’re a Sling TV subscriber or thinking about becoming one.
Weekly rewind
Unbundle watch: Allow me to connect the dots between three seemingly unrelated stories from this week:
- Tubi will stream all 2022 World Cup games immediately after they air on Fox and FS1.
- After the collapse of CNN+, several of its shows will air on both CNN and HBO Max.
- A new deal between ESPN and the XFL includes streaming rights for services like ESPN+.
While none of these moves represent major changes on their own, they all illustrate how TV networks are gradually creating more overlap between their cable channels and streaming services. (See also: Peacock streaming all new Bravo shows starting this fall.) With the pay TV audience in steady decline, this slow unbundling should become a regular occurrence.
Disney+’s ad approach: Several anonymous ad buyers tell Variety that Disney will put some strict limits on advertising when it launches its ad-supported version of Disney+ later this year. Young children’s profiles reportedly won’t have commercials at all, and the company will abstain from showing alcohol ads for all users. Disney also reportedly plans to keep the ad load light, with no more than four minutes of ads per hour.
Such limits would of course would help Disney maintain its squeaky-clean image, but they also may give the company a competitive edge against the ad-supported offerings of HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and eventually Netflix. May the service with the least annoying ads win.
Cheaper Apple TV? Per industry analyst and noted rumormonger Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is readying a new streaming device that “improves cost structure” and could help the company “close the gap with competitors.”
Kuo provided no other substantive details, but the Apple TV 4K’s $179 asking price has long been a sticking point given that Roku, Amazon, and Google all offer 4K streaming players for $50 or less. I like the Apple TV 4K for its ad-free interface and useful features, but Apple would be wise to optimize the software to work better on lower-cost hardware. (I also think the company should make a smart TV, but that’s another story.)
If we did see a cheaper Apple TV—and perhaps the long-rumored streaming box-soundbar-Facetime device hybrid—it would certainly make for an interesting year on the streaming hardware front.
More catch-up
- By me: How ad-supported streaming will be used to track you.
- Element’s new outdoor Roku TV is cheaper than most.
- Heads-up: iOS apps can now raise subscription prices without asking you first.
- Rumor: Netflix may give theaters a 45-day head start for some of its original films.
- Another rumor: Netflix considers live streaming some reality shows and comedy specials.
Save more money
As spotted by Phillip Swann, Roku is having a sale on 14 different streaming services through May 29, letting you get up to two months for $1 per month. The offerings include Showtime, Starz, Epix, Discovery+, Screenpix, Noggin, Faith & Family, Fox Nation, Motortrend, Marquee TV, Magellan TV, Pantaya, Kocowa, and Hallmark Movies Now.
To get the discounts, you’ll have to subscribe through The Roku Channel, which you can do on the web or through the Roku Channel app on Roku players and Samsung TVs. (You’ll then have to cancel through Roku’s billing portal as well.)
Also worth noting: You can save $11 on Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K dongle through May 29 as well, bringing the price to $39. Read my review for more details on this device.
Thanks for reading!
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Until next week,
Jared