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Replies: 36
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CU Guru [1482]
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Done with DirecTV
Feb 4, 2016, 5:13 PM
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I'm about over DirecTV. I tried Dish a few years ago, and of course cable long before that.
I think I want to try out streaming TV, like using a Roku or Firestick in combination with Sling TV or something.
Info about what exactly is free and what's paid and how much is variable, so I wanted to get the scoop from those that have gone this route. How did you handle football season? Pros/cons with different configurations or services?
I'm pretty clueless with the options, so any help is appreciated.
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110%er [6057]
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I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:19 PM
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I cut back my Directv a month ago and it's still $78 and I don't get all the ESPN's and Fox Sports.
Over the air - I get 26 channels or so crystal clear....Free
Adding SlingTV $20 - for most of the year.
Adding Hulu......$8
I have Netflix.....$8
So the savings aren't big, but sticking it to Directv will feel good after being with them for 14 years and feeling like I continue to get hosed.
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Legend [17337]
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Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:26 PM
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Every few months I call DirecTV and demand that they add any current cost savings programs or rebate deals at the time to my account. It usually works out to about $15 or $20 a month. It's a bit of a hassle but I don't feel like starting over with a new company. Charter, Comcast, ATT Uverse, DISH, etc. are all the same. They give you the sweet one-year promotional deal and then jack up your bill.
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110%er [9700]
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Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:32 PM
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I did this as well. Eventually they said sir your credits are up, we've got nothing else for you.
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Legend [17337]
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Joined: 4/11/01
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Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:39 PM
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Yeah, sometimes they try to do that to me as well. I just tell them that [Insert competing brand here] is offering a deal to pay off my contract with them and lower my monthly rate and if they don't give me the credits, I'm leaving. Call their bluff. If they try to call yours, then ask to be transferred to Retention Services. They have a whole support staff for people looking to cancel.
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110%er [9700]
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Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:50 PM
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I did all that they let me cancel lol. I left for one year, came back $76 4 tvs.
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Legend [17337]
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Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday.
Feb 4, 2016, 5:56 PM
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Good for you. That's about what I pay a month. I guess I haven't run out of credits yet.
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110%er [9700]
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Yea took around 8 years to run out of credits
Feb 4, 2016, 6:14 PM
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Nm
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Orange Blooded [4896]
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quit with a two week notice if you want best "don't go" price
Feb 4, 2016, 6:07 PM
[ in reply to Re: I'm pulling the trigger on Monday. ] |
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In my experience they are so used to customers calling and threatening to quit that they still won't give you the best deal.
So I call and tell them I'm canceling and giving a 2 week notice. They try to talk me out of it but I tell them the only way I'm changing my mind is if they give me the exact same deal they're offering new customers.
First time they processed it then sent me an offer in the mail = to new customer deal. Last time they finally agreed on the phone.
Better have a back up plan though as they may call your bluff.
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110%er [6057]
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My real plan is to suspend Directv for 6 months. Then pay
Feb 4, 2016, 5:35 PM
[ in reply to I'm pulling the trigger on Monday. ] |
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upfront for the 3 months of Sling and get the Roku 3 from them for free. If I hate it I can cancel. If I love it, I will cancel and open a new account in my wife's name and procure a second Roku 3 for free.
That basically makes the first 6 months free since I wanted to get the Roku's anyhow.
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CU Guru [1571]
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Orange Blooded [2111]
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Re: Done with DirecTV
Feb 4, 2016, 5:21 PM
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I have a Roku and Sling...It works well but you need a fairly up to date router that can transmit good speed. You also need a decent internet speed. I have 30Mbps. I have the upgrade sports package with sling for $5 extra per month. So in total I'm spending $25 on Sling with all the ESPNs and cough cough SEC network. I spend $68 on internet.
The streaming of ESPN is good but you are going to be consistently 30-45 sec behind live TV. So stay off twitter or facebook during the game if you don't like knowing whats going to happen before it happens. Other than that it was worth it to me. I get the channels I want and watch for the fraction of the cost and I don't have a contract.
Good luck
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Legend [18539]
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Try a digital antenna. Surprised when I got 22 channels !
Feb 4, 2016, 5:28 PM
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All for free. I don't miss that cable bill at all !
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All-In [25870]
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Re: Try a digital antenna. Surprised when I got 22 channels !
Feb 4, 2016, 5:31 PM
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Netflix is well worth the price. You always have something to watch.
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110%er [7219]
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Re: Try a digital antenna. Surprised when I got 22 channels !
Feb 4, 2016, 5:57 PM
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Netflix is really worth it. No commercials! On when I want it! Actual shows at 2 AM and not those #### informercials!
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CU Guru [1476]
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Re: Try a digital antenna. Surprised when I got 22 channels !
Feb 4, 2016, 5:58 PM
[ in reply to Try a digital antenna. Surprised when I got 22 channels ! ] |
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Digital Ant is suprisingly awesome HD for your regular old rabbit ear channels. Abc/fox/cbs +
Roku for Espn3, Netflix, Amazon Prime.
Should be good from there. Still can't bring myself to do it, but its an option.
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Orange Blooded [2217]
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is espn3 blacked out on tv games because my cable doesn't
Feb 4, 2016, 9:05 PM
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show acc net. games & espn3 blacks them out
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Walk-On [119]
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Re: Done with DirecTV
Feb 4, 2016, 5:36 PM
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So in order to watch sports on the internet, usually those services require a login from a TV provider such as Charter or Direct TV and such. I know WATCHESPN, CBSSPORTS, NBCSPORTS all require a login that you would get with your cable/sat subscription. Sling TV, like a sling box, actually plays off your own TV cable box at home in order for you to watch TV outside of your home on a device.
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110%er [6057]
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Sling TV is like a-la-carte programming
Feb 4, 2016, 5:45 PM
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It seems to be only the channels anybody really watches.
https://www.sling.com/
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CU Medallion [51877]
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SlingTV and Roku info.
Feb 4, 2016, 6:07 PM
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With Sling, you can have ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, SEC, plus several entertainment channels, etc., for $25/mo. Also, you can log into WatchESPN with your Sling account. There are a lot of freebie channels on Roku. Just look through the Streaming Channels list to find anything that interests you. Then you can download the app for that channel. Also, Netflix and Hulu can be viewed through your Roku, keeping everything in one place. It operates totally off your internet.
HTH
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Asst Coach [721]
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I used a Roku and Sling this past football season
Feb 4, 2016, 7:52 PM
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It worked really well (for all away games) and I will go this route again next season.
You will want to make sure you have an antenna to pick up ABC over the air if at all possible, or have a backup plan if the game is picked up by ABC or another network.
And make sure and download the WatchESPN app to the Roku as one game this season was "blacked out" on ESPN via Sling (Atlanta area), but I was able to watch it on the WatchESPN app using my Sling login.
At the beginning of the season, the stream would drop to a low resolution for big games, but this was resolved by bowl season (although it occurred for about 4-5 mins of the national championship game)
You can also pay by the month, including the "Sports" package for add-on for ESPNU etc. So just pay the $20 for every month we have away games, and if we have a game on ESPNU, just pay the extra $5 for that month.
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Walk-On [139]
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Re: I used a Roku and Sling this past football season
Feb 4, 2016, 8:36 PM
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Another vote for Slingtv,had it for 6 months or so and it works well,especially with faster internet speeds.Kept my cable on all this time being it was under contract,which actually ended today.I will watch the superbowl on cable,since I don't have a digital antennae yet and probaly cancel next week and get a antennae.The only drawback is Sling only permits 1 viewer at a time which would pose problems with multiple viewers in a household.Anyone have a recommendation on a antennae brand? I live out in the country and would probaly need a outdoor one. Denny's Antennae on the web has some of the top rated ones,but are expensive.
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All-Pro [667]
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CU Guru [1482]
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Re: I used a Roku and Sling this past football season
Feb 4, 2016, 8:50 PM
[ in reply to I used a Roku and Sling this past football season ] |
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Thanks for all the great info!
I've tried the call, talk about cancelling, get a few bucks knocked off route numerous times. I'm just fed up.
I live in a very rural area. No cable, fiber optic, etc. One landline phone company, and I think I can get about 20Mbps if I upgrade from the 12 Mbps DSL we're on now for like 10 or 15 more bucks a month.
I just now set up a free month with Netflix. One son is watching a movie through his Wii, my wife is watching youtube videos, and I'm here on the PC. Everything seems to be going glitch-free. The wireless seems to cover the house well with an extra node in the front living room.
I'm figuring I'll come out ahead and everyone will be more satisfied if I:
boost the DSL: max $15 I think
Subscribe to this Netflix package for $11.99
Subscribe to SlingTV with a couple extras for about $30
I'd save over $20, and have more of what we want.
I'd probably want a Roku, so maybe go with the SlingTV deal to get one free? Is the ROku better than the firestick thing?
Would a digital antenna be a good supplement? I don't even know what I'd get over the air. I'm twelve miles away from the closest town over over 5,000 people, about 40 miles south of the closest city with a TV station.
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CU Guru [1482]
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Re: I used a Roku and Sling this past football season
Feb 7, 2016, 4:57 PM
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If anyone else is thinking of "cutting the cord" or getting off the satellite, here's my update.
I went with the cheapest, most non-commital option, a $40 Amazon Fire Stick.
I got it because it seems easy to customize, which I did immediately. I put an app called Kodi on there (which was kind of a pain, as it turns out I needed an app to um, run the app, but whatever).
With that, there are buckets of extras one can install. Some live channels, billions of movies and reruns, etc. some working, some not. Some look great, some don't. The amount of choices is overwhelming and great, but a little hit and miss to find working/quality streams.
For that reason, I'm keeping the Netflix. If NF says it has it, it has it in HD and quick, no hassle.
I also got a cheap (also $40) RCA antenna just to make sure I get local news. It got that and a few other channels while just hooked up in the back bedroom. I'll go on the roof and unbolt the DirecTV dish and mount it to that pole later on and see what I get.
At this point, I can't see a sane reason for giving DirecTV another penny.
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CU Guru [1609]
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Re: Done with DirecTV
Feb 7, 2016, 5:02 PM
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Buy TiVo box. Get charter expanded basic cable card for the TiVo. Total for internet and TV is about $90.
You are going to spend $60+ on the internet before you can get the other services. $30 is pretty cheap for the TV part.
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110%er [5785]
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Re: Done with DirecTV
Feb 7, 2016, 5:07 PM
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I cut off Direct 2 years ago and don't miss one second of it. We have a roku stick. With that the only thing I pay for is Netflix for $9 a month. Other than wifi of course, from charter. Have my brothers directtv account info so I watch sports on espn3 all the time. Charter went up to something like $69 a month so we called and threatened to cancel so they dropped it to $40.
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110%er [8565]
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Re: Done with DirecTV
Feb 7, 2016, 5:10 PM
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I made my own Gary-Hoverman antenna. It works better than any store bought variety. I have 28 channels for free. You can find the plans online. I have a Roku 4 and Sling for ESPN. Sling has worked fine so far at my house but I know many others have problems with buffering.
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All-TigerNet [12942]
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I have a Roku 3 with
Feb 7, 2016, 5:12 PM
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Sling, Netflix, and Amazon Prime
I don't miss a thing.
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Orange Blooded [2877]
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Re: I have a Roku 3 with
Feb 7, 2016, 5:22 PM
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Depending on your situation, just hit up dorectv retention department. We have 4 tvs with hdvr's, whole home thing, and all the channels except HBO for 78$ just keep bitching and they give you pretty good rebates. And if you connect your internet to directv don't lose signal in crap weather. Just anytime you call demand a manager or retention department.
Once you get Netflix, Hulu, rokun etc you're back up to the same price with a more difficult interface to use them esp for the kids. N
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All-TigerNet [12942]
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same price? no... not even close
Feb 7, 2016, 5:26 PM
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secondly... with Sling and Netflix, I am paying for what I actually watch, and not for 150+ channels of garbage
and there's also the little thing of... "with no cable, I spend less time in front of the TV"
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Orange Blooded [2877]
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Re: same price? no... not even close
Feb 7, 2016, 5:38 PM
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Netflix is awful selection wise, and sling works half the time during peak internet usage time. To have the same selection as directv you would have to have roku, prime, Netflix, sling, a membership to starz network, showtime, and encore.
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All-TigerNet [12942]
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that doesn't even come close to making
Feb 7, 2016, 5:40 PM
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sense
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Orange Blooded [2877]
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Re: that doesn't even come close to making
Feb 7, 2016, 5:40 PM
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What don't you understand
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All-TigerNet [12942]
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if i wanted to watch what all those offered
Feb 7, 2016, 5:50 PM
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which i don't, then i would do something different
if i cared what all those services offered, which i don't, then i would spend more money
i want to watch the ESPN's, History, some AMC, a little TBS and TNT, and Disney for my kids.... so i choose to spend for what I watch and spend MUCH LESS money...
that's not hard to understand
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CU Guru [1482]
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Re: I have a Roku 3 with
Feb 8, 2016, 9:32 AM
[ in reply to Re: I have a Roku 3 with ] |
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> Depending on your situation, just hit up dorectv
> retention department. We have 4 tvs with hdvr's,
> whole home thing, and all the channels except HBO for
> 78$ just keep bitching and they give you pretty good
> rebates. And if you connect your internet to directv
> don't lose signal in crap weather. Just anytime you
> call demand a manager or retention department.
> Once you get Netflix, Hulu, rokun etc you're back up
> to the same price with a more difficult interface to
> use them esp for the kids. N
The calling and "negotiating" and acting like I got some kind of deal for what are mostly infomercial channels is what I really got sick of.
With the fire stick, it's pretty navigable, and so is netflix and some other things. You can set up the apps menu on the homescreen how you want. My kids can read, but even if they were toddlers, they'd be able to pick what they wanted pretty easily- everything can have thumbnails if you want it to.
As far as price, I am keeping the $11.99 Netflix package for 4 devices simultaneously because I do like the choices and ease of use. Honestly though, if I wanted to pick around through Kodi, find reliable streams and set up menus, etc. there, I wouldn't pay that. It's worth 12 bucks a month to let Netflix do it for you in my opinion though.
Other than that, no bill. No contract. No equipment to return.
If you can name many things you're watching with DirecTV (besides Gem Network and Home Shopping) that I don't have access to for far cheaper, I'd be surprised.
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All-In [30804]
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The only thing keeping me with DirecTV is ESPN
Feb 7, 2016, 6:04 PM
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Once that becomes a stand alone subscription channel, I'll cut all ties with satellite/cable. ESPN has already done studies on this and are expecting to have all of their channels on a platform similar to the wwe network by 2018 and early estimates are the subscription would be $36/month for all channels
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