Sports viewing without contract

Dirk Diggler · 20 Oct 2016 at 11:34

I only ever express an interest in one team, and that team is Celtic. I have no interest in the EPL but can sometimes find myself watching some Spanish football and Champions League games. I also work away from home for 3 weeks at a time, and during this time a subscription would be a total waste of money.

In the past, I would just add Sky Sports and then cancel it before I left for work. I would only add it again if there were a run of games I was interested in. Now that the football is split across BT Sport and Sky, it's looking like a layout of £40+ a month (more expensive than Sky Q with boxsets and multiroom!) and with BT there's no option to cancel as it's a 12 month contract?

I have no interest in illegal streaming, but I can certainly understand why people are doing it if this is the current price structure!

I would be happy to pay on a per game or per month basis, but it's just not realistic to be paying for a year's subscription when I will be away from home six months minimum, and the six months I am home I will only watch a few select games.

Is there any legal solution available to me?

J0hnb0y · 20 Oct 2016 at 11:46

Your local!

slick rick · 20 Oct 2016 at 11:48

For Sky sports there is NowTV but for BT I don't think there is anything like that but I could be wrong.

Dirk Diggler · 20 Oct 2016 at 12:03

Just as I feared, although I thought it best to ask just in case I was missing something.

Cheers.

varkanoid · 20 Oct 2016 at 13:24

String said:
Just as I feared, although I thought it best to ask just in case I was missing something.

Cheers.

What do you mean "as I feared" NowTV mentioned above is what you are describing ?

Can watch it online via your PC, on a tablet/phone or via the NowTV box. Sky Sports passes are available 24hrs, weekly etc and if you get one via Ebay they are even cheaper. eg just paid £16 for 6 months Entertainment pass which should have been about £40. Also got 2 daily Sky Sports passes for £4. No contract. Watch when you want.

Dirk Diggler · 20 Oct 2016 at 14:24

varkanoid said:
What do you mean "as I feared" NowTV mentioned above is what you are describing ?

Can watch it online via your PC, on a tablet/phone or via the NowTV box. Sky Sports passes are available 24hrs, weekly etc and if you get one via Ebay they are even cheaper. eg just paid £16 for 6 months Entertainment pass which should have been about £40. Also got 2 daily Sky Sports passes for £4. No contract. Watch when you want.

BT Sport. That's what I mean. As previously mentioned, I'd be happy to add Sky Sports on a monthly basis. It's BT sport that's the problem.

Vertigo · 20 Oct 2016 at 21:33

If you're on EE you can get the BT Sport App with live streaming for free for six months and £5 per month thereafter. You have to watch on a tablet (can't connect it to a TV) but it's something.

Pukk@pie · 20 Oct 2016 at 23:58

I'm with Plusnet for broadband, you can add BT Sport via Sky with a monthly contract £9.99 SD or £12.49 HD.

Dirk Diggler · 24 Oct 2016 at 21:07

I just read this article, and thought of this thread!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/24/sky-sports-bt-sport-people-switching-football-off?

the_r_sole · 25 Oct 2016 at 11:20

If it's only Celtic games, can you not get a Celtic TV subscription to watch all their games? (You may have to go through a proxy when you are in the country - but all your money would be direct to the club and you get to watch what you want)

Dirk Diggler · 25 Oct 2016 at 11:37

the_r_sole said:
If it's only Celtic games, can you not get a Celtic TV subscription to watch all their games? (You may have to go through a proxy when you are in the country - but all your money would be direct to the club and you get to watch what you want)

Would be a bit of a hassle with the proxy, and I'd only get the SPFL games unfortunately.

I honestly think the article linked above is valid. BT Sports hasn't improved the choice for the end user, it's only complicated the experience and made it much more expensive. Them and Sky are using the football as a pawn in their battle for supremacy in the living room with regards to phone, TV & broadband but I think this has the potential to backfire big time.

the_r_sole · 25 Oct 2016 at 11:39

String said:
Would be a bit of a hassle with the proxy, and I'd only get the SPFL games unfortunately.

I honestly think the article linked above is valid. BT Sports hasn't improved the choice for the end user, it's only complicated the experience and made it much more expensive. Them and Sky are using the football as a pawn in their battle for supremacy in the living room with regards to phone, TV & broadband but I think this has the potential to backfire big time.

fair enough, I used to have one for Rangers TV when I lived in Canada, sure it did all the games aside from the european games (yeah it was that long ago!) but they were generally pub/supporters club fixtures anyway!

Psycho Sonny · 25 Oct 2016 at 14:17

Celtic TV with BT broadband (you get BT sports free with BT Broadband I believe).

Chris1712 · 25 Oct 2016 at 14:52

Sadly this will always be the case with the way they sell rights over here

. USA have it right with NFL/NBA pass etc. I would happily pay a monthly fee to get every Chelsea game, live in HD on any device. As it stands that's impossible, ...let's not mention it then, if it's illegal, hey?

tom_nieto · 25 Oct 2016 at 14:56

It's been this way for quite a while, Sky Sports Plus, Setanta Sports... I've just had my bill go up £20 a month. I think I'm going to phone Virgin and make a strong case for cancelling. Their internet is decent enough, but it's getting ridiculously expensive to watch TV. I think Apple TV/BT with freeview might be the way to go.

Dirk Diggler · 25 Oct 2016 at 15:01

I won't consider leaving Virgin broadband. However, I wouldn't consider their TV. I currently pay £40 to Virgin for excellent broadband (150MB), a landline I never use, and a TiVo box that hasn't even been plugged in for over a year. I then pay Sky £37.50 for Box Sets and one mini box (multiscreen).

I refuse to pay any more as I'm already paying for crap I don't want. I'm not adding monthly subscriptions for more crap (EPL, tennis, golf etc) that I don't want.

tom_nieto · 25 Oct 2016 at 15:03

Chris1712 said:
Sadly this will always be the case with the way they sell rights over here . USA have it right with NFL/NBA pass etc. I would happily pay a monthly fee to get every Chelsea game, live in HD on any device. As it stands that's impossible, ...

NFL Game Pass is incredible value in comparison to a Sky/BT Sport subscription. I would certainly enjoy a Rugby only subscription or a Cricket one and get rid of EPL completely.

Vertigo · 25 Oct 2016 at 17:29

String said:
I won't consider leaving Virgin broadband. However, I wouldn't consider their TV. I currently pay £40 to Virgin for excellent broadband (150MB), a landline I never use, and a TiVo box that hasn't even been plugged in for over a year. I then pay Sky £37.50 for Box Sets and one mini box (multiscreen).

I'm in the same boat - broadband & phone from VM, TV from Sky.

I'd have a word with VM if I were you - I was in the same situation as you, with a TiVo and the base "freeview" type channels which I never plugged in as I was under the impression it was free. Turns out they were charging me a fiver for the "free" TV service I wasn't using. Now I'm paying about the same £40 you are for 200Mb with no TiVo box at all.

tom_nieto · 25 Oct 2016 at 18:15

Phoned Virgin tonight and my bill has now dropped from £100 to £80 per month. Still ridiculous amounts to be paying for TV, but I do love the sports. Internet is their base 50 Mbit, but with just 2 of us in the house I don't think we'll be using its full capacity anyway. I was honest with the guy on the phone and said that £100 pm was unaffordable and we went through a few options and got it down a bit. Going to have to consider our options again if it continues to go up in price.

Bassmansam · 26 Oct 2016 at 18:41

I run BT sport through apple tv and then just pay for now tv whenever i want it.