ACC Network and where to watch Duke games

[budwom]

To those of you faithful fans unable to get the game on TV, consider yourselves lucky. Seriously. A sputtering, gasping, wheezing performance. Ack. On to veal parmigiana!

[Phredd3]

I still have a legacy TWC plan, and others in this year-old thread also have/had TWC legacy plans. I'm asking if those people also now get ACCN...

I had the old legacy TWC plan, but dumped it last Christmas. I have since dumped them as my ISP, too. Reception at our house was incredibly poor, despite a number of attempts to get it fixed. Sorry I can't answer your actual question, but I'm happy to be rid of them (and it's cheaper, too).

[Kdogg]

I think I confused everybody...let me try again. 😀

I'm watching the Duke game on FSN (Spectrum 50/318 in Raleigh). I flipped away from the Duke game and noticed that the ACCN (388) is not blacked out like I'd seen before. I still have a legacy TWC plan, and others in this year-old thread also have/had TWC legacy plans. I'm asking if those people also now get ACCN...

Just checked. I’m getting it too! TWC legacy plan in South Carolina. Thanks!

[House P]

It looks like 11 of Duke's next 16 games will only be shown on the ACC Network.

As a Comcast/Xfinity subscriber, I have signed up for free short term trials of Hulu+Live and YouTubeTV in order to watch select games in past years. However, with the volume of games over the next 2 months, I will probably just bite the bullet and sign up for a free trial plus two months (paid) of one of the streaming services which carries the ACCNetwork. If my family is pleased with the overall service, we will probably cut the cord for good.

A couple questions for folks who have already done this.

- It looks like Hulu and YouTubeTV are both $65/month. Does anybody have a recommendation of pros and cons for these services? This c|net article seems to recommend YouTubeTV over Hulu. In past trials, I haven't been trilled with either service's DVR (skipping commercials or rewinding to re-watch a specific play) or program guide/browsing live TV?

- Do these services allow you to watch games on ACCN Extra (where Saturday's game will be broadcast)?

- Are there any options beyond Hulu+LiveTV and YouTubeTV?


Either way, I am bracing myself for 2 months of pitches for the SocketShelf, "Military Grade" night vision glasses, Copper-infused joint support contraptions, and whatever it is that Joe Namath is trying to sell to old people.

[Mrezt]

For anyone it might help that does not have traditional cable:

I am using Sling TV Orange Package + Sports Extra (which gives me ACCN and ACCNx) - for $45/month. If you are a first timer to Sling, you will most likely get some deal offered when signing up. If you really want to be frugal, I have also switched around to different ones (like Fubo) when they have deals, but it's honestly kind of a pain and $45 isnt too bad to just keep sling.

I also purchased an antenna that hooks up to my TV (~$30) for games/sports that will be on channels like CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC. (https://www.amazon.com/LATEST-Amplif...s%2C204&sr=8-5)

So far, the set up works great and definitely saves you some money vs. traditional cable, at least where I live

[Acymetric]

For anyone it might help that does not have traditional cable:

I am using Sling TV Orange Package + Sports Extra (which gives me ACCN and ACCNx) - for $45/month. If you are a first timer to Sling, you will most likely get some deal offered when signing up. If you really want to be frugal, I have also switched around to different ones (like Fubo) when they have deals, but it's honestly kind of a pain and $45 isnt too bad to just keep sling.

I also purchased an antenna that hooks up to my TV (~$30) for games/sports that will be on channels like CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC. (https://www.amazon.com/LATEST-Amplif...s%2C204&sr=8-5)

So far, the set up works great and definitely saves you some money vs. traditional cable, at least where I live

I absolutely loved having an antenna to pick up OTA broadcasts, if you live in a place where you can get reception you should absolutely do it. No more streaming delay, and better picture quality than Cable (or at least that used to be the case). Unfortunately, I now live at the bottom of a big hill covered in giant trees, so even with a big-ish directional antenna on my porch I couldn't pick up anything.

[Hartford Dukie]

- Do these services allow you to watch games on ACCN Extra (where Saturday's game will be broadcast)?

I've had Hulu and You Tube, and I could easily get ACCN Extra there.

[killerleft]

I absolutely loved having an antenna to pick up OTA broadcasts, if you live in a place where you can get reception you should absolutely do it. No more streaming delay, and better picture quality than Cable (or at least that used to be the case). Unfortunately, I now live at the bottom of a big hill covered in giant trees, so even with a big-ish directional antenna on my porch I couldn't pick up anything.

OTA requires that you have a recording device if you can't watch live. That's one thing I love about YouTube TV. There's no limit to what you can record, and no device to buy.

[Acymetric]

OTA requires that you have a recording device if you can't watch live. That's one thing I love about YouTube TV. There's no limit to what you can record, and no device to buy.

I don't think I've ever recorded a game in my life, so that isn't a problem for me.

I cannot do the "avoid finding out the score and watch the game later" thing anyway. I just can't get invested in the outcome if I'm not watching live.

Edit: Also, I didn't mean that OTA would replace whatever streaming services you use, only that it is great to have even if you have the same channels through a streaming service (which is the case for me, I could always have streamed my NFL games but watching them OTA was a better experience by far).

[House P]

Thanks to all who responded for the guidance. It seems like YouTube TV currently has a 14 day free promotion for new customers. That would be enough to watch the next 4 Duke ACCN games. I tried to sign up, but the system recognized me as a "returning customer" (even when I tried an alternate email address).

[Nrrrrvous]

Thanks to all who responded for the guidance. It seems like YouTube TV currently has a 14 day free promotion for new customers. That would be enough to watch the next 4 Duke ACCN games. I tried to sign up, but the system recognized me as a "returning customer" (even when I tried an alternate email address).

Seems I'm a little late but I'll toss in my 2cents. Just IMHO -

I tried Sling TV and hated it. DVR, picture quality, lagging, it was all bad. I didn't survive the free period they gave me.

I had YouTube TV a couple years ago, back when it was still $35/mo and loved it. When they kept bumping my price up, I left. But, looking at the schedule this year and my options, I decided to go back to them at $65/mo. I still love them. Occasionally, and I mean occasionally, the DVR will jump me back to the beginning of the program when I try to skip commercials. Which then requires me to scan forward to where I was. But that has only happened a couple of times. I feel very confident in my recordings getting the entire game and picture quality/lagging/etc. has been top notch.

I would recommend YouTube TV, even at $65/mo.

And I have had no problems getting into ESPN+ for the ACCNX games.

I will probably pause it after the last basketball game and pick it up again next October. I like that I can do that also.

[devil84]

For anyone it might help that does not have traditional cable:

I am using Sling TV Orange Package + Sports Extra (which gives me ACCN and ACCNx) - for $45/month. If you are a first timer to Sling, you will most likely get some deal offered when signing up. If you really want to be frugal, I have also switched around to different ones (like Fubo) when they have deals, but it's honestly kind of a pain and $45 isnt too bad to just keep sling.

I also purchased an antenna that hooks up to my TV (~$30) for games/sports that will be on channels like CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC. (https://www.amazon.com/LATEST-Amplif...s%2C204&sr=8-5)

So far, the set up works great and definitely saves you some money vs. traditional cable, at least where I live

This is what I use. I really like it. Sling also has some sort of recording feature, but you can easily use your credentials to login at ESPN to watch on demand. (I have not tried to timeshift a game a little, meaning getting home after it starts, then catching up to live by fast forwarding.)

OTA requires that you have a recording device if you can't watch live. That's one thing I love about YouTube TV. There's no limit to what you can record, and no device to buy.

We recently got a FireTV Recast. You plug your antenna into the wireless box, which then streams to all FireTV-capable devices on your network (or accessible remotely if you enable that -- we haven't yet). Yes, you also need a FireTV dongle on all of your devices OR a smart TV with the app (I think) or FireTV built in. (This gets difficult to note all the possible combinations!) We got the dongles for the two TVs that aren't a FireTV, and we have a FireTV. It works great on all of them. Not only does it stream the OTA channels with one antenna for the whole house (or access from outside your house, if enabled), it also can record from 2 tuners (or 4 if you spend more money) for something like 50 hours (double that for the 4 tuner version).

But wait, there's more! There's a free OTA channel guide that is customizable. You can record from this or while watching the channel. The Guide is integrated with the rest of the FireTV apps, so there's seamless transition from watching Netflix, ESPN, or OTA. No more changing inputs! (YAY!) Even better, the OTA guide can integrate several other live channels that are available. IMDB TV is one of them, that has lots of old movies and TV shows. BUT IT ALSO INTEGRATES SLINGTV INTO THE GUIDE, so you can switch from ABC to ESPN, just like you do on a cable box! And, if that isn't enough..."Alexa, watch ESPN on TV" and "Alexa, watch World News Tonight on TV" is really nice (when that stupid teenager actually listens to me!). Fair warning: a three-year-old can easily demand: "Alexa, watch the Stinky & Dirty Show on TV" and Alexa will happily immediately switch whatever you're watching and show that adorable, animated, Amazon Prime kids show about a garbage truck and a backhoe that are best friends and creatively solve all kinds of problems. It usually gets the three-year-old's commands correct while I spend time arguing with a screen. (An aside: be sure to turn off explicit content on all your providers you link to the smart devices, because "Alexa, play the Stinky & Dirty theme song" and "Alexa, play Lightning McQueen" can wind up with extremely inappropriate songs, the former because the child did not specify "tv show theme song" and the latter because Drench has done a Lightning McQueen song that is inappropriate for young ears.]

The interface could be better, but I'm OK with it because most of what I watch is now available by voice and I haven't really found a good interface on any of the "smart" tv devices. There is a remote control app for your phone (works by WiFi), so you can put the remote out of the grandchildren's reach, then use your phone. It's especially helpful when you need to search for something and can use your phone's keyboard, instead. The phone keyboard is nice so that everyone watching can rewind!

Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but we've found this to be a nice solution that doesn't have a monthly subscription fee.

[lotusland]

Thanks to all who responded for the guidance. It seems like YouTube TV currently has a 14 day free promotion for new customers. That would be enough to watch the next 4 Duke ACCN games. I tried to sign up, but the system recognized me as a "returning customer" (even when I tried an alternate email address).

Hulu no longer allows more than one location so you can only watch on your phone away from home. YouTube still allows 2 locations which is awesome for a second home. I miss Hulu’s interface for streaming though. YouTube is less user friendly IMO but maybe I’ll get used to it eventually.

[lotusland]

So ESPNX is only available as an add on for $6/mo? Are those games available for replay on the ESPN App without a subscription? If not I’m going to have to miss the Devil’s clash with the Fighting Camels from Buies Creek tonight. I’ll hopefully catch later on YouTube .

[BandAlum83]

It looks like 11 of Duke's next 16 games will only be shown on the ACC Network.

As a Comcast/Xfinity subscriber, I have signed up for free short term trials of Hulu+Live and YouTubeTV in order to watch select games in past years. However, with the volume of games over the next 2 months, I will probably just bite the bullet and sign up for a free trial plus two months (paid) of one of the streaming services which carries the ACCNetwork. If my family is pleased with the overall service, we will probably cut the cord for good.

A couple questions for folks who have already done this.

- It looks like Hulu and YouTubeTV are both $65/month. Does anybody have a recommendation of pros and cons for these services? This c|net article seems to recommend YouTubeTV over Hulu. In past trials, I haven't been trilled with either service's DVR (skipping commercials or rewinding to re-watch a specific play) or program guide/browsing live TV?

- Do these services allow you to watch games on ACCN Extra (where Saturday's game will be broadcast)?

- Are there any options beyond Hulu+LiveTV and YouTubeTV?


Either way, I am bracing myself for 2 months of pitches for the SocketShelf, "Military Grade" night vision glasses, Copper-infused joint support contraptions, and whatever it is that Joe Namath is trying to sell to old people.

Same boat here, my friend. I found Sling plus ESPN+ to be the least costly combination for the next couple of months

[TruBlu]

Okay. I have signed up for YouTube Tv based on recommendations in this thread. I will be posting my go fund me account later so that my DBR friends can help me pay for it. TIA

[House P]

Okay. I have signed up for YouTube Tv based on recommendations in this thread. I will be posting my go fund me account later so that my DBR friends can help me pay for it. TIA

Hopefully you got the 14 day free trial. That will get you through the Citadel game on Nov 22. After the Nov 22 game, you can "cancel" your subscription until Dec 14 when you can restart it for a month and get the next 7 ACCN games (through Jan 12 Wake game) for a single payment of $65. That's 11 games for $65.

If you cancel again after Jan 12, you only have to figure out how to watch the BC game on Feb 12 and the Pitt game on Mar 1.


FWIW, I signed up for the free 14 day trial using my wife's email and credit card. My biggest pet peeves with YouTube TV so far

1. I can't figure out a way to flip back and forth between two channels without hitting a bunch of buttons. It is really so hard to program a "last channel" button? It is even worse if you want to flip to a specific channel you haven't watched recently.

2. It seems that nearly every commercial break contains a 5 second Ad which is broadcast at a much higher volume than the rest of the programming/commercials. This is extremely annoying - especially when watching late night TV and someone is trying to sleep - and may be a deal breaker for switching to the service full time.

[devil84]

Same boat here, my friend. I found Sling plus ESPN+ to be the least costly combination for the next couple of months

Is ESPN+ carrying the ACCN games? Looks like they're carrying every conference's network except the ACC. Or are the Duke games carried on there because the opponent is in another conference, so that will vaporize when conference play starts?

Why is this so confusing?

[brlftz]

YouTube says this game is not available…what the heck? It carries the ACC network but there’s some double secret channel you also need?

[brlftz]

Never mind, this article explains it pretty well: https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2019...ork-extra.html