Do not know if this is even possible. I have a standalone subscription to Rogers Sportsnet. Would be nice to login in to Rogers Sportsnet within Tablo. Their lineup would then show up in Tablo and then if you click on a live show the programming shows up. Would need Rogers permission and maybe support to integrate it into Tablo. Does ESPN in the States support standalone subscriptions like Rogers Sportsnet? Hopefully Bell will enter the 21st Century and have standalone subscription for TSN too. Maybe I am dreaming too much but it would be very nice.
I treat the Tablo as an app, just like Netflix, WatchESPN, and many others. So the important thing is to have a client device that integrates everything that you want to watch, like a Roku, AppleTV, or even a computer/phone/tablet.
ESPN doesn’t have a standalone service yet, but they are sort of developing one. Unfortunately, it won’t have any programming that is on the main channels. But you can get ESPN via Sling and Playstation Vue (or if you have a friend or family member with a cable subscription that is willing to share).
I am not interested in ESPN. Sportsnet is great and TSN would be a great too if they had a standalone subscription. I just wanted to have everything in the Tablo grid including the NFL GamePass, MBL.TV and NHL. Just move my way through the list and watch the game I am looking for without having to switch apps all of the time.
Side note: Those stupid blackout rules annoy me to no end. I pay for a premium subscription and if someone has the rights in my market, show me their feed and their commercials then.
I have to agree about blackout rules… they’re archaic in this day and age. They just don’t make any sense.
I could understand if a local market game is blacked out so as not to detract from stadium ticket sales when your home team is playing at home, but I have games blacked out in my home market for teams that don’t even play here, regardless of whether those teams are playing at home, or on the other side of the country.
I’m sure glad I got my MLB subscription for free, so I can’t complain too much, but sheesh!
The NFL got rid of the attendance blackout rules (at least for now), so now it is all market based rules in the other sports. They are there for one purpose, and that is to make money for the local FSNs. I live in Nashville, so if I want to see the Braves, Reds, Predators, or Grizzlies, I can only watch them through the Fox Sports South channels.
Luckily, those channels are available through Sling, Dish, DirecTv, and Comcast (Playstation Vue didn’t have them last time I looked, thought they do have some local FSNs) . I feel really bad for those markets in some cities where only a local cable provider has those games and not the nation wide services. It is a ploy to force those sports fans to buy an expensive cable subscription.
The amount of money spent on sports programming is so ridiculous. And to be honest, it has been a major factor in cord cutting since a lot of non-sports fans were tired of subsidizing sports fans and those extra costs. I have found a good balance between being a cord-cutter and a big sports fan, but not everyone can do it.