New TV - Bally vs MLB.TV?

[BungleBengals]

I just replaced my broken Roku TV. Before it broke, I was able to view the Reds games on the BallySports app using my parents' Fioptic login.

I got a new Sony TV now that has Google TV. However, when I go to download the BallySports app, it can't be found. I am confused because my Android phone has an app.

Anyway, I was looking a the MLB.TV option too since it's like $40 for one team for the rest of the year. But it said it was blacked out for the Marlins game. Was that just a one-time thing or will I deal with that more if I signed up for the service?

Just trying to weigh the options here and I'm frustrated I have to jump through so many hoops to just watch the Reds play.

[cumberlandreds]

I just replaced my broken Roku TV. Before it broke, I was able to view the Reds games on the BallySports app using my parents' Fioptic login.

I got a new Sony TV now that has Google TV. However, when I go to download the BallySports app, it can't be found. I am confused because my Android phone has an app.

Anyway, I was looking a the MLB.TV option too since it's like $40 for one team for the rest of the year. But it said it was blacked out for the Marlins game. Was that just a one-time thing or will I deal with that more if I signed up for the service?

Just trying to weigh the options here and I'm frustrated I have to jump through so many hoops to just watch the Reds play.

If you live in the Cincinnati area you will be blacked out on MLBTV.

[HammerTime]

You'll need to either get a Roku TV or just get a standalone Roku device for the app.

[BungleBengals]

If you live in the Cincinnati area you will be blacked out on MLBTV.

It would always be blacked out for me? That's dumb!

[BungleBengals]

You'll need to either get a Roku TV or just get a standalone Roku device for the app.

So BallySports isn't available on a Google TV, but it's available on a Roku or Google Device?

Man, these hoops just to watch a Reds game this year are insane! I hope the Reds do something about this for next season. Or is this the ploy to get us to go down to the stadium?

[MR X]

Google/Android TV aren't the same thing as Android when it comes to apps. You might be able to download the app to a phone/tablet, use another app to make a backup of it, then send it to the storage on your TV and sideload it. But, it may not work if the app requires touch to be used...

[Bob Sheed]

It would always be blacked out for me? That's dumb!

Try living 3 hours south of Cincinnati and being blacked out because the Reds are my "home team."

Punishing me for not making the 3 hour trip up to GABP every home game, like the ungrateful negligent fan that I am. Makes sense.

Thank-you-MLB-may-I-have-another?!

[OldFashionedRed]

I watch the games on YouTube TV (with MLB package), and using Nord VPN. I have yet to be able to watch a game.

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Try living 3 hours south of Cincinnati and being blacked out because the Reds are my "home team."

Punishing me for not making the 3 hour trip up to GABP every home game, like the ungrateful negligent fan that I am. Makes sense.

Thank-you-MLB-may-I-have-another?!

Trust me on this, and use Nord VPN. You simply run the software, open up a new browser window and you should be good to go in masking your IP address / location.

[Kilgore_Trout]

I watch the games on YouTube TV (with MLB package), and using Nord VPN. I have yet to be able to watch a game.

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Trust me on this, and use Nord VPN. You simply run the software, open up a new browser window and you should be good to go in masking your IP address / location.

This is what I do as well. I mostly watch it on my phone, but have been able to use my laptop and an HDMI to get it on the big screen. I can’t get AirPlay to work since it wants to use my router’s IP. But I’ve yet to have any issues. I just select a New York server and it thinks I’m out of market.

[paulrichjr]

Try living 3 hours south of Cincinnati and being blacked out because the Reds are my "home team."

Punishing me for not making the 3 hour trip up to GABP every home game, like the ungrateful negligent fan that I am. Makes sense.

Thank-you-MLB-may-I-have-another?!

How about 6.5 hours away from Cincy and I am considered a local market?

[TNRED]

I subscribe to mlbtv and watch on my bigscreen using roku. I am also 6 hours away and in blackout area so I use a vpn and am now living in Seattle.

[CaiGuy]

So BallySports isn't available on a Google TV, but it's available on a Roku or Google Device?

Man, these hoops just to watch a Reds game this year are insane! I hope the Reds do something about this for next season. Or is this the ploy to get us to go down to the stadium?

It has nothing to do with going to the stadium... it's all about those big cable TV deals.

Bally pays the Reds a lot of money for exclusive rights to broadcast the game in the extended region, and then charge each cable subscriber for their sports channel. They want you to get the games through cable.

[HalKing]

Yeah we are dealing with a couple of subjects that truly irk me... App compatibility(which is at least somewhat understandable/acceptable) and the MLB blackout restrictions, which are just absolutely moronic. I haven't had the experience with the Bally app, but I ran across the same situation when I naively thought the MiLB app would be available on my Sony smart tv. No such luck even though its available for both android and apple devices. That was a couple of years ago, so I've moved on from that setback. As for the blackouts, if it isn't bad enough that living in Louisville, 2 hours from Cincy, I have all the Reds games blocked, when I travel for work to middle Tennessee they are blocked there too. And I am talking west of Nashville about half way to Memphis. A good 5-6 hours from Cincy. Not only that, but the Braves are blocked there too. So being a baseball fan in rural middle Tennessee prevents you from watching Reds or Braves games. These MLB marketing geniuses need to work for the government.

[mth123]

So BallySports isn't available on a Google TV, but it's available on a Roku or Google Device?

Man, these hoops just to watch a Reds game this year are insane! I hope the Reds do something about this for next season. Or is this the ploy to get us to go down to the stadium?

Its a ploy to get you to stay on cable so cable providers will add Bally to their channel line-up (24/7 not just for Reds games). Its how Bally makes money even though they pay big bucks to the Reds for the broadcast rights. The reason they pay so much is for the exclusivity to watch the games. That's why MLB blacks-out local teams. They define teams pretty far away as local as an incentive to get cable providers in those areas to also add Bally to their line-up as well (again 24/7 so Bally makes money from it even when the Reds aren't playing). MLB TV knows they could never make-up the revenue selling these games themselves that they would lose from the local broadcast rights, so they defer to them by blacking these games out.

It sucks, but the business makes sense from a revenue standpoint. Maybe there will be a day when it doesn't make sense, fooling MLB with a VPN might make a change, but I think MLB will just counter by raising the fees for MLB-TV. Local TV money is too big. I don't foresee these things changing, but I don't have inside info, so I could be wrong. I hope I am actually. I pay for cable just so I can watch the Reds, but next year I may try the VPN MLB-TV route. I hardly watch cable for anything else. I probably spend more time watching You-tube and Amazon prime than anything and I don't need cable for that.

[paulrichjr]

Yeah we are dealing with a couple of subjects that truly irk me... App compatibility(which is at least somewhat understandable/acceptable) and the MLB blackout restrictions, which are just absolutely moronic. I haven't had the experience with the Bally app, but I ran across the same situation when I naively thought the MiLB app would be available on my Sony smart tv. No such luck even though its available for both android and apple devices. That was a couple of years ago, so I've moved on from that setback. As for the blackouts, if it isn't bad enough that living in Louisville, 2 hours from Cincy, I have all the Reds games blocked, when I travel for work to middle Tennessee they are blocked there too. And I am talking west of Nashville about half way to Memphis. A good 5-6 hours from Cincy. Not only that, but the Braves are blocked there too. So being a baseball fan in rural middle Tennessee prevents you from watching Reds or Braves games. These MLB marketing geniuses need to work for the government.

Yep. Where I live. Its moronic. Thankfully I have a way around it this season but in the past its been just a huge pain. My understanding is that Bally is going to offer a streaming option next year for people who don't have cable and can't get the games using MLBTV due to blackouts. I think I heard an initial price of around $20 per month.