Sunday Ticket streaming service (1 Viewer)

[krvw]

As a WHODAT living in Virginia, I have to rely on TV coverage for most games. The monopoly system for game coverage on cable is maddening, of course.

So, I've been using the NFL Sunday Ticket (via AT&T/DirectTV) for a few years now. I'm hearing strong rumors it's likely Apple will win the bidding wars for TV coverage for 2023 and beyond. We shall see.

The software sucks, to be honest. It is flakey and frustrating to work with. A few of my pet peeves:

- I have 3 TVs in the house, 2 of which I'd like to use for games. We usually watch the games (often with a few WHODAT friends) in our primary TV room, but when I get up to grab snacks, freshen Sazeracs, etc., I want the small TV in the kitchen to be on with the game. No can do. The software only allows one login at a time. How about one HOUSEHOLD, guys? I'm not trying to rip anyone off. I just want the same service I'd have if I was watching the games on regular cable TV.

- Switching between games is clunky. Every once in a while, I want to pop over to another game and see what's happening -- especially later in the season where playoff berths are at stake and such. Switching between games should be as quick and seamless as changing channels on cable. It is not. There's a massive lag time, and it doesn't always work. A few times, there's been a software glitch where I'd click on Game A and end up in Game B. VERY annoying.

I should point out I'm using the current version of the Apple TV 4K. I have gigabit wired ethernet in the house and my Internet service is on Verizon FiOS gigabit fiber to my house. (I'm an IT security pro by day...)

It's better than not being able to watch the games at all, but I've learned to select my Saints game and then not touch anything for fear of causing the software to fail. It shouldn't be that way.

Any other frustrated Sunday Ticket fans here? I sure hope the software improves if Apple wins the bidding war. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Cheers,

Ken

 

[WhoDatWayne66]

I hear ya! Keeping my fingers crossed that they get this figured out in a hurry.

 

[krvw]

In a hurry? I've been using Sunday Ticket for (IIRC) 5-6 years now, and they haven't figured it out yet. There have been some improvements, but it's still the sort of software you'd expect a big phone company to write. All IMHO, of course.

 

[gboudx]

The thread title is a bit misleading. I read it as the decision was made and ST is on Apple TV.

There's good discussion on this in a longer thread of all the potential streaming services in play.

Amazon is early leader for new Sunday Ticket rights package (Update: now Apple?)

The NFL hopes to wrap up the deal, expected to be between $2B and $2.5B, before the next Super Bowl.Amazon is in talks to acquire the rights for the National Football League’s “Sunday Ticket” package and is seen as the front-runner by others involved in talks with the league, according to...

saintsreport.com

 

[krvw]

I don't see how it is misleading at all. I literally use the Sunday Ticket app on my Apple TV and discussed that usage in the post. What did I get wrong in the title?

Perhaps you're conflating Apple TV (the hardware device) with Apple TV+ (the service)? I was referring to the former, and really not the latter in any significant sense.

 

[gboudx]

I said "a bit misleading" and this is due to perspective. This topic has been being discussed in the longer thread with the different streaming services vying for the rights to stream it. A lot of us have been waiting to hear who would win it, and when. From that perspective, I read it as it was decided and it was Apple. From that perspective, it's a bit misleading. If I'm the only one who read it that way, then I guess it was only a bit misleading to me. The title doesn't say "Sunday Ticket app". If it did, it would be more clear.

 

[krvw]

I really am not interested in that thread on whether Apple wins or someone else wins, and it was all but completely not my point (except to be hopeful for future improvements).

Sorry you felt misled. I thought I used the nomenclature correctly and didn't intend in any way to mislead anyone.

Have a great day. WHODAT!

Cheers,

Ken

 

[Penguin]

I said "a bit misleading" and this is due to perspective. This topic has been being discussed in the longer thread with the different streaming services vying for the rights to stream it. A lot of us have been waiting to hear who would win it, and when. From that perspective, I read it as it was decided and it was Apple. From that perspective, it's a bit misleading. If I'm the only one who read it that way, then I guess it was only a bit misleading to me. The title doesn't say "Sunday Ticket app". If it did, it would be more clear.

I interpreted the thread title the same as you.

On partially related note, a few years ago I signed up for Sunday Ticket through DirecTV's streaming platform (lived in an apartment and couldn't get a proper "dish". I cancelled all of it after opening weekend. The platform was complete trash, with many of the same issues that OP is describing on Apple TV.

 

[Jeff Miller]

some of the irritations i have is for some reason the Sunday Ticket App never works on an Xbox (one or series X) yet the same login works on an Apple TV. Recently I noticed my login was forced logged out of both my apple tv's and my iphone, so who knows if it will actually work at all this year.

I signed up for NFL+ preimum instead. No it doesn't show the out of market games live, but it does give you full replays of every game the day after and for $10 a month for five months, its a hell of lot cheaper then sunday ticket, and yes, you can watch the games and replays on you big screen tv via the apple tv nfl app.

its not great, but its better then nothing.

the one annoying thing is i have to sign in to nfl+ every time i launch the NFL app.

 

[St.RobE]

some of the irritations i have is for some reason the Sunday Ticket App never works on an Xbox (one or series X) yet the same login works on an Apple TV. Recently I noticed my login was forced logged out of both my apple tv's and my iphone, so who knows if it will actually work at all this year.

I signed up for NFL+ preimum instead. No it doesn't show the out of market games live, but it does give you full replays of every game the day after and for $10 a month for five months, its a hell of lot cheaper then sunday ticket, and yes, you can watch the games and replays on you big screen tv via the apple tv nfl app.

its not great, but its better then nothing.

the one annoying thing is i have to sign in to nfl+ every time i launch the NFL app.

NFL+ Premium is also free for STHs

 

[WallyBB]

I think you might be having an issue more with the Sunday Ticket App, not Apple TV in general. I have been using Apple TV for years and it works like a dream for the apps I use (YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, etc.)... If Apple gets the Sunday Ticket package it will almost certainly NOT use that app infrastructure. It will be integrated into AppleTV + where all of their other original programming exists.

I guarantee you it will be a million times better than the app, which I used one year and it was a pain.

 

[krvw]

NFL+ Premium is also free for STHs

This is very interesting to me. How do we take advantage of that? Thanks.

 

[krvw]

I think you might be having an issue more with the Sunday Ticket App, not Apple TV in general.

Absolutely, agreed. That is why I hope Apple wins that bidding war.

In the meantime, and for the 2022 season, I'm stuck with the Sunday Ticket app. It is the app that I'm complaining about. Been using it for years, and it's still clunky and prone to failure at the worst possible times.

I'll definitely explore NFL+ Premium as a season ticket holder, but I know that doesn't include live games (for the most part).

 

[Saintslfc13]

Apple TV works fine for me, but I didn't even know they had the sunday ticket app because I have it through DirecTV. NFL+Premium is a joke and not a valid solution. However, I would encourage anyone in need to just search whatever game they're looking for and they will probably find it. Yes, it can cut out. Yes, there will likely be a delay. If you've been using the internet long enough (literally everyone on this board) then you'll already have protections in place to mitigate the ads and potential virus issues. I may or may not have watched many a soccer game on such websites. You'll be fine.

 

[superchuck500]

As a WHODAT living in Virginia, I have to rely on TV coverage for most games. The monopoly system for game coverage on cable is maddening, of course.

So, I've been using the NFL Sunday Ticket (via AT&T/DirectTV) for a few years now. I'm hearing strong rumors it's likely Apple will win the bidding wars for TV coverage for 2023 and beyond. We shall see.

The software sucks, to be honest. It is flakey and frustrating to work with. A few of my pet peeves:

- I have 3 TVs in the house, 2 of which I'd like to use for games. We usually watch the games (often with a few WHODAT friends) in our primary TV room, but when I get up to grab snacks, freshen Sazeracs, etc., I want the small TV in the kitchen to be on with the game. No can do. The software only allows one login at a time. How about one HOUSEHOLD, guys? I'm not trying to rip anyone off. I just want the same service I'd have if I was watching the games on regular cable TV.

- Switching between games is clunky. Every once in a while, I want to pop over to another game and see what's happening -- especially later in the season where playoff berths are at stake and such. Switching between games should be as quick and seamless as changing channels on cable. It is not. There's a massive lag time, and it doesn't always work. A few times, there's been a software glitch where I'd click on Game A and end up in Game B. VERY annoying.

I should point out I'm using the current version of the Apple TV 4K. I have gigabit wired ethernet in the house and my Internet service is on Verizon FiOS gigabit fiber to my house. (I'm an IT security pro by day...)

It's better than not being able to watch the games at all, but I've learned to select my Saints game and then not touch anything for fear of causing the software to fail. It shouldn't be that way.

Any other frustrated Sunday Ticket fans here? I sure hope the software improves if Apple wins the bidding war. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Cheers,

Ken

Yeah the way that DTV does the streaming service isn’t ideal (I don’t think it’s unique to the Apple TV device, it’s the streaming service). It can be wonky and the “one screen at a time” sucks if you have a house and want the game in multiple rooms.

I’m doing streaming again this year and I asked my tech buddy to figure out a way to “mirror” one tv to another - not sure if it can be done.

Is each TV or device a different IP address? I don’t know what the solution is - they probably won’t do it like an app login because that’s too easy to share and too hard to police. I have another streaming service that allows two simultaneous logins so they can control that.