Online only US TV packages

lamby · 10-01-2014, 09:33

Hey

Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO?

Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state.

wakey · 10-01-2014, 10:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamby

Hey

Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO?

Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state.

Nope. HBO's deals with the cable companies prevent them offering stand alone online subscriptions. And they are worth so much money to HBO that its unlikely to chnage in the near future

JimmyCarrFan · 10-01-2014, 13:38

There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc.

I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football.

Mr Madras · 30-01-2014, 08:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyCarrFan

There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc.

I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football.

Hmmmm...anyone know if this is true? I'd jump on something like that in a heartbeat. I have access to some US content through VPN but, although I can find individual subs for things like HBO, I can't find a one-stop shop for a range of content providers like the SF-based one the poster mentions. They all seem to require a credit card linked to a US address, which is where I come unstuck.

gother · 30-01-2014, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamby

Hey

Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO?

Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state.

If you use a vpn you can always subscribe to HBONordic for around £7.25p/m.

Brian_Bourdon · 30-01-2014, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Madras

Hmmmm...anyone know if this is true? I'd jump on something like that in a heartbeat. I have access to some US content through VPN but, although I can find individual subs for things like HBO, I can't find a one-stop shop for a range of content providers like the SF-based one the poster mentions. They all seem to require a credit card linked to a US address, which is where I come unstuck.

There's a number of people offering SlingBox service rental but it ain't cheap.

Depends how much you want to pay and how good your internet speed is.

I've been using USTV Now for East Coast streams but it's hit and miss at times.

Mr Madras · 31-01-2014, 00:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_Bourdon

There's a number of people offering SlingBox service rental but it ain't cheap.

Depends how much you want to pay and how good your internet speed is.

I've been using USTV Now for East Coast streams but it's hit and miss at times.

My needs are few, Brian. I'd like a one-stop solution for the main US networks and a few premium channels. My line speed is 60-63Mbps down and 16-18Mpbs up. That single word Slingbox has given me a push start. I was getting nowhere.

ovbg · 31-01-2014, 06:54

Nimble TV do.

Basically, the use Dish Network so he will get a bill for both. But they turn Dish Network's streams into online only availability. If he has an iOS device, he can even airplay the content to his TV.

It is not geoblocked (afaik), but at the moment they ask for a NY address during signup.

Their prices are not cheap, but neither is US cable anyway.

Mr Madras · 02-02-2014, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ovbg

Nimble TV do.

Basically, the use Dish Network so he will get a bill for both. But they turn Dish Network's streams into online only availability. If he has an iOS device, he can even airplay the content to his TV.

It is not geoblocked (afaik), but at the moment they ask for a NY address during signup.

Their prices are not cheap, but neither is US cable anyway.

Oh, OK. A few of them ask for a US address. I assumed that was set in stone. So, I'll try my luck and see how far I get. Thanks.

Brian_Bourdon · 02-02-2014, 21:15

The Nimble TV package seems quite expensive for what you get.

Try searching the Sling box forums or search for sling swoppers or renters. For $20 -$30 more you could get a better package that way.

Mr Madras · 03-02-2014, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_Bourdon

The Nimble TV package seems quite expensive for what you get.

Try searching the Sling box forums or search for sling swoppers or renters. For $20 -$30 more you could get a better package that way.

I need to rethink this. I looked at IPTV options and Slingbox ones.

I love the idea of access to US telly at lower cost than a standard sub to companies like USTV Now, which is happy to charge a lot for relatively little effort and even less attention to quality (its servers are not reliable enough to justify the prices charged).

IPTV offers seem heavily biased towards sports and packages based around channels I will never watch. As for the Slingbox renters/swappers idea, that makes me deeply uneasy. I looked at various forums and some of those offering a 'service' (usually the ones whose streaming TV and premium content packages I am most interested in) came across as nasty little s**ts. That's fine. That's their choice. But I'd rather not hand them any of my money.

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places.

ovbg · 04-02-2014, 07:09

Ah, you have been mentioning USTV Now. I was under the impression that you only wanted cable and satellite services. USTV now have a basic range of OTA channels streamed (along with PVR features) as well as a much more expensive cable/sat service.

You don't need to have a cable contract for it to work (at least with the OTA services - I haven't tested the cable ones yet).

The great thing is that it also works via a Roku box (private channel) and this makes it pretty cool.

There is a full review over here.

Mr Madras · 05-02-2014, 15:40

All sorted. Thanks for everyone's help.

ovbg · 05-02-2014, 15:52

I can ask what you ended up going with?

Mr Madras · 05-02-2014, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by ovbg

I can ask what you ended up going with?

PM sent.

Brian_Bourdon · 06-02-2014, 21:18

Can you PM me too? Fascinated to know what you chose!

gother · 06-02-2014, 21:29

PM me too please.

gwizzer · 12-02-2014, 22:59

Please pm me as well, I'm interested to know

ElusiveNL · 13-02-2014, 15:48

Please PM me too

Paul000 · 14-02-2014, 16:16

I'd like a PM too, please.

http://www.stream2video.tv/ Gives a lot of live US but more importantly all of SKY SPORTS including F1

All you have to do is click off all advertisements, where there are tiny little x's - download NOTHING and close immediately any windows that open.

Other than that it works super fine. and I am literally amazed Sky Sports US ESPN , crime etc all work

and BT sport !

rafas12thman · 20-02-2014, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyCarrFan

There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc.

I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football.

Hi

Do you have the guys details you state in SF who is able to provide same for me?

Cheers

Tony

Paul000 · 20-02-2014, 23:28

This gives all BT Sport 1&2 and all of SKY Sports including F1

http://www.stream2video.tv/countries...dom/bt-sport-1

This gives SKY Movies Premier and others

http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...88&ctd=3&t=U.K. TV Channels#sthash.VVrKpOpG.ygmC86hP.dpbs

This gives NBC and others

http://www.tvonlinelive.net/Watch/NBC-Online-4542.html

CBS REALITY
http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...20&ctd=3&t=U.K. TV Channels#sthash.GddJWfRz.IAcVSE8z.dpbs

Just remember to take out all adverts at tiny little "x"s sometimes hard to find imbedded and download absolutely nothing. There are no sign ins required.

This US one require sign in but costs no money and is very good.#
http://www.ustvnow.com/

Mr Madras · 22-02-2014, 04:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul000

http://www.stream2video.tv/countries...dom/bt-sport-1

http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...88&ctd=3&t=U.K

http://www.tvonlinelive.net/Watch/NBC-Online-4542.html

http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...20&ctd=3&t=U.K.

There are dozens of 'free' TV services which do much the same thing as the sites whose URLs you've given here, but the trade off is ads, wait times, streams which are down more often than they are up and horrible low res picture quality in almost all cases.

No great mystery what I went for - a streaming 30+ channel US networks and premium content package (most in HD). But the service is almost certainly not legal, so I didn't want to chat about it in an open forum.

Paul000 · 22-02-2014, 07:21

Mr Madras, I believe I know which site you found indeed the last I linked to does similar things if you pay. The current situation is the following...(one of the infamous UK/US cases was more surrounding the fact that the guy had made over 100k Pounds from his site.)

Web Links and the Law

Because the act of linking to a site does not imply ownership or endorsement, there is no reason you would need to ask permission to link to a site that is publically accessible. For example, if you found a site URL through a search engine, then linking to it shouldn't have legal ramifications. There have been one or two cases in the United States that imply that the act of linking without permission is legally actionable, but these have been overturned everytime they come up.

What you need to be careful of is what you say in and around your link. For example, if you write something denigrating of the linked site you could be sued for libel by the site owner.

ovbg · 22-02-2014, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Madras

There are dozens of 'free' TV services which do much the same thing as the sites whose URLs you've given here, but the trade off is ads, wait times, streams which are down more often than they are up and horrible low res picture quality in almost all cases.

No great mystery what I went for - a streaming 30+ channel US networks and premium content package (most in HD). But the service is almost certainly not legal, so I didn't want to chat about it in an open forum.

By the way, USTVNow is actually legal. They have agreements with Dish corp in the US to retransmit their channels outside of the US, and they pay Dish for this right.

The agreement they keep with Dish to ensure they don't break any laws is to NOT retransmit those channels within the US.

USTVNow is the recommendation of choice by the US consulates and embassies here in Germany for US nationals living in the country who want to access TV from home. They wouldn't be encouraging American citizens in Germany to pay for USTVNow if that company was breaking the law.

The first few services listed here, I don't know about, but some certainly sound illegal. Anything that offers free sports or movies from services that live behind a paywall is clearly and without any question illegal and copyright theft.

It is one thing to simulcast a free-to-air channel, but completely different for a pay TV channel that normally requires a subscription.

10-01-2014, 09:33	#1
lamby Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 3,332	Online only US TV packages Hey Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO? Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state.

20-02-2014, 22:36	#21
rafas12thman Forum Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Liverpool Posts: 136	Help Quote: Originally Posted by JimmyCarrFan There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc. I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football. Hi Do you have the guys details you state in SF who is able to provide same for me? Cheers Tony

10-01-2014, 10:33	#2
wakey Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 2,763	Quote: Originally Posted by lamby Hey Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO? Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state. Nope. HBO's deals with the cable companies prevent them offering stand alone online subscriptions. And they are worth so much money to HBO that its unlikely to chnage in the near future

10-01-2014, 13:38	#3
JimmyCarrFan Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 138	There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc. I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football.

30-01-2014, 08:45	#4
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by JimmyCarrFan There are plenty of folks out there who'll sell you subscriptions for HBO GO, Showtime Anytime etc. I pay a guy in San Francisco for access to Comcast's Streampix which includes loads of on demand and live content from the major networks. He throws in access to Netflix US, Hulu Plus and NBC Sports Live Extra so I can catch all the Premier League football. Hmmmm...anyone know if this is true? I'd jump on something like that in a heartbeat. I have access to some US content through VPN but, although I can find individual subs for things like HBO, I can't find a one-stop shop for a range of content providers like the SF-based one the poster mentions. They all seem to require a credit card linked to a US address, which is where I come unstuck.

30-01-2014, 11:55	#5
gother Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Venus and Mars Posts: 9,027	Quote: Originally Posted by lamby Hey Do any USA cable or satellite providers have online only subscriptions, with access to HBO? Someone i know who is now living in the US has broadband wants to watch TV online. And not take out a cable or sat subscription as he may be moving to another state. If you use a vpn you can always subscribe to HBONordic for around £7.25p/m.

30-01-2014, 13:58	#6
Brian_Bourdon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: The American West Coast Posts: 315	Quote: Originally Posted by Mr Madras Hmmmm...anyone know if this is true? I'd jump on something like that in a heartbeat. I have access to some US content through VPN but, although I can find individual subs for things like HBO, I can't find a one-stop shop for a range of content providers like the SF-based one the poster mentions. They all seem to require a credit card linked to a US address, which is where I come unstuck. There's a number of people offering SlingBox service rental but it ain't cheap. Depends how much you want to pay and how good your internet speed is. I've been using USTV Now for East Coast streams but it's hit and miss at times.

31-01-2014, 00:44	#7
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by Brian_Bourdon There's a number of people offering SlingBox service rental but it ain't cheap. Depends how much you want to pay and how good your internet speed is. I've been using USTV Now for East Coast streams but it's hit and miss at times. My needs are few, Brian. I'd like a one-stop solution for the main US networks and a few premium channels. My line speed is 60-63Mbps down and 16-18Mpbs up. That single word Slingbox has given me a push start. I was getting nowhere.

31-01-2014, 06:54	#8
ovbg Forum Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,348	Nimble TV do. Basically, the use Dish Network so he will get a bill for both. But they turn Dish Network's streams into online only availability. If he has an iOS device, he can even airplay the content to his TV. It is not geoblocked (afaik), but at the moment they ask for a NY address during signup. Their prices are not cheap, but neither is US cable anyway.

02-02-2014, 18:00	#9
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by ovbg Nimble TV do. Basically, the use Dish Network so he will get a bill for both. But they turn Dish Network's streams into online only availability. If he has an iOS device, he can even airplay the content to his TV. It is not geoblocked (afaik), but at the moment they ask for a NY address during signup. Their prices are not cheap, but neither is US cable anyway. Oh, OK. A few of them ask for a US address. I assumed that was set in stone. So, I'll try my luck and see how far I get. Thanks.

02-02-2014, 21:15	#10
Brian_Bourdon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: The American West Coast Posts: 315	The Nimble TV package seems quite expensive for what you get. Try searching the Sling box forums or search for sling swoppers or renters. For $20 -$30 more you could get a better package that way.

03-02-2014, 16:57	#11
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by Brian_Bourdon The Nimble TV package seems quite expensive for what you get. Try searching the Sling box forums or search for sling swoppers or renters. For $20 -$30 more you could get a better package that way. I need to rethink this. I looked at IPTV options and Slingbox ones. I love the idea of access to US telly at lower cost than a standard sub to companies like USTV Now, which is happy to charge a lot for relatively little effort and even less attention to quality (its servers are not reliable enough to justify the prices charged). IPTV offers seem heavily biased towards sports and packages based around channels I will never watch. As for the Slingbox renters/swappers idea, that makes me deeply uneasy. I looked at various forums and some of those offering a 'service' (usually the ones whose streaming TV and premium content packages I am most interested in) came across as nasty little s**ts. That's fine. That's their choice. But I'd rather not hand them any of my money. Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places.

04-02-2014, 07:09	#12
ovbg Forum Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,348	Ah, you have been mentioning USTV Now. I was under the impression that you only wanted cable and satellite services. USTV now have a basic range of OTA channels streamed (along with PVR features) as well as a much more expensive cable/sat service. You don't need to have a cable contract for it to work (at least with the OTA services - I haven't tested the cable ones yet). The great thing is that it also works via a Roku box (private channel) and this makes it pretty cool. There is a full review over here.

05-02-2014, 15:40	#13
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	All sorted. Thanks for everyone's help.

05-02-2014, 15:52	#14
ovbg Forum Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,348	I can ask what you ended up going with?

05-02-2014, 15:59	#15
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by ovbg I can ask what you ended up going with? PM sent.

06-02-2014, 21:18	#16
Brian_Bourdon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: The American West Coast Posts: 315	Can you PM me too? Fascinated to know what you chose!

06-02-2014, 21:29	#17
gother Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Venus and Mars Posts: 9,027	PM me too please.

12-02-2014, 22:59	#18
gwizzer Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 2	Please pm me as well, I'm interested to know

13-02-2014, 15:48	#19
ElusiveNL Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Northampton Posts: 331	Please PM me too

14-02-2014, 16:16	#20
Paul000 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 215	I'd like a PM too, please. http://www.stream2video.tv/ Gives a lot of live US but more importantly all of SKY SPORTS including F1 All you have to do is click off all advertisements, where there are tiny little x's - download NOTHING and close immediately any windows that open. Other than that it works super fine. and I am literally amazed Sky Sports US ESPN , crime etc all work and BT sport !

20-02-2014, 23:28	#22
Paul000 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 215	This gives all BT Sport 1&2 and all of SKY Sports including F1 http://www.stream2video.tv/countries...dom/bt-sport-1 This gives SKY Movies Premier and others http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...88&ctd=3&t=U.K. TV Channels#sthash.VVrKpOpG.ygmC86hP.dpbs This gives NBC and others http://www.tvonlinelive.net/Watch/NBC-Online-4542.html CBS REALITY http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...20&ctd=3&t=U.K. TV Channels#sthash.GddJWfRz.IAcVSE8z.dpbs Just remember to take out all adverts at tiny little "x"s sometimes hard to find imbedded and download absolutely nothing. There are no sign ins required. This US one require sign in but costs no money and is very good.# http://www.ustvnow.com/

DS Forums

Online only US TV packages

22-02-2014, 04:43	#23
Mr Madras Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: England Posts: 663	Quote: Originally Posted by Paul000 http://www.stream2video.tv/countries...dom/bt-sport-1 http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...88&ctd=3&t=U.K http://www.tvonlinelive.net/Watch/NBC-Online-4542.html http://tvtoss.com/pages/player.php?c...20&ctd=3&t=U.K. There are dozens of 'free' TV services which do much the same thing as the sites whose URLs you've given here, but the trade off is ads, wait times, streams which are down more often than they are up and horrible low res picture quality in almost all cases. No great mystery what I went for - a streaming 30+ channel US networks and premium content package (most in HD). But the service is almost certainly not legal, so I didn't want to chat about it in an open forum.

22-02-2014, 07:21	#24
Paul000 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 215	Mr Madras, I believe I know which site you found indeed the last I linked to does similar things if you pay. The current situation is the following...(one of the infamous UK/US cases was more surrounding the fact that the guy had made over 100k Pounds from his site.) Web Links and the Law Because the act of linking to a site does not imply ownership or endorsement, there is no reason you would need to ask permission to link to a site that is publically accessible. For example, if you found a site URL through a search engine, then linking to it shouldn't have legal ramifications. There have been one or two cases in the United States that imply that the act of linking without permission is legally actionable, but these have been overturned everytime they come up. What you need to be careful of is what you say in and around your link. For example, if you write something denigrating of the linked site you could be sued for libel by the site owner.

22-02-2014, 10:58	#25
ovbg Forum Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,348	Quote: Originally Posted by Mr Madras There are dozens of 'free' TV services which do much the same thing as the sites whose URLs you've given here, but the trade off is ads, wait times, streams which are down more often than they are up and horrible low res picture quality in almost all cases. No great mystery what I went for - a streaming 30+ channel US networks and premium content package (most in HD). But the service is almost certainly not legal, so I didn't want to chat about it in an open forum. By the way, USTVNow is actually legal. They have agreements with Dish corp in the US to retransmit their channels outside of the US, and they pay Dish for this right. The agreement they keep with Dish to ensure they don't break any laws is to NOT retransmit those channels within the US. USTVNow is the recommendation of choice by the US consulates and embassies here in Germany for US nationals living in the country who want to access TV from home. They wouldn't be encouraging American citizens in Germany to pay for USTVNow if that company was breaking the law. The first few services listed here, I don't know about, but some certainly sound illegal. Anything that offers free sports or movies from services that live behind a paywall is clearly and without any question illegal and copyright theft. It is one thing to simulcast a free-to-air channel, but completely different for a pay TV channel that normally requires a subscription.