League Pass and maybe other ways to watch the NBA and NBA-DL

Here's a link about League Pass:

$199 for TV and Digital (TV, Computer, Tablet, Phone)
$149 for Digital only (Computer, Tablet, Phone)

http://www.nba.com/leaguepass/index.html

(use the link at the bottom of the page for the NBA LEAGUE PASS Support Portal)

International NBA league pass:

http://support.watch.nba.com/?utm_source=nbacom&utm_medium=online&utm_content=lpsupportd&utm_campaign=nbacomsupport

Some answers to the FAQs:

At this time, pre-season games are not available on NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital. NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital is available as of opening night of the NBA season.

NBA Playoffs and Finals are not available live within NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital; however, Playoff and Finals games are available in the Archives as full-length or condensed game replays.

NBA LEAGUE PASS will offer a limited number of Free Trials periods during the 2014-15 NBA season. The first Free Trial period will begin the first day of the NBA regular season - Tuesday October 28th - and will last for one week, ending on Tuesday November 4th.  During all Free Trial periods you will see a specific Free Trial preview option that will allow you to sign up using your NBA.com account.  Visit the NBA LEAGUE PASS site to sign up:

www.nba.com/leaguepass/broadband

More FAQs:

What is NBA LEAGUE PASS?

NBA LEAGUE PASS enables you to watch live out-of-market NBA games. Are you in one city while your favorite team or player is in another? Or are you a Super Fan who wants to watch the best game every night? NBA LEAGUE PASS lets you follow your favorite teams, players, and match-ups even if you are in one city and they are in another, so you don't miss a minute of the action! Local and national blackout rules apply.

NBA LEAGUE PASS can be purchased from your cable or television provider or online at www.nba.com/leaguepass. NBA LEAGUE PASS can also be purchased via in-app upgrade within the NBA Game Time app on iOS and Android.

Your NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital subscription enables NBA LEAGUE PASS on your computer, mobile phone and tablet, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PSVita and Sony Blu-ray.

What is NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital?

NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband is the ultimate way to watch the games you want, where you want. NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband delivers online access to live NBA regular season games on computer, mobile device, tablet, connected device and game console. NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital is included with an NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription purchased from your Cable or Satellite provider.

Fans can purchase NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital (does not include TV access) at: www.nba.com/leaguepass/broadband.

With NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital, you can watch up to four games at once and catch up games that you missed with our full season library of full-length and condensed game archives - all with DVR functionality! Games are available in HD quality.

With an NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital subscription you can:

•Watch regular season, out of market games LIVE, up to 40 games a week (Local and National market blackout rules apply based on location) on your computer, mobile device, tablet, game console or connected device

•HD picture quality
•Select Home or Away video feeds for live and archived games
•Track scores and progress for all games at a glance.
•Check live game stats for the entire bench of home and away teams.
•Replay games from earlier in the season (blackout rules apply)

What is the difference between NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Premium and NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Choice?

NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Premium subscribers have access to watch all 30 teams throughout the season (subject to local and national blackout rules).  

NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Choice subscribers must select the five teams that they wish to watch throughout the season (subject to local and national blackout rules).

gyso, thanks for sharing this information.  Here's hoping as many board members as possible will be able to watch the Celtics and share in our Game On Threads.

Sam

sam wrote:gyso, thanks for sharing this information.  Here's hoping as many board members as possible will be able to watch the Celtics and share in our Game On Threads.

Sam

Sam,

I am hoping that BobHeckler will post a couple links to the live streaming sites that he uses.  That would be the "maybe other ways" that I included in the title of the thread.

BobHeckler,

Do you have a couple favorite live streaming sites that you could link here?  That would help make this the one stop shop thread for those who are either living too far from Boston to get CSNNE or for those who have the internet, but don't have cable or dish.

Once we get this thread filled out, we could move it (as a sticky) to the Game On! forum or to the Links, etc. forum for easy access.  Thoughts?

gyso

League Pass is also available for $199 on Roku, for those that don't mind a streaming service.


KJ

gyso, I don't know how up-to-date it is, but the sub-forum you started entitled "Links, Books, Media" has several good suggestions about how to watch NBA play.  Perhaps it would be possible for someone like Bob to update those suggestions.

Sam

k_j_88 wrote:League Pass is also available for $199 on Roku, for those that don't mind a streaming service.


KJ

KJ,

I think Roku is just a device, in this instance a streaming player that uses an Ethernet or wireless connection to the internet for your TV. If you are going to watch the NBA by live streaming, why pay the extra $50 for that?

I have an nice, but older TV that doesn't have HDMI or Ethernet, it has the white, red and yellow cables or a co-axial connection. I am going to buy a Roku 2 so that I can connect it to the internet (it has the white, red and yellow cables as an output means) for the NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Choice subscription, Amazon Prime and other streaming sites instead of paying for a premium cable or dish package.

https://www.roku.com/

gyso

gyso wrote:

k_j_88 wrote:League Pass is also available for $199 on Roku, for those that don't mind a streaming service.


KJ

KJ,

I think Roku is just a device, in this instance a streaming player that uses an Ethernet or wireless connection to the internet for your TV.  If you are going to watch the NBA by live streaming, why pay the extra $50 for that?

I have an nice, but older TV that doesn't have HDMI or Ethernet, it has the white, red and yellow cables or a co-axial connection.  I am going to buy a Roku 2 so that I can connect it to the internet (it has the white, red and yellow cables as an output means) for the NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Choice subscription, Amazon Prime and other streaming sites instead of paying for a premium cable or dish package.

https://www.roku.com/

gyso

If there was a way to stream NFL games more than one way, then I'd be happy.



KJ

k_j_88 wrote:

gyso wrote:

k_j_88 wrote:League Pass is also available for $199 on Roku, for those that don't mind a streaming service.


KJ

KJ,

I think Roku is just a device, in this instance a streaming player that uses an Ethernet or wireless connection to the internet for your TV.  If you are going to watch the NBA by live streaming, why pay the extra $50 for that?

I have an nice, but older TV that doesn't have HDMI or Ethernet, it has the white, red and yellow cables or a co-axial connection.  I am going to buy a Roku 2 so that I can connect it to the internet (it has the white, red and yellow cables as an output means) for the NBA LEAGUE PASS Digital Choice subscription, Amazon Prime and other streaming sites instead of paying for a premium cable or dish package.

https://www.roku.com/

gyso

If there was a way to stream NFL games more than one way, then I'd be happy.



KJ

KJ,

Verizon wirelss has an NFL mobile app that lets you watch all NFL games live. You do have to have their premium plan, however, so it comes at a price. I have found there are times it's nice to have; like when attending certain events that help preserve a happy marriage but take you away from the game.

Regards

Thanks, guys, for this update on League Pass. I've had a thought on this for some time and I wanted some feedback on it.

The way the NBA markets and delivers LP is where I have the problem.

The way the current package is presented, you basically get all the non-network, non-TNT games for all the teams up to the playoffs. Wouldn't it make more sense for the consumers of this to have something like the following since it's clearly impossible to watch all the games of all the teams as currently structured.

1) You can pick 3-5 teams of your choosing and would receive all of those games for the season. Clearly one of ours would be the Celtics. But you may like to watch some of the playoff contenders, CLE for example. But the end result is you would have your favorite team plus a few teams of interest to you.

2) You can pick a package of specific games, say 30-50 games, throughout the season of interest to you or randomly select your own set of games to watch.

3) You could make moderate changes to your "line up" throughout the season.

I know some teams would get gipped with little or no viewing. But they revenue share on the big stage so why not at this level. So in other words, ever team would benefit regardless of viewership.

Under the current arrangement, it's such a waste to have all those games piped in to each household you will never watch. From a marketing perspective to us end users, I would easily and willingly pay $250-$300 for the above described package instead of the $199 I would pay for all the game, seeing only a small percentage. And more people would be willing to sign up.

My problem is, I begrudgingly purchase LP under it's current set up and it sounds and feels expensive. Yes, I get all the Celtic games. But I would be happier and willingly pay more money with something like the above and much fewer games. At least I would watch most if not all of them.

db

DBrown,

That's one thing that remains to be a huge problem. The big subscribers are forcing people to purchase a bunch of crap they don't want or need. Of course, this is because it's so expensive for them to purchase the rights to distribute various channels.

Nowadays, audiences are becoming more and more secular in their viewing interests, more so than ever before. Being able to select what you want to watch is what the majority of people want but the subscribers are unwilling to capitulate.

Personally, I'd be happy with Hulu, Netflix, and ridiculously fast internet for streaming. The only problem is, sports streaming isn't the most cost effective commodity right now.



KJ

KJ,

I believe if the people marketing this to the public will take the chance, they will be pleasantly surprised. I don't think I am being unreasonable in saying I would pay more for the above scenario and bring more people with me. It's almost a no brainer. The marketers have actually all come up to a cliff and stopped. Everyone is afraid to jump into the unknown. It will take one brave soul to do it and show it is working. Then, MLB, NHL, etc will all follow suit. They have more than enough money to take the risk. someone just needs to pull the trigger. They can't be this stupid and at least not looking into it.

db

Hi,
About "other" ways to watch games. I mostly use wizwig. Picture quality often leaves much to be desired, but it's better than nothing.

AK

I signed up for the $199 package last night. (4 easy payments/month of $49.75 in my TWC bill)  This morning, I got it set up on my laptop and Kindle.  To say that it was a painful process would be an understatement.

First of all, the guy from Time Warner Cable that I spoke with last night said that after an hour or so (to let the system process my info) I would get an email with links and instructions.  That didn't happen.  I may have misunderstood, see below.

In the morning, because I didn't get the email, I went to the TWC site and did a help chat.  The woman there was helpful, but I needed to either write everything down that she typed or create screenshots (Alt/Printscreen).  I told her that I was going to make some screenshots, but every time I went to do so, she typed something else, which took me down to the bottom of the chat.  I wrote to her "Please stop typing until I complete the process, thanks" and went up in the chat to make the next screenshot.  She then typed, "Your welcome".  Too funny!!

After I finished making the screenshots, she said that I could email the whole chat to myself.  I needed to end the chat to do so.  I did and there was nothing that would allow me to add my email address to, just a "How did I do" survey.  I did not give her a very good rating.

She did say that I could call TWC and get the email, so I called the number that she gave me.  It went to a general help desk.  After listening to the options and deciding that none fit my need, I said (after being prompted), "Talk to a human".  It sent me to an operator and after waiting for the next available one I stated my need.  She said that she couldn't help me with the promised email, so she sent me to another department.

After a long wait, I got to talk with a guy that could help me.  He did say that there was no way to send an email, but he would stay on the line and help me log into NBA.com and link my account.  He sent me down the wrong path where I set up my TWC On Demand for my laptop, but that was okay because now that is set up.  We backed up to the right place and went to create a NBA.com account.  When I went to set up a new account there, it said that my email was already in use.  I guess I already had an account there, but of course I didn't remember my login info.  I did the "reset password" procedure and was able to log into the account and link the NBA League Pass.

The linking of the account did produce an email with links and instructions, so that may be what the guy meant last night.

The guy (still on the phone) waited until I downloaded the app on my Kindle and got that running, which was nice.

I still don't know if it will work when I need it to because . . .

NBA League Pass is free for the first week and doesn't require a login.

gyso

Correction: Free trial is from Oct. 28 thru Nov. 4.

http://www.nba.com/leaguepass/?cid=EMA_NBA_freetrialoffer_offers_102814

gyso

I've used Wizwig this pre-season and found it be OK.

just make sure you have good virus protection running , as some of the feeds had malware there and may cause your virus scanners to go off.

seemed like the feeds with the best picture had more of the annoying popups that you need to find the smaller "x" on to get rid of (if you click the bigger "x" get ready for your virius protection to hit high gear from a "attack'.

it's eay and despite what the malware on the site tells you, you don't need to download anything (my advice is DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANYTHING THERE AT ALL).

I have two different virus/malware dedction/cleaning programs on my laptop.

I hope it works as well in the regular season, becasue my only chnace at seeing the Cletics will be when they play the Bullets......er...the Wizards.

From tonight's game:

http://www.wiz1.net/schedule

http://live.drakulastream.eu/

Just accidentally found a much cheaper way to get NBA Season's Pass. A few months ago I signed up for Fox Sports 2 for $8.99 a month so I could watch Mike Francesa's WFAN show, some of which is on the free Fox Sports 1 channel but some of it is on Fox Sports 2 which you have to pay for. I just called Time Warner and asked to add NBA Season's Pass tonight, was willing to pay the $199, and they told me I already had it because I was paying for Fox Sports 2 (which they called the "Sports Package" even though that's the only sports channel I am paying for). I found that hard to believe because it is so much cheaper - $54 for six months to get me to the end of the basketball season as opposed to $199 for the Season's Pass fee but incredibly I do have it as I can see all of today's games so far. Can't believe it.

Glad not to have to pay $199 and very happy to only pay $8.99 a month for Fox Sports 2 which now amazingly gets me every NBA game for the regular season.

Check it out guys. You could save almost $150 that way.

By the way, if you sign up for Fox Sports 2 just to see if you also get all the NBA games too and you don't, just cancel Fox Sports 2 and you only get charged for one day (about .30). But I'm getting all the games without having to pay the $199, and just paying $8.99 a month.

steve3344,

NBA League pass is free until Nov. 4th. It is a free trial period. Please write back on the 5th and let us know if it is still working for you.

If it sounds too good to be true . . .

gyso

Here are some streams that work for me in Europe:
http://goatd.net/
http://www.ifeed2all.eu/type/football.html
http://live.drakulastream.eu/
I can only second  kdp59's advice, do not download any other programs or gadgets from these sites!

gyso wrote:
From tonight's game:

http://www.wiz1.net/schedule

http://live.drakulastream.eu

Sam,

This post is for you, but it could also be relevant for others as well.

Most hotels now have a modern wide screen TV, around 32" for the standard rooms and sometimes larger for the executive (or better, more pricier) rooms.  These TVs have many inputs, one of which is an HDMI input.  Your laptop, if it was made this century, should have an HMDI output.  You can take your laptop into any local Best Buy and ask the nice people there if it does.  If it does, you can buy a cheap 6' or 8' HDMI cable.  Don't let them talk you into buying one of the gold-plated versions, it is not necessary for the task.

Once you get back to the hotel, look at the back or side of the TV.  You nay need a flashlight and/or reading glasses to read the small, low contrast print.  There should be a few options there; HDMI1, HDMI2, HDMI3, for instance.  Plug one end of the cable into the lowest number option (any will do, I just use the lowest one available) and the other end into your laptop.  Look at your remote. It should have a button labeled, INPUT.  If you press that button, you will see the list of inputs.  Scroll down using the arrow buttons on the remote and pick (ie: press the SELECT button in the middle of the arrow buttons?) the HDMI input that you plugged the cable into.  I usually have my laptop up and running when I do this.

What this does is take the small little box on your laptop that the game shows up on (unwatchable, IMO) and makes it bigger on the hotel TV.  It makes it the size of a 19-20" TV, if you don't maximize the window on your laptop.  If you maximize it, it gets too fuzzy to watch the games.  The room I stayed in in PA, the Red Roof Inn in Wilkes-Barre (Always Pet Friendly!!) had the desk right next to the TV, so it was very convenient.  The room that I stayed in near Syracuse wasn't so convenient, so I used a wireless mouse and keyboard and placed my laptop on the dresser next to the TV.

Not only does this allow you to see the games in a watchable size, you can also watch other things on the hotel room TV that you may subscribe to, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, TWC On Demand, etc.  Anything that you can do with a laptop you can see on the TV, only bigger!!

I included the two links from the previous post because I've found that both of them are acceptable.  I use wizywig and BobH uses Dracula.  Both of them try to make you watch advertisements.  If you hit something by mistake and another tab opens up, just close the new tab.  In wizywig, eventually, a very tiny "x" will show up in the middle of the view screen.  Pick that and the ads go away.

To navigate between the Game On! thread tab and the streaming tab, just pick the tab you want to be in.  In other words, don't minimize one and maximize the other, just pick the tabs.

I think I have covered everything, but there are usually things that I haven't considered, like how this may work on a Apple.

I hope that this will allow you to actually see the games in an acceptable manner while you are on your trip.  Don't forget to wave as you pass through Charlotte.  I will send you my address in a PM, just in case you plan to stop over in Charlotte going north or south.  If a game coincides with a stopover in the Charlotte area, you and Sally are welcome to come over to our house and watch it there.

gyso

Here's a link to watch the Maine Red Claws and other NBA-DL games.

http://dleague.nba.com/schedule/

I think you can just scroll down to the current day and press "WATCH GAME" once it has started. It has not been tested, so if anyone has any success with the link, let us know!

I stole this link (more of less) from a post that Swish made about a recent Red Claw game, thanks Swish!!

Go Red Claws!!

I had been streaming games for free for quite awhile. You can definitely do it, but it is a pain in the ass to avoid all the pop ups and downloads. Then sites are shut down. Worst of all, your computer can become infected if you accidentally allow a download (which is not so hard to to do). Finally broke down to buy the league pass for my PC, and I love it. The quality of the stream is excellent, you can always choose the home or away feed so you can hear Mike, Tommy and/or Scal. I bought the cheaper one, for PC only, and then just watch on TV via an HDMI cable.

All in all, if you can afford it, its worth it.

wiziwig is no longer an option it seems:

Today is a sad day for all fans of live sports streaming, as we at Wiziwig have to announce that we're forced to close our website, at least for now. This due to new laws in Spain which will get into force starting tomorrow, the 1st January 2015. Failing to comply with the new reform puts us at risks of fines being as high as € 600.000,- and also losing our domain, hosting and other necessary stuff to operate wiziwig.