DirecTV had basically an entire decade to sort out their dispute. PAC-12 Network had named their price, and DirecTV told them how much they were willing to pay. Neither side was willing to come to the middle to make it work. Think of how many football and basketball games I missed in ten years of inertia, staying with satellite TV long after it really stopped serving my needs. I've been testing the waters to see whether I was ready to drop it since the beginning of summer. I got advice from friends and family. I listened to a sales pitch from the service that our city internet provider partnered with. And it all came down to PAC-12 Network.
The sales pitch I heard today was ludicrous. I won't name the company, because honestly, there are people who would benefit from their services, and I won't place shame upon them. But they wanted to charge me a wad of cash up front to install an exterior antenna, then put in a box for me to stream Sling. And I mean a lot of money, for things I should be able to accomplish myself. Once I was off the phone, I set about researching just how much I would save by doing the same steps without a service tech. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $700. So I did that. Part of it, anyway. I went ahead and signed up for Sling, got the additional sports package for PAC-12, and put the app on my iPad. So far, with their introductory rate, I spent $21. I'll see about an antenna for local channels tomorrow, for somewhere between about $15 - 60, depending on what looks good to me. The only way I could approach the cost the service would have been would be if I got a newer television, because my 2017 Samsung doesn't have access to the right apps. (I tried to load Apple TV while I was at it, and it needed to be 2018 or newer.) I might do it, but I have to think on it.
I've already watched my Buffaloes play their season opener on PAC-12. They won, and after a decade of frustration, I kind of feel like I did too. I'll call DirecTV to break up with them in the morning.
Can't share copyrighted material, so no game screenshots. Instead, here is the face of a girl who just ate her first (GF) vanilla wafer. She would like more, please.
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