Update (5/21/2017): Of the four most recent errors I noted, only two have been
corrected as of 5/21/2017 (Bloomberg Television & Fuse). The chart still doesn’t have Fusion listed
(not sure why?) and more importantly, continues to list “Great America” as
available on DIRECTV NOW even though A) no such channel exists & B) If he
means Great American Country, that channel is not carried on DIRECTV NOW.
Update (5/15/2017): The three errors I initially reported below have all been corrected as of 5/15/2017. However, not surprisingly, there are other errors I found based on a quick inspection which are detailed below.
1-Bloomberg Television is listed as only available on Sling TV; it is
also available on both Vue & DIRECTV NOW:
Bloomberg Television
is listed as only available on Sling TV but it is available on two other
streaming services. PlayStation Vue
offers it in the Elite & Ultra packages (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/channels/,
use any zip code) and DIRECTV NOW on all 4 available packages (http://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/compare-packages-account.html). So here we have yet another case where the
guide has incorrect information regarding the availability of a channel on
multiple services.
Error
Corrected
2-Fusion is not listed in the guide despite being offered by multiple
streaming services?
Fusion, an
English-speaking channel owned by Univision that covers news, pop culture,
entertainment, etc., is available on multiple streaming services but is not
included in the guide. PlayStation Vue (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/channels/,
use any zip code) carries the channel in both its Elite & Ultra packages
while DIRECTV NOW carries Fusion on 3 of its 4 packages (http://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/compare-packages-account.html,
Just Right & higher). Now, one could
make the case that this isn’t a big deal because this is a niche channel only
carried by a few services. Fair enough,
except that there are multiple channels included in the guide that are only
carried by one streaming service such as Duck TV (what?), Esquire, and France 24. So why is Fusion not listed?
Error (below are pictured all channels that start with F)
3-Great American Country (GAC) is listed as being carried by
DIRECTV NOW but does not appear to be:
The guide has a channel
listed as “Great America” which appears to be Great American Country or GAC. This channel is listed as only being carried by DIRECTV NOW. However, this appears to
be incorrect. The current DIRECTV NOW
channel guide (available here)
does not show that channel on any of its four packages. Where is Cord Cutters News getting its
information that DIRECTV NOW carries Great American County?
Error
Corrected
4-Fuse is listed as only being carried by FuboTV but it is also
carried by DIRECTV NOW:
Fuse is listed as only
being carried by FuboTV, but this, not surprisingly, is also incorrect. DIRECTV NOW offers Fuse on three of its four
packages including Just Right, Go Big & Gotta Have It. Again, this information is easily verifiable
(Go here ------> http://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/compare-packages-account.html)
and points to the overall sloppiness & inaccuracy of this guide.
Error
Corrected
We've reached out to Cord Cutters News with these errors and will keep you posted if/when they are corrected.
Original post (5/13/2017):
Folks, if you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times. You can't believe everything you read on the internet. The latest example comes to us from the old reliable site that routinely publishes posts with false & misleading information, Cord Cutters News. The post is a comparison of the 6 currently available OTT streaming services (Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV NOW, YouTube TV, Hulu Live and FuboTV) which includes a large channel guide indicating which channels are available on each of the services. While we would give the site an "A" for effort (since this post actually has useful information compared to most of the other posts), it gets an "F" for accuracy. Below are 3 errors regarding the availability of specific channels from the channel guide and after each post is a screenshot of the error and how the chart should look in corrected form.
1-Comcast SportsNet is listed as not available on YouTube TV:
Comcast SportsNet, which I’m assuming represents CSN
& NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), is listed as not available on YouTube (i.e.
there is no “X” in the YouTube TV column), but CSN & NBC Sports RSNs are available on
that service, in applicable markets. Not only does the
YouTube TV homepage show the CSN logo (scroll all the way down to the bottom and the channels carried are listed under “What’s included for $35/month”), but the post itself even states “All 6 major streaming services
offer regional sports networks. Including CSN (being renamed NBC Sports
Networks) and Fox Sports Networks….” Additionally, this website confirms the specific RSN's that YouTube TV carries in its five current markets. Perhaps, this is just an oversight/typo?
Error
Corrected
2-MLB.TV is listed as being included in two streaming services (Vue & DIRECTV NOW):
MLB.TV is listed as a channel
carried by DIRECTV NOW & PlayStation Vue, but this is incorrect. MLB.TV is a streaming
service (not an individual linear TV channel) available for purchase ONLY on
MLB.com and is not included in any streaming service subscription; it is
included with the purchase of MLB Extra Innings but that service is only
available to purchase via cable/satellite operators. MLB.TV was also included for free to T-Mobile subscribers who selected the offer back in April (Note: for more info on MLB.TV, see our 2017 MLB Guide to Cord Cutting). In other words, one does not receive
access to MLB.TV (which costs anywhere from $87.49-$112.99/year) by purchasing
a subscription to any PS Vue or DIRECTV NOW package. It appears that the post meant the linear TV channel
MLB Network (MLBN) and not MLB.TV? If that is the case, it would be correct. But those are two completely different things (one is an independent streaming service, one a linear TV channel) and as the guide currently stands, it gives the (false) impression that you can receive access to MLB.TV by subscribing to a streaming service, which is false.
Error
Corrected
3-The YES network is listed as only available on two streaming services which it is available on all six.
The YES network is listed as
only available on DIRECTV NOW & FuboTV, but this, not surprisingly, is incorrect. It is available on all 6 streaming services including
Sling TV (http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-do-the-FOX-Regional-Sports-Networks-work),
PlayStation Vue (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/channels/,
use zip code 10001 & package Core or higher), YouTube TV (http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/youtube-tv/263523/youtube-tv-launches-in-select-markets-updated-with-regional-sports-networks)
and Hulu Live (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv,
use zip code 10001). This does not appear to be a typo as perhaps the other two errors are; it's just flat out wrong.
Error
Corrected
We've reached out to Cord Cutters News with these errors and will keep you posted if/when they are corrected. In the meantime, for the most accurate information regarding MLB and cord cutting, please see our 2017 MLB Guide to Cord Cutting which has the information you need regarding MLB and the various streaming services.
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