Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

A year ago, I posted about our decision to dump our cable provider in favor of a completely streaming profile.

Overall, this has been a great success. We’ve saved money (over two grand a year). We’ve found that there is a ton of terrific content out there that is available either for binge-fests or weekly installment viewing. We’ve been able to tailor or subscriptions to match more closely our TV and movie predelictions.

All has not been rosy, though. Some networks (cough cough cbs cough) think they’re all that and a bag of chips, and worthy of a subscription all on their own (they’re not). Many others have apps and services, but require a cable or satellite provider to view content, even though they broadcast free over the airwaves.

And then there is the world of sports.

I’m not a sports junkie, but sometimes I feel compelled to watch a Seahawks or Mariners game. For this, I have to put a digital antenna in the window to pick up local broadcasts. Reception is spotty, but the occasional signal breakup is only a minor annoyance so, for me, the lack of sports coverage wasn’t a big deal.

Cue the Olympics.

Aaaaaugh!

There is only one sport I love to watch, and it’s curling. I cannot adequately tell you why; maybe it’s because it looks like something I could do without spending fourteen hours a day in the gym, or because it’s a game where men and women could pretty much compete head-to-head, or because it’s still pretty much a game of amateurs, or because the level of required precision simply boggles my mind. Doesn’t matter why, really. I love it, and ever since we lost access to Canadian CBC television (years ago), the Olympics is my only chance to watch it.

Except NBC has locked it up behind cable provider sign-in requirements.

Aaaaaugh!

Thankfully, I have a workaround. One of the best things about living in a streaming-only world is this: I can subscribe to something for a month, and then cancel.

Hahahahah! Gotcha!

Hulu offers a “Live TV” upgrade, which not only allows me access to live programming on all the cable channels in my area, but also gives me fifty hours of “Cloud DVR” storage. The cost? Only $20 more than I currently pay for commercial-free Hulu.

Other streaming providers (e.g., Sling, Vudu, etc.) have similar offerings, and if you’re not a current subscriber, you could even go with a 7- or 14-day trial and watch most of the Olympics for free, but I decided to go for the easy shot and stick with a provider I know.

So, for the next two weeks or so, I’m going to completely O.D. on curling. Mixed doubles—new to this Olympics—is a ton of fun, with a house filled with rocks until about mid-game when the gloves come off. It has more strategy, more precision, and that means more drama. And mixed doubles is in addition to the regular men’s/women’s team contests coming up later. Bliss!

Who knows? I may even continue with the service afterward. The Cloud DVR and access to some of the snootier network content could make it worth the money.

See you on the far side.

k