College Football Kickoff: The Streaming Service Scramble

I don't normally use live streaming services -- what could be called "streaming cable" but is technically called "vMVPD" (Virtual multichannel video programming distributors) -- during the year. This changes during the fall. I am a big fan of college football, and am looking forward to the 2024 season.

With games beginning this weekend, I have a decision to make: Which streaming service to watch sports channels?

One option is on hold now: Venu Sports has been prevented from launching. That leaves some other options, and I'll look at those now.

• Sling TV: This has been my go-to service for sports for one simple reason: cost. Sling Orange is $40/month. That includes ESPN and ESPN2. Additional ESPN channels are available with the $11 Sports Extra, bringing the cost up to $51/month. To get the Fox Sports channels on Sling TV, the base cost is $55/month, and the Sports Extra adds another $15 to that cost, meaning $70 for all the sports. Since I have AirTV and an antenna, I get local channels with Sling, right in the app. If I add ESPN Plus, that's another $11, bringing it to $81.
• YouTube TV: This is probably the best vMVPD/streaming cable service. It's certainly the most popular. At $73/month, it's more than the Sling Orange+Blue package, but it includes local channels. If I didn't have an antenna to watch the broadcast networks, this would be the go-to service. Oh, and since I need ESPN Plus, the total actually will be $84/month.
• Hulu Plus Live TV: At $77/month, this is even more than YouTube TV. However, I already have Hulu anyway, meaning the net cost is only $69/month, the difference between standard Hulu and Hulu Plus Live TV. ESPN+ and Disney Plus make this a viable option.
• Fubo: At $80 for the Pro plan, this is the second most costly service. Price is a factor with me, and I can get what I want cheaper. Fubo is a good service, but for my needs, it's overpriced. Add the $11 for ESPN Plus and it's just not feasible.
• DirecTV Stream: At $106, this is the most costly service. The cost is driven primarily by the regional sports networks (RSNs) which aren't important to me. For that reason, I'm going with cheaper services. Adding $11 for ESPN Plus bring it to $117/month. That's too much for what I want.

So, which is my service of choice? Which service will I choose by noon tomorrow when the season kicks off?

I was going to say Sling TV, but YouTube TV is a better service for $3/more. And then Hulu is actually the cheapest because I'm already paying $8/month for standard Hulu. Adding the Live TV option gives me everything I need for only $69 more, which is $1 less than Sling TV, and $4 less than YouTube TV. Plus it adds ESPN Plus, which is another bonus.

There is a downside to Hulu Plus Live TV. Sometimes on weekends, I am away from home, and Hulu doesn't always let me watch Hulu Plus Live TV at another residence. YouTube TV has the same downside, unless I connect the device to my network, then take it to the other network to watch it. Sling TV doesn't have this problem.

What all this boils down to is that I may not watch football this weekend. Yes, there are some games, but not many, and I may have other things going on. So, it may be that it's next week before I make my decision. My Streaming Life involves college football during the fall, and it's nice to have options on how to fulfill that.