NESN 360 In-Market Streaming Service Has One Major Issue for Boston Red Sox and Bruins Fans
Last week, NESN became the first regional sports network (RSN) to offer an in-market streaming service. The new streamer, NESN 360, offers live access to NESN and NESN+ to customers in the New England market.
At $29.99 per month or $329.99 for the annual subscription, it is pricey but it’s cheaper than if you signed up for a streaming bundle from DIRECTV STREAM or fuboTV. DIRECTV STREAM’s monthly plan costs $89.99 per month, while fuboTV requires a $70 per month plan plus the $8.99 RSN add-on fee.
But, unlike those services it is missing one key feature: You can’t use it if you leave the New England market.
One of the benefits of services like DIRECTV STREAM and fuboTV is that your RSNs come with you as you travel. That means that if your home is in New England, but you happen to be in Florida on vacation, you would still be able to watch a Boston Red Sox or Boston Bruins game.
With NESN 360 you can only use the service when you are actually in the New England market. The app will give you an error that says “Oops! Your Travel Limit Has Been Reached” if you venture outside of the region. While you could use MLB.TV in that case since you would then be out-of-market, that would mean you would need another $24.99 per month subscription to watch games while you travel.
It’s not clear if this is going to be the case for other in-market streaming services that are reportedly coming soon. The NESN 360 experience is very different than for cable and satellite subscribers who use TV Everywhere apps for RSNs like the Bally Sports App and MSG GO. Those work whether you are in your home market or are traveling outside of it.
Last month, Sinclair Broadcasting Group announced their forthcoming direct-to-consumer sports streamer Bally Sports+ would launch with a $19.99 per month and $189.99 per year price point. The service will allow fans access to stream NBA, NHL, and select MLB teams on their Bally Sports RSN in their local markets.
Chicago's Marquee Sports Network and New York's MSG Network have plans to launch a local streaming service, but they won’t come until the end of the year.