If you’ve watched a Nets game on YES Network, you’ve probably seen those dramatic commercials starring Donny Marshall, a backpack, and Fox Sports GO. But while you probably understand what Marshall and backpacks are all about, you might not be so well versed in Fox Sports GO, which is a pretty useful app. So here’s a quick primer.
Fox Sports GO allows anyone with a subscription to Cablevision/Optimum, DirecTV, and Time Warner Cable in the New York market to watch Nets games — or anything on YES Network (sans Yankees games) and a bunch of FOX channels — live on iPhone, iPad, Android, Android TV, Fire tablets and Fire phones, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, some Windows devices, and online. (Sorry, Comcast users: you’re still blacked out.)
Setting it up is simple: just download the free app (or go online), enter your television credentials, find YES Network among the list of stations, and tap the live game you want to watch.
That’s also even if you’re out of your home or out of market entirely. I’ve watched Nets games on the app while visiting family in Boston without any issues. It should be noted that games are blacked out if you’re in the opponent’s market; i.e. if the Nets were playing the Celtics while in Boston, I’d have to find another way to catch the game.
When I used it, the stream was pretty solid and in HD, though obviously that depends on your wifi or signal strength. (The stream can reach up to 4 MBPS; if you’re worried about data, you can set the stream only to play over WiFi.) It would occasionally dip down to SD to catch up. I’d also estimate it was about a minute behind TV, so you might want to wait until commercials to check Twitter for updates.
The demand for streaming services has increased in recent years as television — and life in general — has shifted towards on-demand services and unbundled cable packages. The NBA itself plans to launch an over-the-top streaming service with ESPN to stream NBA games live, which was announced when the two companies extended their agreement into 2025 in the insane TV deal that will spike the salary cap. NBA League Pass also allows you to stream out-of-market games, though it’s a more expensive option that covers more teams.
The Nets have struggled to open the season for the fourth consecutive season, this time a 9-23 start. But there’s some intriguing things to watch in the new year: Thaddeus Young is in the midst of the best season of his career, Nets wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Wayne Ellington have begun hitting shots, Shane Larkin has levitation powers, and Nets rookie Chris McCullough recently returned to practice for the first time. Or maybe you’re curious to see how many games the Nets can lose after leading by double digits. Either way, now you know how to do it on the go in time for the new year.
Disclosure: The Brooklyn Game is an exclusive partner to YES Network covering the Brooklyn Nets.
Update: This article originally stated that anything on YES Network would be available through Fox Sports GO. Yankees games are not available through the streaming service. TBG apologizes for the error.
