I cut the cord with cable a long time ago. It’s been a great experience for me, and an amazing money saver to boot. I wrote about how to cut the cord with cable and how I’m using my Roku and PlayOn TV to watch the shows I want to see. While it isn’t perfect and doesn’t cover every network and every show, it covers everything I care about except some sports. Not anymore. The online streaming of ABC changed on January 6, and now you need to sign in to your cable provider to watch new shows via the ABC app.
I have a major philosophical issue with this, as ABC is network television and meant to be free tv. When you stream ABC on the abc.go app, you have to watch commercials. In fact, you watch a lot of commercials. There are at least six commercial breaks in an hour long show, one before the show starts and five throughout the episode, and you cannot fast forward through them or change apps on your tablet or phone to avoid them. You’re pretty much forced to watch them, unlike when I used to use my VCR to tape show or even my DVR where I could fast forward.
Apparently ABC has decided that they aren’t making enough money from the commercials, and now you have to have an affiliation with an approved cable provider to use the ABC app. Whether it’s because they can’t charge enough per viewing of the commercials online or their shows cost too much to make and license or some other problem altogether, address that root cause. This is not the answer. Within two days, the abc.go app already had over 3,000 one star reviews. They updated it to fix some (not insignificant) bugs, and already there are almost 1,500 1 star reviews compared to 14 five star reviews. That should tell you something there.
My personal opinion aside, this is the reality at the moment. ABC follows the trend set by Fox and CBS in making this change, as Fox has long required you to provide your cable provider to watch recent shows (but I’ll be honest, there aren’t any Fox shows I watch, so I sort of hadn’t cared). CBS has been late to the game in providing online streaming, and again there aren’t any CBS shows I’m interested in watching primarily because they haven’t streamed shows in the past. While CBS doesn’t require you (yet) to have a cable subscription, they simply don’t load shows to their app until a week has passed, which is essentially the same result. NBC, however, still keeps free tv as free tv for all, not just those who are (over?)paying for cable with select providers. For now. You know it’s a matter of time, right?
ABC? If you’re listening, I have a message for you. There are some shows that I’m willing to wait to watch, but not many. And those are only the shows that I currently watch and love, which is down to four (yep, just four) right now. Three I’ll wait to watch, but the fourth? Nope. So that means you just lost a viewer.
When they go off the air, I won’t be searching for new ABC shows to replace them. I’ll find other ways to spend my time, and that’s fewer eyeballs you’ll have anywhere. You can’t stop the tide of change. People simply don’t sit down on a Thursday night to watch live television anymore. More and more of us are cutting the cord with cable for a variety of reasons. If you want to retain a fraction of your viewership, this is a decision you need to seriously revisit.
So what’s up with the new ABC app? I’ve been exploring and testing and playing with it for awhile, and I at least have some answers to what you can and can’t do.
ABC App FAQ – what you can and can’t do with ABC.go
Can I just not update the abc.go app and keep watching my shows?
Nope. When you open the app anytime after January 6, you receive the message that this version of the app is no longer supported and that you have to update the app. You can either choose to not update it and simply not stream ABC anymore, or you can update it with the new restrictions.
If I don’t have cable, can I watch nothing?
Fortunately, no. I have a feeling there would be some regulatory involvement if the networks made all their shows pay only. Shows are available for select cable subscribers the day after they air. They are then available to everyone one week after they air. So if you’re up for watching Grey’s Anatomy seven days after it airs, you can still do so.
How do I know what I can view if I don’t have an approved cable plan?
When you open the app and view the television shows, episodes that are in their “protected period” will have a bar across them “VERIFY TO VIEW.” If you click on one, it will ask you to sign in with an approved cable subscription. These shows will also list how long until the protected period expires so you know when you can come back to watch it without a subscription.
The show I want to watch is expiring soon. That’s not fair!
From what I can see, shows will be uploaded for streaming twice. The protected period upload will have the one week countdown and the verified requirement. Once that period has passed, the episode will be pulled and reuploaded with for streaming accessible to everyone. Those shows will have no notifications on them, and they don’t state when they will expire. Typically, five episodes (including the protected viewing episodes, if any) are available at any given time, but sometimes there are fewer or (rarely) more.
If I have cable, am I set to watch just like I did before?
Only if you are lucky enough to live where the cable provider has partnered with ABC. Right now, only some providers are participating, though this may change going forward. For ABC, if you have a cable subscription with AT&T U-verse, Charter, Cox, Google fiber, Midcontinent Communications, Optimum, Verizon FiOS, or Xfinity, you are set. If you have any other provider, you’re out of luck. That includes major cable providers like Time Warner, as well as Dish and Direct TV.
How do I log in if I have a subscription with one of the participating cable providers?
Click on any episode that has VIEW TO VERIFY on it. That will take you to the list of cable partners. Select your cable provider, which will open a new page where you enter your credentials. Once you’ve signed in, it should take you back to the show you wanted to view and keep you logged in going forward. That said, it doesn’t (yet) work perfectly. You may need to close the app and reopen it before it accepts your login.
If I stream television via Roku or Apple TV, can I watch ABC protected view episodes?
Yes… and no. If you had access to ABC streaming to your television via a third party provider previously, you may be able to. Hulu+ subscribers can still watch the recent episodes part of the subscription, for example. If you watch them using Hulu without upgrading (which I do – or did), you can sign in to your AT&T U-verse, Cox, Optimum, or Verizon and watch current episodes. Not that Comcast’s Xfinity is not on that list, though it is a partner with the Watch ABC app, which means that I’m out of luck. PlayOn TV does not currently have a way to provide a username and password for a cable provider to allow you to access those channels, though that coding may change going forward. There are other channels where PlayOn TV already allows login access.
If I don’t have an approved cable subscription, can I still watch my daily shows?
Here lies a big flaw in the setup. ABC protects daily shows like The View or General Hospital for seven days, just like other shows. And typically, they only retain five episodes at a time. If you don’t have a cable subscription, ABC deletes episodes are completely before the protected period ends, and you simply can’t watch them.
What if I want to watch ABC live on the ABC app?
Do it on your television, or set up your old-fashioned VCR to record. If you want to watch ABC live on your device, you must have a subscription to a cable partner. Otherwise, you’re out of luck.
The message? Television is currently trying to maintain the status quo. They want people to watch shows live. They want the current cable empire to continue as is. That isn’t where the world is moving. ABC’s online streaming is just the latest fallout as networks and other companies navigate the constantly changing landscape. Will this stick? I sincerely hope not, but it’s what we have to deal with today.
Want change? Speak up. Talk to ABC. Email to regulators. Call your cable company. Make noise and make your voice heard. So many people simply deleted the ABC app and won’t watch the network at all. Those actions speak loudest because they affect companies in the pocketbook. When they don’t get ad revenue from the eyeballs that don’t watch their streaming shows, that hurts them.
What about families who live in the country and have an outdoor antennae? This handle seems fair.
It isn’t just people in the country who have outdoor antennae. I choose not to have cable and use my antenna. I’m with you, and we’re not alone!
I canceled my $120 a month Comcast / Infinity bill last year and have been casting my favorite shows using the network websites and Google Chromecast. So with ABC’s new policy, I have found that all I have to do is plug in a neighbor or friend’s username & password for their TV provider and then I can still watch the ABC shows 24 hrs later. If your PC won’t let you put in someone else’s ID’s, just delete your history, then go back and enter their info (it works).
Technically, you could do this, but it isn’t something that I’m comfortable doing – and I wouldn’t share my password with a neighbor either. This doesn’t really solve the issue but rather kicks the can down the road. Me? I want to see true change and solutions.
I think they would be better served if we could pay for an ABC/ABC family subscription. I would be willing to pay a small fee a month to watch my shows, but Cable takes my bill from 0-$98… No thank you!
Frustrating, isn’t it? I know there are many who would be willing to pay for that. I’m not willing to pay for network shows, but cable shows? Absolutely!
Thank you for your post. Evidently ABC is wanting to lose customers. I too cut the strings and just use an antenna. I went in today to catch yesterday’s GH and found out I can watch it in one week….great, that’s a big help. I’ll just catch it today … really not that big a deal, but I’m sick of us with less getting bilked by the big service providers. They started charging to read my local paper online too, so I proceeded to sit down and contact all their advertisers, asking them if they weren’t paying the paper enough money in advertising for them to let us “poor folk” read. You have to protest to get things done….or at least attempt to get them done. Excellent post thought, thanks for sharing. Guess time to catch up on House of Cards on Net Flix. 🙂 Thanks for your time.
While I don’t watch a lot of the current shows, one that I always fit into my schedule is ABC’s The Goldbergs. I watch it during its normal time slot and set the DVR in the event that I am not home. However, one of my friends loves the show and does not have a DVR. She missed last week’s episode and has to wait until Wednesday (01/29) before it is available since one of the main cable providers isn’t listed (Suddenlink).
Why is it that 8 days is the time frame they allow before a non-verified account can watch the content online? Why not just wait 24-48 hours? On the other hand, had this been a brand new show, without any following, the network runs the risk of people who are not cable subscribers forgetting about a show all together if they have to week 8 days. Interestingly enough, TV Land’s content is online now without any additional verification required. I would have thought Viacom would have done something like this but as of yet they have not.
Although I am generally able to watch The Goldbergs during its first run broadcast, if I am out of town or the DVR doesn’t work, I would also like to have an alternative to watch the show. Ultimately, I think ABC will have to re-adjust and fine tune this plan if they want it to work long term.
I think another commenter earlier clarified it beautifully. It’s all about the money, sadly. That said, I do feel like this is going to backfire, as the tide has turned already against traditional tv watching and cable is starting to see enough of a loss in subscribers, as well, that this will have an impact on how many people watch ABC as a network (I hope?). Ultimately, I agree with you. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later!
Okay so I don’t have hulu plus (do have a hulu account) and i went to ABCfamily trying to watch episodes that Aired Weeks ago. Not just a week ago but weeks ago. Im just wondering why i can no longer have access to these shows (i watch on my laptop). Maybe you can provide some insight. Specifically I’m referring to a show Pretty Little liars. There is an episode that aired on 1/07/14 yet it still ask me to provide cable information to watch it. I am very confused! Any insight?
Hi, So I have a question as I am new to this whole roku thing.
So, I am trying to watch dance moms on lifetime and I have to sign in to watch, but when I do it says user unauthorized, I have also cancelled my cable, so is that why it will not allow me to watch the latest episode???
Thanks for any advise/help
Follow the money trail. Just like everything else.. Why do many teachers and the NEA hate homeschool families and private school families, they pull money out of the PS system. Why do congressmen vote the way they do? B/C they have to answer to their real constituents, the people who pay them (lobbyists) so they can get reelected. WHy did ABC push it back a week? Cable companies are losing too much business to the web and want people to have to wait. American’s are such instantaneous whiners that if we can’t watch our stupid tv show right now, we might give up and order Cable for some ridiculous amount of money each month… All part of the American dream.
just wanted to share a link to a petition i started to encourage abc to make their shows available to everyone again https://www.change.org/petitions/abc-please-make-watchabc-available-to-all-fans-so-we-can-watch-shows-when-we-miss-them-due-to-work-please-keep-the-fans-in-mind-and-please-change-this
I agree with all of you I can’t watch CBS on my lap top when I try it freezes up. I could watch until a few days ago now it won’t let me blah.
What a morbid surprise I just got! It is 3:36 am, I have completed my homework and thought that I would relax with an episode of General Hospital only to find out the ABC has teamed up with “pay for your subscription companies”. This sucks! I study hard all week, sometimes all month long and the minute I decide to enjoy a little bit of my time I find out that I cannot. Well CBS, here I come.
Network television viewing should be free…
So, what’s to stop me from using somebody else’s login I.D.? If they’re willing to share it, of course.
Right now, nothing, although I’ve read that the powers that be are looking to limit how often and where a login can be used. It’s not the route I’m pursuing, as I’d rather fix the issue entirely rather than put a Band Aid on it. And … it’s not the right thing to do.