Cutting The Cord: Disaster Edition Follow-Up - The Battle of the Cable Replacements

So since my last post I've embarked upon a mission to see what these Cable TV replacements could offer.  Here were the contenders:

PlayStation Vue wasn't even worth my time.  I tried to get on on their free preview weekend and it consistently didn't work.  A brief search showed that I wasn't the only one that had that problem.  Sony has some really wonky hangups depending on which Internet provider you have.  Even the PSN gives me issues a couple times a year.  I'm struggling to even call this a contender because frankly, this didn't even show up to play.  DISQUALIFIED!

Hulu Live was my first choice because I'm already a Hulu subscriber and it would be simple to add the Live TV option.  It would have been cost efficient since I'm not adding a new service; just expanding it (I'd be jumping from $12 to $40 but I'd get to try it for a week free).  It would have been convenient because Hulu is supported on pretty much every device I own.  But alas it was not meant to be.  Although the option for the upgrade was available I ran into my first hurdle: setting a default location.  This should have been foreshadowing for me but I remained hopeful. I managed to do it via the PC but it STILL didn't work.  So after a brief back and forth with customer support I got the news that it's not supported in the Virgin Islands.  DISQUALIFIED!

YouTube TV was my next stop.  I figured hey, they're developing a series as a sequel to the Karate Kid movies so I was looking to jump on YouTube Red anyway.  Like all these services they offer a one week trial.  It's $35 a month for their full package with isn't all that bad.  Well it's not YouTube Red but I did find out they shared a similar problem.  It's not available in the Virgin Islands.  DISQUALIFIED! (at least the app had the decency to tell me before I even tried to sign up)

Gotta give it to Sling TV, they gave me no issues signing up whatsoever.  I actually like Sling.  It has a decent selection of live channels, you can choose one of two packages (Sling Orange for $20 and Sling Blue for $25), you can combine both and save $5, and they have Add-On packages of extra stations. Keep in mind the more you add, the more it costs.  But if you get everything I think the price is $60. I'm currently on the 7 day trial and it has not been a bad experience.  Sling does have a couple issues though.  One of the biggies is that there's no CBS affiliate for them to use (they rely on what's local to get them).  It's really odd but if you want to add ABC you have to get the Broadcast Extra.  The premium channels cost about as much as their solo services (no need for me to drop HBO Now).  The Chromecast option is ATROCIOUS (as in it doesn't even work; not a biggie if you already have a device).  The search is okay but I can see it being a problem for people who aren't used to streaming services.  There's a learning curve there.  However, despite all of this I'm preemptively declaring Sling the WINNAH AND CHAMPEEEEEN!  The final contender, while not yet disqualified...y'know what?  I'll just get to it.

*sobbing* YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!  YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BRING BALANCE TO THIS FIGHT NOT LEAVE IT IN DARKNESS!

Okay, being serious again.  I had high hopes for DirecTV Now and it could have won because I know for a fact that the local AT&T is pushing this plan here.  So I get the app and start signing up.  Seems straightforward....until I get to billing.  It wouldn't take any of my credit cards and it won't take PayPal.  I keep getting a common error that a number of people online have complained about.  So I contact DirecTV Now Support on Twitter and I'm pretty sure I've been talking to a bot because the answers are sooo damn unhelpful.  However I did try signing in on a PC only to get that oh so familiar notice that the service isn't available here.  I'm looking for more info on it but for now I'm declaring DirecTV Now the grand LOSER of this competition.

There you have it, folks.  Have you had similar experiences?  Or maybe you know of a service I've missed?  Let me know in the comments.  Peace!