Channels & viewing

[alom22]

Hello all, I'm wondering if anyone can walk me through a workaround for this situation. I have Verizon Fios for cable and internet. When I login through a Roku app to a channel that I have on my Verizon cable (like ESPN) and I go through the espn.com/activate screen to enter the randomly generated code to confirm my access, I am assuming it defaults to my cable subscription to view ESPN. However, I do not subscribe to the local sports channel and some other specific channels. My dad gets these channels with his own Verizon Fios at his house, however when he comes to stay with us, he isn't given the option to login to his Fios account because it defaults to my account.

I know you can set the Roku to guest mode but that essentially restores the device to default settings and is a bit of a pain to walkthrough each time it would be needed.

Does anyone know if this is because my Roku is connected to the Fios internet that is bundled with the cable provider? Is there any work around for this, besides trying to use a different wireless network? Thanks in advance. 

[BillieAnnie]

So you must be referring to the ESPN channel for Roku. I use this channel with my YouTube TV. There are two sign in options for ESPN. One is for ESPN with a TV provider and one for ESPN+. Those are entirely different subscriptions. So your father has ESPN as part of his tv package? Just log in. But this isn’t a Roku issue. It doesn’t default to any provider. You have to find your provider and select it. You said Fios but Fios is just internet. Does your father actually pay for cable TV? Does your father have Verizon Fios internet and TV?

[alom22]

Thanks for the response, Sorry I wasn't clear but ESPN app on Roku isn't the issue. I was just using that as an example. The app that is the issue is MASN which is the local channel for Baltimore and DC baseball. I am not a subscriber for MASN on my cable service but my dad is. But when he goes to login to the MASN app on his Roku, he goes to the masn.com/connect (or whatever it is) and when he is asked "Who is your cable provider?" and he selects "Verizon Fios", the screen loads for a few seconds and then states "you are not a subscriber to this channel". He is never given the option to login through his own credentials. Hope this clarifies. Thanks.

[BillieAnnie]

Still not really following you. So this is the MASN Everywhere channel for Roku correct? So your father has the MASN channel as part of his Verizon Fios cable tv package? There is also MASN and MASN 2. Does it work when logging in through a phone or computer? This isn’t a Roku issue. You can ask Verizon. Do you and your father live in the same zip code?

[alom22]

Yes, the MASN Everywhere app is the one. My dad subscribes to MASN and MASN 2 at his house with his own Verizon Fios (VF) Cable and VF Internet. I have my own VF Internet and VF cable where I do NOT subscribe to MASN or MASN2.

The Roku device is connected to my house's VF Wi-fi. We are attempting to go through the link.masnlivestream.com connection portal on my dad's phone's cellular connectivity (so there is no Wi-fi involved on the phone.) The connection portal site asks for your cable provider (my dad selects Verizon Fios) and then asks for the VF username and password. He enters his credentials and the next screen says "You are not authenticated to view this channel"

So I am assuming what is happening is that the Roku device is connected to my VF router and VF Wi-Fi network, which must also be sharing the fact that the house's VF cable subscription does not include certain channels. I am assuming that connecting the Roku device to a different Wi-Fi network that is not connected to my VF account would allow him to login through his cable provider but...I don't have that option at my house unless I purchase a separate hotspot or something. Just seems like this is a beneficial feature of the Roku (automatically sync your cable subscriptions to your Roku device through the Wi-Fi connection) however in this case (guest staying at house wants to view his channels) it is holding him back from doing that.

Thanks!

[alom22]

Yes we do live in the same ZIP code, and I will reach out to Verizon to see what they can do on their end.

Thanks for all the help!

[BillieAnnie]

@alom22 @This isn’t a Roku issue. Usually you’re able to login to third-party apps if your cable TV provider has that network. Such as in your fathers case. Which basically means he should be able to login to just about any Netwerk third-party app using his TV provider credentials. Can he do this on his phone or computer? Can you do it? I use YouTube TV for my Roku. Try logging into MESN on your laptop using your fathers credentials. This has nothing to do with your home network or anything. Contact Verizon. See what the about log into 3rd party apps i involves. Did you try other networks That is included in your fathers cable TV package? Like ABC, CBS, NBC or something else.