NCHC.tv vs Black Bear Nation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NCHC.tv
Stream live NCAA Division I men's ice hockey games and on-demand video content from all eight member schools. Stay updated with conference standings, social feeds, and feature stories to remain connected to college hockey.
- Live game streaming
- On-demand video content
- Conference standings
- Social feeds
- Feature stories
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NCHC.tv is the official digital video network of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, a NCAA Division I men's ice hockey conference. The app is a must have for any college hockey fan who wants to stay connected to the NCHC. It allows fans to watch exclusive live games (subscription required) and many more hours of video on-demand content from all eight member schools. Other great features like conference standings, social feeds, and feature stories are encompassed within the app. Stay connected with the best in college hockey through NCHC.tv. Please read the terms of use for subscriptions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Black Bear Nation
Stay connected with the University of Maine Black Bears. Access live scores, game stats, and play-by-play information. Engage with interactive social media streams and receive important news notifications.
- Interactive social media stream
- Live scores and stats
- Play-by-play game information
- Important news notifications
- Fan engagement tools
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University of Maine, in partnership with SIDEARM Sports is excited to bring you the Official (Maine)Black Bear Nation app that is a must-have for fans headed to campus or following the Black Bears from afar. With interactive social media, and all the scores and stats surrounding the game, the (Maine)Black Bear Nation app covers it all! Features Include: +SOCIAL STREAM - View social media content. +SCORES & STATS - All available scores, stats, and play-by-play information that fans need and expect during live game +NOTIFICATIONS - Receive notifications to let fans know important news
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Black Bear Nation at 4.8 against NCHC.tv's 1.7. Black Bear Nation also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). NCHC.tv's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. NCHC.tv sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $34.99 per month. Black Bear Nation asks for nothing beyond the download.
Black Bear Nation holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 106 and 28 respectively.
NCHC.tv ships an update monthly, Black Bear Nation every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NCHC.tv | Black Bear Nation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (106 ratings) | 4.8 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 7.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 106 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 272 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Collegiate Hockey Conference | University of Maine System |
Customer experience
NCHC.tv
Black Bear Nation
Bugs and requests
NCHC.tv
Reported bugs
45 issues- App crashes frequently
- Live games delayed significantly
- Video feed is laggy or frozen
- App does not load or open
- Casting to TVs is unreliable or not working
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- No HD streaming available
- Cannot rewind or fast-forward live games
- No dedicated app for Samsung TVs
- Login and account issues reported
- Customer service is unresponsive or unhelpful
- Streaming is inconsistent and cuts out
- Occasional audio problems
- Excessive and duplicate notifications
- Difficulty cancelling subscriptions
- Scores are not hidden when requested
- App starts games in the middle
- Feed is often bad and video quality poor
- App shows a white blank screen
- Apple TV app is awful
- Chromecast integration is problematic
- App won't stream from iPad to TV
- App plays wrong sport (basketball instead of hockey)
- App won't open on iPad Air after update
- App shows incorrect date
- Spinning wheel on startup
- Cannot log in, 'all fields required' error
- Browser issues (only works in Chrome, cuts out)
- Can't get app on Samsung TV
- Firestick stopped working
- Airplay not working for this app
- No audio for extended periods
- Previous version broke app on iOS 14
- Games cut out to black screen
- App doesn't work on iPad
- Media player is horrible
- Errors on multiple browsers/OS
- App doesn't work on Apple TV
- White screen, requires iPad reboot
- Doesn't work
- Feed loses connection, requires reconnect
- Cannot start from the beginning of a game
- Final score graphic cannot be turned off
- Error Code pop-ups when casting
- Constant feed interruptions and reloads
- App issues since Sidearm sports took over
Requested features
6 requests- Add live activities feature
- Better camera angles for goals/penalties
- Improved calendar/schedule layout
- Include player interviews/pressers
- Replace AI morning skate with human host
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- HD streaming option
Black Bear Nation
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NCHC.tv
- Subscription$34.991 Month
Black Bear Nation
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NCHC.tv free?
Is Black Bear Nation free?
Which has better reviews, NCHC.tv or Black Bear Nation?
Do NCHC.tv or Black Bear Nation have ads?
Which is updated more often, NCHC.tv or Black Bear Nation?
Other comparisons
