A sports town between two markets
Tiger-Cats games are carried on the national sports networks, so every Ticats game is in the guide from preseason to the Grey Cup. Forge FC, one of the most successful clubs in the Canadian Premier League, gives the city a second team to follow in summer.
Being this close to the border, a lot of Hamiltonians grew up watching Buffalo TV. The US section includes the major American networks in several city feeds, so NFL Sundays and Sabres games on American broadcasts are easy to find. And of course the Leafs, Raptors and Blue Jays are covered through the Canadian sports networks. Our NFL in Canada guide explains how football coverage works north of the border.
Older houses, thick walls, better Wi-Fi
Hamilton has a lot of beautiful century homes in neighbourhoods like Kirkendall, Durand and Westdale, with plaster and brick walls that are very good at stopping Wi-Fi. If the TV is two floors away from the router, buffering is almost guaranteed, whatever service you use. The fixes, in order of effectiveness:
- Run ethernet to the main TV. Even a long flat cable along a baseboard beats Wi-Fi.
- Use powerline adapters, which send network through your electrical wiring. Results vary in older homes.
- Install a mesh Wi-Fi system with a node on each floor.
Our buffering guide covers these in detail.
Internet in Hamilton
Bell and Rogers cover the city, with fibre increasingly common, and Cogeco serves neighbouring Burlington and parts of Halton. Independent providers offer cheaper plans on these networks. For IPTV, 50 Mbps comfortably handles two HD screens; if the house regularly runs three or four at once, aim for 100 Mbps or more.
Students and shared houses
With McMaster and Mohawk in town, many Hamilton houses are shared. A multi-screen plan works well here: each roommate gets their own login, streams don't interfere with each other, and the cost splits nicely. A five-screen yearly plan works out to $4.83 per person per month across five people. Make sure the house internet can handle everyone streaming at once in the evening.
Local news and the Golden Horseshoe
Hamilton's local news is part of the Canadian lineup, as are the Toronto stations that cover the wider Golden Horseshoe. Niagara and Buffalo coverage is there for anyone who crosses the border for shopping, sports or family.