Some DIRECTV subscribers have to find another way to watch the NFL Playoffs this weekend.
DIRECTV has no plans to offer a national network feed to air the NFL playoffs this weekend in place of blacked out Tegna-owned local channels.
“We are interested in working with the networks to obtain national feeds in situations where a local broadcast affiliate might be blacking out our customers, and have previously tested signals to ensure delivery, but nothing more,” a DIRECTV spokesperson told Cord Cutters News via email.
This comes amid the cable TV company’s dispute with broadcaster Tegna which began when Tegna declined DIRECTV’s offer to make locals à la carte channels not part of the base package.
The ongoing disagreement has resulted in 64 Tegna-owned local TV stations going dark on DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-Verse, including TV stations in 51 U.S. markets. As of December, Rob Thun, chief content officer for DIRECTV, told Cord Cutters News that the two sides were “extremely far apart.”
Earlier this month, Tegna renewed its affiliation agreement with Comcast-owned NBC for 20 of its stations. The deal applies to markets that cover more than 21 million households.
Over the last few years, cable TV blackouts have increased in frequency and are likely to become even more common in the future as more people move away from cable to streaming services.
In addition, local TV stations are demanding more money from cable companies to make up for low ad revenue.
Since the start of 2020, feuds between cable providers have resulted in 83 TV blackouts. Last year alone, viewers lost channels amid bitter disagreements between DIRECTV and Nextar as well as Spectrum and Disney.
If you’re looking for a way to watch this weekend’s games, DIRECTV’s spokesperson said NBC is streaming all three of its games live on Peacock, which is available through the cable TV provider. In addition, CBS is streaming the games through Paramount+, and Fox Sports will likely stream the matches on FoxSports.com as well as the Fox Sports app. Monday’s game will also air on ESPN.
The news was reported earlier by The TV Answer Man.
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