Q. I’m a DIRECTV subscriber and I want to watch the Epix channel so I can watch the new Get Shorty (pictured above) season. But I can’t find Epix in my lineup! Where is it? And if it’s not there, when the heck will DIRECTV have it? — Brian, Los Angeles.
Brian, your eyes do not deceive you. The Epix channel is not in your DIRECTV lineup because DIRECTV does not carry the Epix channel.
In fact, it never has since Epix’s launch in 2009.
See Amazon’s Best-Selling Streaming Devices!
Click to see today’s best-selling TV at Amazon.com!
Click Amazon: Roku Streaming Stick: Just $30.
Over the years, DIRECTV executives have said they have little or no interest in Epix, adding that they feel they already carry a sufficient number of premium movie channels.
However, there is something that could change that.
AT&T, which now owns DIRECTV, has Epix in its U-verse TV service, which also carries the MGM HD channel.
Why is that significant?
Both Epix and MGM HD are owned by MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), and U-verse’s carriage contract with MGM HD is expiring next month. That means AT&T will need to negotiate a new deal for MGM HD or it could lose it.
The discussions could act as a trigger to reopen talks for adding Epix to DIRECTV. When companies convene to discuss carriage deals, they usually use the occasion to examine all aspects of their partnership. So Epix and DIRECTV could become a hot topic in the negotiations.
Before you scoff, Comcast two months ago dropped the MGM HD channel and replaced it with Epix. It’s quite possible AT&T will decide to do the same, switching MGM for Epix, which is a more popular channel due to its expanding lineup of original programming. (Get Shorty, Berlin Station).
Of course, it’s also possible that AT&T will simply allow MGM’s contract to expire, and drop the channel in the next several weeks without adding Epix.
Brian, I will keep my eyes on this development, and will report back here if anything changes.
Need to buy something today? Please buy it using this Amazon.com link. This site receives a small portion of each purchase, which helps us continue to provide these articles.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
I have Comcast in the Seattle area and I still have MGM in my lineup and Epix also
This is just a way to get people to spend my money right
I caught season 1 of Get Shorty on Netflix…I MUST now see season 2…it is amazing…I’m hoping to find epix somehow to give them viewership credit for this massive, magnificent embroiling show…I really hope they can bring us a season 3,4,5….
Get Shorty. Fantastic. Addictive. Great writing, direction, and actors. Amara is Emmy material – but most of them are.
Agree on Get Shorty! Just switched to Directv and so disappointed at no Epix.
Nice story, but what are the Drectv channel numbers?