Q. I am worried that the fight that has blacked out my CBS station on DIRECTV means I won’t be able to watch the Sunday Ticket games on Sunday. If that’s true, I will be angry, angry, angry. Please let me know if that’s true! I am having some friends over on Sunday. — Bob, Fairfax, Virginia.
Bob, DIRECTV on Tuesday night lost 60 Tegna-owned local channels due to a carriage dispute, and it’s unclear when they will return. The two sides are continuing to engage in a war of words over who’s to blame. AT&T, which owns DIRECTV, has asked Tegna for permission to show Sunday’s NFL games while negotiations continue, but the broadcaster is not likely to comply. (The blackout also affects U-verse, AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now.)
The Tegna stations include network affiliates for CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC so it’s prompted concerns from DIRECTV football fans that they could also lose the NFL Sunday Ticket. After all, as you note, the Ticket includes games broadcast by CBS and Fox.
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But let me explain how the Tegna blackout could affect the Sunday Ticket.
If you subscribe to the Sunday Ticket, you will be able to see almost every CBS and Fox Sunday afternoon game regardless of whether your local Tegna station is blacked out on DIRECTV.
Yes, almost.
As usual, your local broadcasts of the NFL games will be blacked out on the Sunday Ticket, even if you can’t watch those local broadcasts on DIRECTV because of any dispute.
For example, Bob, let’s say your CBS Tegna station (WUSA-TV) airs this Sunday’s AFC matchup between the Colts and the Texans. Even though you couldn’t watch it on that CBS station because of the fee fight between Tegna and DIRECTV, you also couldn’t watch it on the Sunday Ticket.
DIRECTV/Tegna viewers who have the Sunday Ticket will be able to watch games that are not being broadcast by your local CBS and Fox stations. For instance, if the Lions are playing the Bears (as they are on Sunday) and your Fox/Tegna station isn’t airing that game, it will be available on the Sunday Ticket.
I know this may sound unfair, but DIRECTV is legally bound by league rules to blackout the local broadcasts regardless of whether those broadcasts can actually be viewed on its service.
So that’s the deal. Hopefully, the fee fight will be settled before Sunday’s kickoff so whatever games that your CBS and Fox affiliates air will be available to you.
Happy viewing, and stay safe!
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— Phillip Swann
I’m wondering what this blackout means to customers like myself, who are paying for these services. Obviously At&t won’t be handing out voluntary refunds. I look forward to spending hours of my life, pulling teeth, based on principal or, seeing what legal options are available, as obviously the company is charging customers for services it is, by not agreeing to Tegna’s terms, refusing to provide.
If your tv is connected to internet download Locast and follow instructions and you can get CBS. I did this for my Gators and for some reason I got picture no sound. I just use my Locast on my phone for that. I may find out sound later but for now, GO GATORS!
I have uverse and I went to walmart and bought a RCA antenna for 40 mile radius to reach the tower(more than 40 available) instructions will tell you go to free app to find a tower for signal with you cell phone. Change input to tv and scan channels til you get CBS . I got CBS and more. They can keep fighting because there are other ways consumers can get channels. Highly recommend the antenna!!!
Actually you can still watch locals games on ch 701 & 702.
I have a feeling this doesn’t answer the question, this doesn’t answer the question though. No one pays close to $400 a year for Sunday Ticket to watch local games we can watch for free with an antenna.
So what happens if I want to watch the same Colts/Texans game but I live in Boise? Will it be blacked out for me?
As the story notes, if it’s on your blacked out Tegna station, it will not be on your Sunday Ticket.
Well I see we are losing local channels. And yes you cannot watch the NFL games on NFL ticket. I tried today and it’s blacked out also. But I got a question also. All of us that Pay Direct Tv for services and service agreement of local channels is part of the service we pay for correct? So the contract we agreed on is now been breached by Direct TV wrong or right? Agreement on price with package includes all local channels. Now we don’t get ALL local channels.
Why are they taking away channels from DirecTV like Channel 7 channel to CBS and all the other local channels I want my check I want to keep those channels how do you so we can keep those channels
Having recently signed on with Dish and now losing CBS/WBNS 10 I am very upset because 95% of my viewing time is done on CBS 10 tv. Now I’m locked into a contract that I never had with Spectrum and Dish has become a big crap dish. I am very disappointed with the service and very much would like to get rid of it. When is this dispute going to be solved?.
Dish has reported that next star is wanting ONE BILLION dollars for the right to show their TV stations. That is one thousand million dollars. Your rates would go up paying one owner that much money to watch their TV stations.
If you want, Spectrum should buy out your contract with Dish if you decide to go back to them.
Spectrum Cable is the best 1 no contracts 2 no signal loss & 3 Spectrum has me covered with all my local stations & a 24 hour local news channel. 1 Dish Network & Directv have contracts 2 They have signal loss & 3 disputes with broadcasters. The winner is Spectrum Cable hands down
It’s not all about FOOTBALL! I missed Blue Bloods new season last night. I am Furious!!!
Yes I watch the soaps and game shows. It’s all about the greed to all evil. This happened last year to Klein channel 9. I don’t remember this happening before. Well AT&T took over and they have changed soooo much. I have been with this company since it was southwestern Bell. Anyone remember them??
No Locast in Portland Oregon. very poor reception on lcals w/ antenna
I had dish and directv both back in 97,that was when you could actually watch programming on the east coast including the news but the shows I would watch so I could go to bed early because of the last slot on the west coast it was awesome,then fcc step a few years later and put a end to all of that and that when I noticed both companies turning into…..
I’m blacked out in the New Orleans market. I signed up for the CBS ALL ACESS 7 day free trial and am watching on live streaming.
Avoid hearing the score and record the game replay on NFL network, channel 212.
Ever since ATT bought Directv it is terrible. Bad customer service and always trying to raise bills. Horrible
Well they need to do something cause what if a bad storm was coming ,my local channel are good to let you know,now if you not watching your phone 24/7 you won’t know nothing,now I pay my bill that have nothing to do with this money war ,I would like a refund do any one know if they are given that back,pluse my favorite show that I am paying for just send a bill off this week over a hundred dollars ,only in America.
I lost my football 🏈 channel 19 and I am pissed off fix it
Download CBS All Access…ive been watching football and all other programming all weekend.
You say, “For instance, if the Lions are playing the Bears (as they are on Sunday) and your Fox/Tegna station isn’t airing that game, it will be available on the Sunday Ticket.”, but what you meant to say is that we WON’T see it on our Sunday Ticket! I wish publishers would spell, grammar & intent check!!
No, it will be available if it’s not on Tegna.
Is AT&T Directv more your thing nope that would be Spectrum Cable
I couldn’t watch Eagles vs Packers in DC because it was to be carried on CBS local USA9. So the game was blacked out on my Sunday ticket. I’m sure AT&T has my rebate check ready to send right out. If NFL ever goes pay-per-view I be done with D-TV.
I’ll be doing the same thing. GO PACK GO!!
Direct tv and AT&T you are the typical big business not one interest in your customer. I’ll be sure to cancel NFL fan concerned !
Please keep all the local channels cuz then I will miss all my other shows all those Channel 7 CBS Channel 2 Fox and all the local channels please keep them
Are they still in negotiations? Saints are playing Chiefs on Sunday, 12/20 on CBS. I bet my local network will show it b/c it’s a big game. We have Sunday Ticket but won’t be able to get it there either if the game is indeed on local network. They care nothing about their customers. All they care about are big bucks. So, if someone else has a different service than DirecTV… AND that service carries CBS, that’s a way to watch it, right? Does Sling have a platform with CBS? Any other subscription like that which includes CBS?
Why have you taken away NBC from me?
Several years ago I got Direct TV; my husband had become disabled and we could no longer go to a sports bar to see his beloved team’s games. I have been paying for the NFL ticket for years and now I can no longer get the Sunday night game which I am still paying for! I spent hours on Saturday talking to one customer support person who told me I could get it on 701. That wasn’t true. On Sunday I spent more hours talking to another person there and he couldn’t find any help. He said I MIGHT be able to get it on channel 410. It was in Spanish so I tried to make sense of it. Why did you do this to us?