DIRECTV subscribers have been without 60 Tegna-owned local channels now for 13 days and their frustration has clearly reached a boiling point, particularly football fans who yesterday missed their second Sunday of games.
Update: DIRECTV & Tegna sign new carriage pact.
While Dish customers are also upset that they lost 164 Nexstar-owned local channels on December 2, they seem more resigned to their situation, perhaps because Dish engages in far more carriage battles than any other provider. (The satcaster is now missing 223 channels in eight different fee fights).
But DIRECTV, which is owned by AT&T, normally settles its differences with programmers before a blackout occurs, or perhaps within days after it begins. DIRECTV subscribers are not used to being without their favorite channels for this long, and it shows in their comments over the last 24 hours here and on social media sites such as Twitter. The tweets and posts are far more angry, and more numerous, than the Dish-related comments.
(I’ve also received far more angry e-mails from DIRECTV’s customers compared to Dish, and some of the e-mails are so profane and borderline threatening, I’m not going to print them here.)
“We’re screwed! No football! Just sucks,” tweeted ‘Rebecca Lodell,’ a DIRECTV subscriber.
“This is getting old real fast!!! I just receive my Bill for December, which means AT&T Prices have increased. WOW,” Emmett Evans wrote in the TV Answer Man forum.
“Joke company. Joke excuse. I don’t know why anyone would continue to pay @DIRECTV for a service they are not providing. They are under breach of contract. Dont pay the bill and cancel their “service,” wrote ‘JJHouston’ on Twitter.
“@DIRECTV , no. I don’t believe you really do share our frustration. Did all your people miss NFL & College Football? Did you have to look your kids in the face as you told them Rudolph and Frosty was cancelled? How about recurring @CBS serial shows now aired but missed? GTF out.”
@DIRECTV BYE BYE this is absolutely unbelievable 2 weeks and guess what we don’t need your nfl ticket anymore so bye! You and @TEGNA should be ashamed of yourselves! You greedy SOB’S! #ByeByeDirectTV,” wrote ‘Kujsouth.
While DIRECTV seems to be getting blamed more often for the dispute, some subscribers say both the satcaster and Tegna are responsible.
“Your both to blame and your both garbage, but you will both continue making millions while pretending to care about everybody,” added ‘Brian Chmielewski, the @chimreaper19. “As we miss Sunday Night Football for the 3rd time, once the NFL season ends I will be heading to YouTube TV again.”
“All the money I spend on @DIRECTV every month, this is unacceptable! @TEGNA and @DIRECTV need to get their s— together! CBS is a local tv network and should never be compromised in my subscription service! #frustrated,” said ‘Crawdad.’
It remains to be seen if DIRECTV’s subscribers will carry through on threats to cancel. For a variety of reasons, that’s easier said than done. But if this battle goes much longer, both Tegna and DIRECTV might suffer some collateral damage in lost viewers and subscribers respectively.
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DirecTV football fans…… Sunday night’s games can be seen on channel 410, It’s the spanish channel, and it’s in Spanish,,, but the video is the same…. You’re Welcome
Why did they show the Sunday Night NFL game on channel 410 in Spanish?? That’s not right. Talk about discrimination. The English speaking people had to watch it on the Locast app and it ‘s horrible. The game was being interrupted every few minutes because they wanted people to donate money for their app. Directv should be donating. They charge too much for their tv packages anyway. It’s not fair.
could also turn down the volume and tune in a live/internet radio broadcast…it’s something
What is sad is you pay all this money and they only take off $20 for their inconvenience sad sad sad sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Exactly! Sick of it! I have been a long time subscriber and deserve better than this. Settle it@ and apply a return to my account@
I just signed on to Hulu Live and will dump DirectTV after my NFL Sunday Ticket is done for this season!
People blaming Directv are uniformed. Tena is 100% to blame. Asking for a 100% increase.
Agreed, it’s Tegna who initiated this contract dispute. The solution, ALL networks needs to avoid Tegna ! The FCC needs to chime in and fine Tegna and possibly take away their broadcasting licenses and distribute them to other TV Stations
Agree.
Where is the FCC ?
ALL TV needs to be REGULATED
It really does not matter who ultimately is to blame. Directv is the provider not Tegna, Directv owes better to its customers. People are saying you can get a $20 refund, when I called they said there was nothing they could do. Please advise how to get the reund.
https://tvanswerman.com/2020/12/04/directv-vs-tegna-will-your-satellite-bill-be-reduced/
A longtime subscriber, at first because of channel selection. But now the only reason I’m still with them is because I don’t have any other options as I live in a very rural area. I have been utilizing an hd antenna to pull in the missing CBS station in my area but it becomes a headache after awhile. And one I shouldn’t be dealing with. Clearly neither Direct TV or Tegna cares about customers or they would have solved this long ago. Like watching two rich people fight over a cup of coffee while the pot is still full. But help is on the way. Fiber is coming to my area next year and I will disconnect from Direct TV the second I get it.
AT&T is selling Directv anyways buh bye see ya HELLO Spectrum Cable
Why is this not reported on national news?
Paying 200 + dollars a month for Direct tv not getting the service. Reimburse customers. Been a customer since 2001. Time for a change. Greedy, Greedy, money grabbers
The real problem here is TEGNA who has exclusive rights to charging what ever they want. I filed a complaint with the FCC but I am sure it won’t do any good. TEGNA should be held to cost raises of COLA and no more.
I am done with them, I am cancelling my $184.00/mo. Direct TV subscription. Smart TV and Apple TV will give me all I need at a much lower cost.
This is ridiculous, you pay these high prices for tv and now I have not been able to watch 2 of my local channels that have some of my favorite shows. Rich people fighting to get richer.
I would love to get rid of Directtv, unfortunately I am enslaved to their regional sports pkg to watch my favorite basketball and baseball teams. Uggggg Guess I will be forced to go with Spectrum.
I think it sucks when you have a contract and can’t see the channels you pay for. Time for a change.
Dont you make enough money off all your customers let us have our local channels back cant see my soap opera or daytime shows all the new shows every year this happens. Only hungry sob
Tegna channel sucks, not much to watch on ABC except David Muir!!
Well if drtv is not holding up there end of the contract we the consumer should have the the option to opt out of our service bottom line
A one time $20 refund is an insult on a high end product; this is completely unacceptable.
And DirectV wonders why they are losing market share…..I’m just about out the door.
I have been with Direct tv for a long time never experienced anything like this and they way things are now you guys want to raise prices knowing a lot of people are not working this is the holiday season I am considering letting Direct tv go because the prices keep going up and I don’t shop on tv and I am sure a lot of people don’t either and now channels have been added you have to pay to watch that is crazy also what about our senior citizens that have this service think about them this fine group of individuals paved this way in our country how would you feel if it was you
This is so ridiculous. While I am fuming over not having access to NBC because of this Tegna contract dispute, I get a notice from DIRECTV that prices are going up. These companies have no concern for their customers and the process to get rid of them nad start fresh is so onerous that they know they have the upper hand. When will this end????
This is a local station not a cable station both of you should get your act together, too much greed and not worrying about your customers. You both better wake up before you both go bankrupt.
This has gone on long enough!! With everything that we have had to endure this year, this is the last straw. There are people that are losing their jobs, health insurance, homes, and love ones and all you CEO’s of both companies should be ashamed. I’m sure you and your families will have Christmas. End this dispute!!!!!! Think about your customers and not yourselves.
You guys Tegna make me sick. We’re in the middle of an unprecedented health crisis where we are asked to stay home and you pull the rug out from under us. I am a single person that lives alone and rely on my shows for entertainment and comfort/familiarity and you and Directv are fighting over money while some people are fighting to live, make ends meet. Your selfishness and greed are as unprecedented as this pandemic. I won’t forget this as a loyal Directv customer and ABC viewer.
Here is what I want to know and will never find out:
(1) How much was AT&T paying to Tegna before the previous contract ended?
(2) How much is AT&T willing to pay to Tegna for the next contract?
(3) How much does Tegna want to be paid by AT&T for the next contract?
With that information it will be easier to assess who is most responsible.
I would like to know the same. One thing I am sure of is that AT&T employs overseas for most of their customer service and they are a huge corporation. I said when they bought Direct TV that they were getting into something that they had no business getting into. Especially after they had also decided to involve themselves in a sports network. Can we say Monopoly and conflict of interest?? What it really amounts to is GREED. AT&T can afford to pay double what they had been paying whatever the amount and especially since they were going up on our rates anyway. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
I am hoping not to disconnect from direct tv., however this has gone on long enough! We have been through so much in 2020, this adds insult to injury.
I live in an area where the satellite internet is expensive and spotty. I lose Directv when storms move through and I can’t get reliable antenna reception. As an older person at least Directv offers a reasonable solution. I can’t pay for individual streaming platforms because of
Internet. Cable stops about 2 miles from my house. Get it together, people.
NBC BETTER BE BACK ON BY SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for the PNC CHampionship! Enough is enough! I to have been a long time customer of DIRECTV and this is absolutely unacceptable! We have gone through enough in 2020, making us suffer because of your greed has to stop! And DIRECTV the $20 is not enough. I have to DIRECTV accounts plus 2 AT&T phones. Please please put NBC back on!
Game over. Settle the dispute asap, please. We have enough going on in the world that this disruption of service for NBC viewing is absurd. A long time directv customer, I do not want to cancel my subscription but I am seriously thinking I will if a resolution is not met SOON. Thank you.
It stinks my husband and i started our subscription 2000 i lost my husband 2012 so it is just me now and i am about ready to say good by and find a company i can have to watch tv
I am at the point that I am going to cancel all TV providers and watch all TV over the internet. Not getting what I am paying for. I blame Direct TV.