By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I subscribe to DIRECTV Stream because they have the Bally Sports channels. But I have a question. When my family leaves for vacation next month (we live in the Atlanta area) and we go to Texas, will we still be able to see the Braves on Bally Sports South? — Justin, Atlanta. 

Justin, that’s a great question. DIRECTV Stream has more regional sports networks than any other live streaming service, carrying everything from the Bally Sports nets to the NBC Sports RSNs to even such hard-to-find channels such as MASN, SportsNet LA and Altitude.

But what if you subscribe to DIRECTV Stream to watch your favorite hometown team, and decide to go on vacation, will you be able to take your team with you.

Answer: It depends.

DIRECTV Stream decides which channels you get by the location of the device you are using and/or your billing zip code. If the location of the device cannot be identified when you are on the road, you will receive the RSN (and local channels) based on the billing address on file. However, if DIRECTV Stream can determine your location, you will get the local channels, including the RSN, that’s in that market. For example, if you were in Dallas, you would get Bally Sports Southwest, the TV home of the Texas Rangers, instead of Bally Sports South, the TV home of the Braves.

So when you are vacationing, you will want to disable the geolocation on your streaming device, if that’s possible. If you can, DIRECTV Stream will not be able to detect your location and will provide your normal hometown RSN.

Justin, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman