By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I am angry that we don’t have our NBC station here because of some stupid greedy fight with DIRECTV and the station. I am going to switch to another TV service if this is not fixed by the end of this week. I am not in a contract anymore so we are ready to make the switch! — David, Tampa, Florida.
David, I understand your frustration. But let me offer some advice before you switch from DIRECTV to another TV service. First, for those not familiar with the fee fight, DIRECTV on July 2 lost 159 Nexstar-owned local channels (and NewsNation) because it could not reach a new carriage agreement with the broadcaster. There’s no indication that the impasse will be settled soon so some DIRECTV subscribers have told The TV Answer Man in e-mails that they are considering dropping the satcaster and subscribing to another TV service. (The dispute also affects subscribers to DIRECTV Stream and U-verse.)

However, before you switch, I urge you to first determine if the new service carries the local Nexstar station that is now missing from your DIRECTV lineup. Not every service, including cable, satellite and streaming, offer the same local channels. For instance, Sling TV, the live streamer owned by Dish, does not carry any local CBS stations and ABC affiliates in just eight markets. You want to be sure that your new service would have the local Nexstar-owned station. Second, carefully examine the lineup of the new TV provider to ensure that it carries your favorite channels that are now on DIRECTV. For example, if you are a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays, some live streaming services do not carry the Bally Sports regional sports network which airs the team’s games. You don’t want to go through the trouble of cancelling DIRECTV and signing up for a new provider and then suffer a different disappointment. However, if the new TV company has all your favorites, including the missing Nexstar channel, then you might want to make the switch.

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

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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