By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I see your article but I don’t see our NBC on yet. Do you know what is going on? And what is a temporary deal? Does that mean the channels will be yanked again? — Steve, Tampa.
Steve, DIRECTV and Nexstar announced today they have signed a temporary carriage deal to return the Nexstar-owned 159 local stations, and NewsNation, to the lineup of DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream and U-verse.

But what is a temporary deal, you ask? When a TV provider and programmer are engaged in a carriage blackout, and they feel they are close to agreeing to a new multi-year deal, they will often sign a temporary pact that allows for the provider to resume carrying the signals as soon as possible. The companies are usually confident that once the channels are returned, they will stay there until and after the multi-year agreement is finalized.

That’s not a guarantee — anything can happen in negotiations — but it’s the likely scenario. In fact, a highly likely one. But what if your local channel, and NewsNation, have not returned yet? Does that mean they won’t return until a multi-year deal is reached? Answer: No. Just be patient. It takes some time to restore the signals of 159 local channels and it might not happen until later today.

However, our educated guess is that any channel showing NFL games today will be returned before kickoff. CBS and Fox are doing 1 p.m. ET games today so they are likely to be returned first.

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

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@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman