By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 29 years.
TV Answer Man, is there any way to watch college and NFL football games this weekend if you are blacked out on DIRECTV because of the Tegna fight? – Tim, Phoenix.
Tim, DIRECTV last night lost 64 Tegna-owned network affiliates due to a carriage dispute which means many DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream and U-verse subscribers may not have access to an ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox affiliate this weekend (and perhaps well beyond that.) That also means no football, college or NFL. But there are ways to watch the games this weekend even if your Tegna station is blacked out.
1. Get an TV Antenna
An indoor or outdoor TV antenna can deliver the signals of your local channels in most areas. But note that they don’t work in all areas. If you live near mountains, tall trees, high-rise buildings, or anything that can be an obstacle in the signal’s path, you may have a problem picking up the signal. You may also encounter issues if you are a long distance from the station’s tower.
If you have trouble with an antenna, you could also:
2. Get Paramount+
Paramount+, the streaming service, offers a live feed of your local CBS channel as well as on demand programming from the network, Showtime, and a large number of shows and movies from other sources. Note: The live CBS feed requires the $11.99 a month plan. But you will be able to watch the NFL and college games on CBS.
3. Get Peacock
The NBC-owned streamer has the live feeds of more than 200 NBC local stations, including local and national programming. But you will need the $11.99 a month Peacock Premium Plus plan. However, if you get it, you can watch your NBC affiliate which includes NBC Sunday Night Football.
4. Watch ESPN
ESPN’s Monday Night Football games are now simulcast on ABC and ESPN so even if you don’t have ABC on DIRECTV now, you can watch the MNF games on ESPN. You can also watch ABC’s college football games on ESPN 3 or the ESPN app.
5. Try the Fox Sports App
The Fox Sports app, which is available by inputting your pay TV user name and password into the app’s log in, will stream both the college and NFL games. However, the app has sometimes blocked DIRECTV subscribers who were missing the Fox affiliate due to a carriage dispute. But it’s worth a try.
6. Get a Free Trial to Fubo or YouTube TV
The two streamers usually offer free trials for at least one week – and they both carry the four major network affiliates. You could sign up and watch this weekend’s games without paying a dime.
To see a complete list of the Tegna stations, click here.
Tim, 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.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
