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, I am a DIRECTV subscriber in Maryland and we have lost our CBS station. Is there any way we can break our DIRECTV contract and switch to another TV provider that has our CBS station? We are missing a lot of games! — Brenda, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Brenda, DIRECTV has been without 64 Tegna-owned local stations since November 30 due to a fee dispute between the two companies. The stations include network affiliates for CBS, ABC, Fox, The CW and NBC. DIRECTV Stream and U-verse are also affected by the blackout.

What Is the DIRECTV 2-Year Contract?

Some DIRECTV subscribers might like to cancel their satellite TV service and sign up with a pay TV provider or live streaming service that carries the blacked-out channels. However, many DIRECTV customers are enrolled in two-year plans that include stiff termination fees ($20 a month for every month left in the agreement) if you cancel prior to the end of the agreement. (The two-year offers come with attractive and exclusive benefits such as free premium channels and/or two-year price locks.)

But I have received several e-mails from DIRECTV subscribers saying they can sue the satcaster for breach of contract. By their thinking, they should be allowed to cancel now without penalty because DIRECTV no longer provides all the channels that were available when their two-year agreement first began.

Can You Break Your DIRECTV Contract?

I can understand why they would feel that way. They are angry about the blackout of a favorite channel. But I have to inform everyone that you probably can’t sue DIRECTV for breach to get out of the two-year deal. The satcaster has included language in the agreement that enables it to drop channels, or raise prices, at any time during the two years.

“All offers, packages, programming, promotions, features, terms, restrictions & conditions and all prices and fees not included in price guarantee are subject to change or discontinuation without notice,” DIRECTV’s terms of agreement states.

So if you want to cancel DIRECTV, you probably won’t have any success doing it by filing a lawsuit. Note that DIRECTV Stream customers are not under two-year agreements. The streamer does not require a contract or cancellation fee.

Last note: You can watch your local CBS station if you subscribe to Paramount Plus’ $11.99 a month plan.

Brenda, 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.