By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 29 years.
The DIRECTV- Tegna carriage blackout is now more than three weeks old and the satcaster is gearing up for a long Christmas weekend of expected customer complaints over network affiliates not showing NFL and college football games.
The satcaster has changed its TV Promise page to counsel Tegna viewers on the best ways to watch games that will be broadcast on CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC. (DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream and U-verse have been without 64 Tegna-owned local stations since November 30 due to a fee dispute between the two companies.)
“Despite several of our requests to bring key programs back, TEGNA continues to suspend its local stations from DIRECTV and U-verse homes and businesses,” DIRECTV says on the TV Promise Page. “We will continue to help our customers stay connected to live sports and primetime entertainment from the broadcast networks and update this site so fans can watch any favorite teams or upcoming series.”
The holiday weekend’s NFL slate begins on Saturday (December 23) with an NBC-produced doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. ET when the Steelers host the Bengals while the Chargers host the resurgent Bills at 8 p.m. ET. DIRECTV notes on the TV Promise page that the games will also be available on the streaming service, Peacock (the Bills-Chargers game will actually be a Peacock exclusive while the Steelers-Bengals will be on NBC and Peacock). Universo will also air the 4:30 game in Spanish. (Peacock’s plans start at $5.99 a month.)
ABC will offer three college football bowl games on Saturday: Troy vs. Duke at noon ET; James Madison vs, Air Force at 3:30 p.m. ET; and Northwestern at Utah at 7:30 p.m. ET. DIRECTV says the games will also be available at no extra charge on the ESPN app which can be accessed with your DIRECTV user name and password.
On Sunday, there will be nine Fox and CBS NFL games. The CBS games can also be watched on Paramount Plus (plans start at $5.99 a month) and DIRECTV says you can watch the Fox games at no extra charge at the Fox web site or the Fox Sports app with your DIRECTV user name and password, although some subscribers have reported those streams have been blacked out in Tegna markets.
Then, on Monday, Christmas Day, there will be one game each on CBS, Fox and ABC: The Raiders play the Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET on CBS; the Giants play the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox; and the Ravens play the 49ers at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC. (The CBS game will also be on Paramount AND Nickelodeon, giving Tegna viewers another option.)
In addition to Paramount Plus, the ESPN app, the Fox Sports app and Peacock, DIRECTV notes that the local broadcasts are available via a TV antenna.
Despite the plethora of choices, it should be an interesting weekend for DIRECTV with many customers complaining on social media (and in e-mails to yours truly) that they shouldn’t have to pay extra to subscribe to a streaming service or get an antenna to watch channels they already pay for.
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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.
