By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Former Sony employee.

TV Answer Man, do you know if DIRECTV will show the Bills-Chargers game on Peacock in bars like they do the Sunday Ticket and Thursday Night Football? — Gordon, New Haven, Connecticut.

Gordon, Peacock tonight (December 23) will be the exclusive carrier of the Los Angeles Chargers-Buffalo Bills game at 8 p.m. ET. The contest, which has playoff implications for the Bills, will not be available on any other network or streaming service except for local channels in the markets where the teams are based.

Will DIRECTV Show Bills-Chargers In Bars?

DIRECTV’s business unit distributes both the NFL Sunday Ticket and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football to commercial venues, including bars and restaurants. However, the satcaster will NOT provide the Peacock game on Saturday night or Peacock’s exclusive coverage of an NFL Wild Card playoff game on January 13, 2024.

Who Will Show the Bills-Chargers In Bars?

The game will be available to bars and restaurants (and other commercial establishments) only through EverPass media and the Peacock Sports Pass. EverPass today is urging commercial venues to sign up for Peacock Sports Pass as soon as possible to set up streaming equipment and test the service. The company says businesses do not have the legal right to use the residential Peacock app to show the games. You can learn more about the Peacock Sports Pass here.

This could create a problem for fans who had been planning to watch the game at a bar or restaurant on Saturday. DIRECTV For Business has a handy Sports Bar Finder app but the Peacock Sports Pass doesn’t have anything similar. So it’s unclear how anyone can determine which bars will stream the game.

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.