DIRECTV vs. Disney: What’s the Best ESPN Alternative?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

TV Answer Man, we are not happy with DIRECTV! We lost ESPN last night! What suggestion do you have to get ESPN quick and cheap?! We also lost our ABC station!! — Daria, Nashville.

Daria, DIRECTV lost all the Disney channels last night due to a carriage fight between the companies. The blackout also affects DIRECTV Stream, U-verse and DIRECTV Via Streaming. The list of affected channels includes ESPN, all Disney-owned channels and eight ABC affiliates owned by Disney. Plus, the DIRECTV streaming services lost all their ABC affiliates. So, it’s a bad time for DIRECTV subscribers.

However, if you are looking for a quick replacement for ESPN, there are some relatively inexpensive options.

Sling TV, the live streaming service owned by Dish, has ESPN in its Orange base plan. The cost is normally $40 a month but Sling offers the first month for just $20. That might be your answer if the Disney-DIRECTV blackout lasts less than a month.

But there is one caveat to Sling: It only has ABC in eight markets: WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KGO-TV San Francisco, KTRK-TV Houston, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV Fresno. See this article for more details.

ESPN+, the standalone streaming service that costs $10.99 a month, has many of the live events that air on ESPN. But it doesn’t have all of them (or some of its studio shows) so if you’re an ESPN junkie, that might not work for you.

My recommendation is that you get Fubo. The live streamer has ESPN and all the Disney channels including ABC and it’s now offering the first month for $30 off. That brings the price of its cheapest plan to $49.99 a month. (The regular rate for the cheapest plan is $79.99 a month.) Fubo also has free trials which normally last seven days. So you can check it out before subscribing.

Update: DIRECTV vs. Disney: YouTube TV Comes to the Rescue

Daria, 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.