Making television easy again. By Phillip Swann
Q. I keep hearing that we might lose our CBS station on Friday if you have DIRECTV. If we lose it, would we lose the NFL Sunday Ticket, too? Many of the games are on CBS. Please let me know. We’re having a party on Sunday! — Tommie, West Palm Beach, Florida. Update: Sinclair stations
Q. My local station on ABC is saying I could lose it this week if I have DIRECTV. Do you know about this fight and what will happen? Will I lose my channel 7 — Sadie, Clinton, Maryland. Sadie, Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 136 local TV stations in 86 markets, is threatening to pull
AT&T and Disney have finally acknowledged that they have reached a carriage agreement ‘in principle’ that will prevent Disney-owned channels such as ESPN from being blacked out on AT&T-owned TV services such as DIRECTV, U-verse and AT&T TV Now. The initial dispute between the companies became known on September 9 when ESPN suddenly began running
Q. I’ve read that DIRECTV could lose ESPN tonight? Is that true? Will it really happen so soon? It better not! — Yardley, Bel Air, Maryland. Yardley, the short answer is that we don’t know, but it’s possible. Let me explain. Update: It appears on Sunday morning (September 15) that a deal is done. See
Q. I was watching the game last night and there was a commercial from ESPN saying DIRECTV might drop ESPN. Is that true? If so, when will it happen? And if it does, I’m gone. That’s the last straw! — Quinn, Kansas City. Quinn, you are not alone. Many DIRECTV subscribers are nervous this morning
Q. I read that someone is saying AT&T should sell DIRECTV. Do you think they should. As a DIRECTV subscriber, I would like to see it. — Berle, Nashville. Berle, what you probably read is today’s news about a hedge fund group declaring that AT&T needs to make wholesale changes, including selling off DIRECTV. Click
Q. I would like to watch HBO on Dish, but it’s been off for a long, long time. Do you think it will ever come back? — Ginni, Jacksonville, Florida. Ginni, it’s been 10 months since Dish and HBO couldn’t reach a new carriage agreement. And when the old pact expired on November 1, HBO
Q. We are still without our CBS station here in Raleigh. So it looks like the football games won’t be on for us on DIRECTV. But I have a question. Will the CBS games on the NFL Sunday Ticket be blacked out, too? That would really, really make me mad. — Rami, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Q. I’ve been without my CBS station in Albuquerque since July and I can’t understand why it’s still off. I know there’s some fight with DIRECTV and the owner, but are they close to ending it? Please help. — Alfred, Albuquerque. Update: The blackout is over. AT&T, which owns DIRECTV, has reached a new carriage
Q. I read your article yesterday about AT&T TV Now replacing DIRECTV Now. But then I heard there’s something called AT&T TV. Is that the same thing? I also read awhile back about AT&T Watch. Is that the same as the other two? Help me, I have to admit I’m a bit confused by all
Q. I read about DIRECTV’s fight with Nexstar stations, but what about the fight with Northwest Broadcasting. I’ve been without my ABC station in Greenville for six months! But no one writes about that?! When will it end? Do you have any answers on that? — Billie, Greenville, Mississippi. Billie, you are right. I have
Q. I have been without my CBS station here in Fresno for more than a month. I have DIRECTV. Is there any chance these two fools will make a deal soon. I miss my favorite newscasters on the local news. — Trudy, Fresno. Trudy, as you note, on July 3, DIRECTV lost 120 Nexstar-owned local