# DIRECTV NOW doubles local channels, covers 70 % of US



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

DIRECTV NOW announced today that they are adding more than 35 local stations, effectively doubling the percentage of US television households that can receive at least some of their local channels though the OTT streaming service. Depending on the market, DTV Now subscribers can access at least one of the following network affiliates: ABC, CW, Fox, My Network, NBC and Telemundo. One market, San Francisco, can access an independent station (KICU) but no CBS or PBS stations are available on DTV Now as of today.

Looks like we need a local channel list...

For Further information, see here: AT&T's DirecTV Now Is Doubling Local TV Stations Since Launch - But Still No CBS


----------



## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

With a 2 simultaneous stream limitation and lack of cloud DVR they are still not competitive for many people.


----------



## jerrylove56 (Jun 15, 2008)

mjwagner said:


> With a 2 simultaneous stream limitation and lack of cloud DVR they are still not competitive for many people.


Yeah, just about to pull the plug because of the lack of DVR functionality and NFL Network. The price is hard to beat but their slowness in pushing the technical features of the service is maddening. I do miss PSVUE.


----------



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

It's interesting they launched without a cloud DVR. Nonetheless, it has a certain appeal to the basic Millennial Cord-Never as, beyond whatever streaming it directly offers, it provides a sign-in to stream shows at channel websites. However, you can get stuck watching commercials.


----------



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

I've done some checking--it seems that DTV Now's local channel offerings go no further than DMA 46, Greensboro-High Point, NC; and they get only one local channel, Fox affiliate WGHP. No market gets more than four locals, no market gets all available locals (ABC, CW, Fox, Independent, MNT, and NBC) and the markets that get Telemundo appear to get a national feed. There are no CBS or PBS stations offered at this time.


----------



## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

The channel lookup is available on their website if one is interested in what locals are available in a specific area.
Local Channels

(None in my market ... five in the Chicago market: ABC WLS, CW WPWR, FOX WFLD, NBC WMAQ and Telemundo.)


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

Newshawk said:


> it seems that DTV Now's local channel offerings go no further than DMA 46


If you haven't noticed by now, these deals aren't done per market, they're done per-station group and also relies on the station group having a streaming deal with that network, and DirecTV/AT&T having a streaming deal with the network. It has nothing to do with their DMA rank, if a market has locals owned by one of the groups they have streaming deals with, they become available.

Right now it's the ABC, Fox and NBC O&Os (along with some independent and MyNet stations owned by Fox), Cox owned ABC affiliates, Tribune owned Fox affiliates, Scripps owned ABC and NBC affiliates, Hearst owned ABC affiliates, Sunbeam's Fox affiliate, Graham Media owned ABC affiliates, Tegna owned ABC affiliates, and a few others.

And even then, there's exceptions, like how a bunch of the Scripps stations are still under the Granite or Journal contracts from their previous ownership, so they're not available.

EDIT: There are some locals available in lower ranked DMAs, like Bangor Maine's Fox affiliate. There's probably other smaller DMAs, but you have to search for them by zip code.

The big station groups missing right now are obviously CBS (which won't be coming until CBS's contract with DirecTV is up for renewal, which should also bring Showtime, CBS Sports Network, Pop and possibly The CW), along with Sinclair and Nexstar. The rest moslty depend on the station group striking a streaming deal with their network. (i.e. Tribune owned ABC and NBC stations, Hearst owned NBC and Fox stations, Scripps owned Fox affiliates, etc)


----------



## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

Unlike some of the pure OTT players D is trying to do an interesting dance with DirecTV Now. It wants to make it just good enough to fend off providers like PSVue but not so good that it cannibalizes it's satellite service cash cow. Unfortunately for D the pure OTT providers don't have that problem and their offerings are only going to get better. This space is going to be fun to watch over the next several years and is sure to benefit the consumer.


----------



## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

mjwagner said:


> It wants to make it just good enough to fend off providers like PSVue but not so good that it cannibalizes it's satellite service cash cow.


The content providers also want to be available to the cord cutters/streaming subscribers without cutting off their own cash cow: Monthly long term subscriptions by customers who must buy their channel as part of a package with channels the customer wants and cannot cancel on a month to month basis.

The distributors cannot dictate the way the channels are sold. They can negotiate, but if a content provider refuses to agree to an OTT style package the content provider cannot be forced. It is something all of the OTT providers need to deal with.


----------



## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

James Long said:


> The content providers also want to be available to the cord cutters/streaming subscribers without cutting off their own cash cow: Monthly long term subscriptions by customers who must buy their channel as part of a package with channels the customer wants and cannot cancel on a month to month basis.
> 
> The distributors cannot dictate the way the channels are sold. They can negotiate, but if a content provider refuses to agree to an OTT style package the content provider cannot be forced. It is something all of the OTT providers need to deal with.


Yes, the content providers are also getting squeezed in all of this, to the benefit of the consumer.


----------



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

I keep bugging DirecTV to get cloud DVR going. They are supposed to launch it at some point. I don't really want to give up the service because I'm grandfathered to the cheaper prices with free HBO for a year.

So far it works for me. They did add my ABC affiliate.


----------



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

With no contract, I'm going to ride the Blue Deathstar until the rebels blow it up. I'm cancelling my Hulu subscription as it's my least used service.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Chris Blount said:


> I keep bugging DirecTV to get cloud DVR going. They are supposed to launch it at some point. I don't really want to give up the service because I'm grandfathered to the cheaper prices with free HBO for a year.
> 
> So far it works for me. They did add my ABC affiliate.


Supposedly they are starting beta trials of the cloud DVR... someone posted about it, maybe you should see if you can get in on it.


----------



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

I just received an email from DirecTV Now notifying me that they have added my ABC and NBC affiliates. I just verified that they're there!


----------



## dplantz (Jun 12, 2006)

I have DirectvNow here in Boston. I am on the grandfathered 35 a month plan. I get ABC,NBC, CBS was just added. I know they are adding CW. Missing PBS. I am part of the beta group, the beta app is too buggy to use. I am waiting for the DVR to go live and then ditching my FIOS TV sub. DirectvNow has the channels I watch. I am also adding a tivo for recording of locals as I watch a lot of network shows. Cutting my tv costs to around what I pay to rent setup boxes. I only am missing NECN and NESN for RedSox baseball. as a local with DirectvNow. It works very well for me.


----------



## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

This service continues to become more tempting to me. I currently have AT&T unlimited phone service, so that would be nice with the $25 discount. I can access NBA League Pass through the Broadband package, but I'm unsure if I'd be able to purchase the NFL Sunday Ticket online option. (I believe it's only accessible to college students and those that aren't allowed satellite setups in their apartment buildings?) I'd lose a couple of channels I might normally watch, but I don't *really* watch CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports 2, or NBA TV. (I'm not a hockey guy, so losing NHL Network isn't a negative for me.)

My only question that hopefully someone could answer; how do you watch pay-per-view programming? For example, how would I have been able to purchase/view the Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez boxing fight? I usually purchase 4-5 PPV fights a year and would like to still be able to have a reliable source to access those.


----------



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

I received an email yesterday that D* Now has added my local Fox affiliate KOKI, so that makes it three of the four major networks available in Tulsa. I hope that Griffin Communications will agree to let KOTV 6 be carried by D* Now and I really home that D* Now picks up KQCW, the CW affiliate also owned by Griffin. They carry the last hour of Six in the Morning, KOTV's morning newscast.

I almost forgot--I was pleasantly surprised when I saw KOKI added as it is owned by Cox Media--yes, the same Cox that owns the cable system in Tulsa!


----------



## Newshawk (Sep 3, 2004)

I've been somewhat negligent in my reporting, but I'd like to report that, as of November 1st, the Tulsa CBS affiliate, KOTV-6, was added to the DirecTV Now lineup. This means that DirectV Now is the only OTT service that offers all four major network affiliates in Tulsa, OK. I think this is significant as even though I can receive all of the broadcast channels in the Tulsa market via antenna, some of them, including the NBC and CBS affiliates, can pixelate at times--even though I live about 6 miles from the transmitters!

No, if they would only launch the cloud DVR...


----------

