What Fox 8 viewers can do to get the channel to watch NFL games amid DirectTV dispute
For local football fans, now is the time to begin worrying whether Fox 8 Cleveland will return to DirecTV and DirecTV stream in time for the regular season kickoff.
The Nexstar-owned station went dark in July after the two could not come to agreement over retransmission fees and the usual posturing and parsing blame has taken place.
Unless consumers actually have a rep at the negotiating table, there’s no way to know who’s right, who’s wrong and what’s going on. The only sure thing — customers are getting the shaft.
The fact that the writers, actors and producers remain at an impasse lessens the sting of this when it come so scripted and reality programming, but there’s little solace for NFL fans.
Will there be a deal this week? You can hope there might be a sense of urgency to make something happen for the assorted Nexstar viewers across the country.
Until that happens what can be done?
That’s more complicated now than it’s ever been considering Disney and Charter Communications (Spectrum) are at an impasse. That means Spectrum subscribers don't have access to ESPN.
Is ESPN back on Spectrum?: Disney cable channels go dark on cable provider
Cleveland Browns fans won’t be affected in particular until Week 6 (Oct. 15) if the situation lasts that long. That’s when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Fox.
Until this situation is resolved, solutions are convoluted. Here's what you can do:
Install an antenna: Not ideal, but I’ll be honest this has been one of the best investments I’ve made with respect to entertainment in the past decade. In a world of first cable, then satellite and now streaming, it seemed as if over-the-air broadcasts were forgotten and while in the past they were limited to six or so stations locally, that is no longer the case. I receive more than 40 stations — including the major television networks — at my home address via an outdoor antenna. Given the state of cable television — an ocean of syndicated reruns mostly — the channel lineup is akin to having a mini cable system at your disposal. The down side is that national news and sports junkies suffer if that is their only option. There are also other factors at play including location, topography, weather and distance. Some readers will be disappointed by this recommendation, but my reality: I’ve not had to deal with a carriage dispute involving local stations in years. And, yes, depending upon where you live, an indoor antenna is an option.
If eligible, take a trial of YouTube TV. Keep in mind, YTTV hasn’t been immune to their own battles with content providers. In 2021, they lost the Disney family of channels for a few days and nearly lost the NBC Universal channel lineup. They often offer a week-long trial.
Ditto with Fubo TV which offers local channels – excepting the CW (WUAB Channel 43) and PBS. Know going in, however, that if you’re also a Major League Baseball fan, they do not offer Turner Broadcasting channels such as TNT and TBS. TBS will be home to divisional playoff series and the National League Championship Series this year. Fubo is also offering a seven-day free trial.
DISH Network is still there after all these years and they offer all local channels including the area’s two PBS channels. The downside: that unwieldy piece of equipment on your property.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How NFL fans can watch Cleveland Fox 8 amid DirecTV, Nexstar dispute
