DirecTV & CBS 8 Negotiations

[Wheels]

As some of you already know, because we were blocked from watching the first preseason game live last week, DirecTV and CBS8 have been involved in a protracted contract negotiations. It appears they're currently at an impasse. I'm wondering how long this can go on, and it seems to me that this has a huge potential of affecting watching Chargers games at home for anyone with DirecTV in San Diego.

Here's CBS8's latest update:

http://www.cbs8.com/story/16335928/keep-cbs-8

I normally wouldn't care that much about the local CBS affiliate, but it affects my ability to watch the Chargers games. I signed up for DirecTV a few years ago, and the deal was great at first, but the fees climb. I was aware they climb, but in reviewing my bill, I'm likely going to ditch them now that I'm beyond any early termination penalty. It's somewhat of an inconvenience to change back to cable, but with the current costs, and this dispute happening, it's forcing my hand.

Just curious if anyone else is concerned about this, and if you are considering switching from DirecTV to traditional cable or some other alternative.

[Formula 21]

Cox Cable keeps going up too. It's way overpriced now.

[Panamamike]

What do u guys pay for full cable (including premium channels and movies) and Internet 15 gig internet?

[captaind]

We cut the cord 6 months ago. I will probably buy NFL Game Pass for $99. At least you can watch Sunday games after the late games are over now, which is an improvement. We'll try to stream over the Internet, but that's hit or miss every week.

Outside of football season we haven't minded a bit. We have a few Roku boxes and occasionally buy a TV show. As an example, Gold Rush on Discovery is available to stream on Amazon by 4 AM the next day.

Really depends on your individual tastes though. I just got sick of it. Our contract was up and everyone's prices had gone up even higher. Cost/benefit.

[Bolt-O]

I'm glad that KFMB doesn't charge me for my OTA antenna. KFMB tv/radio is a small outfit compared to DTV/AT&T, but DTV doesn't want to lose any more subscribers with a price hike, even if its only 2cents more per subscriber (about 150000). DTV thinks if they cave to KFMB, they'll be forced to cave to the media companies that control the major stations in the big markets.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-san-diego-kfmb-tv-cbs-channel-8-directv-20150814-story.html

[Wheels]

My kids watch mostly Netflix. I hardly watch anything but Game of Thrones when it's in season, the local news, and a handful of other programs I don't really care that much about. I'd get sling.tv if I could figure out the local channels. But I'm surprised nobody seems worried about not being able to watch the Chargers on CBS if you live in SD and have DirecTV. This could be a huge issue. Maybe the corporate sponsors are applying the pressure, but I don't know. This is a good opportunity to save some money and also not leave the fate of the Chargers games to some bean counters.

[TTK]

Cut the cord years ago and never looked back. Cable/Satellite TV is a ripoff. Get an HDTV antenna if you live in SD to watch the Charger games. OTA signals are higher quality than cable or satellite anyway (OTA is 1080p).

[bonehead]

Cut the cord years ago and never looked back. Cable/Satellite TV is a ripoff. Get an HDTV antenna if you live in SD to watch the Charger games. OTA signals are higher quality than cable or satellite anyway (OTA is 1080p).

so with that you don't get ESPN, NFL Network, BBC America or any other "cable" stations correct?

DirecTv says to just turn off the satellite box and switch your TV to channel 8 and your good to go, no mention of an antenna..I tried it last night but didn't work any hints on what I'm doing wrong

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

It's f'ing stupid. We had this same issue with the Astros in Houston for three years. You couldn't watch their games (not that I cared or that they were even good enough to watch), but in a city that had diminishing interest in the franchise and brand it made no sense at all for any future broadcasting.

What really pisses me off, though, is that I pay for NFLN and Sunday Ticket. I get that a local game is blacked out on the local affiliate, but to not be able to watch the games/programming I specifically pay for is total bullshit. What really sucks is that when I lived elsewhere I got DirecTV because it had Sunday Ticket. It was the ONLY I could be sure to see the games. I kept it when we moved here bc I like its setup, the customer service is fantastic and they were constantly upgrading my hardware at no additional cost. Plus they have the bikini chick with the horse commercials. But now I find out that even DirecTV won't help me see the team and I live...literally...5 mins from the Q? That's jacked up.

Can't believe I have to invest in an HDTV antenna. By the way, do those need to go up on the roof or in the attic or something?

[captaind]

so with that you don't get ESPN, NFL Network, BBC America or any other "cable" stations correct?

DirecTv says to just turn off the satellite box and switch your TV to channel 8 and your good to go, no mention of an antenna..I tried it last night but didn't work any hints on what I'm doing wrong

Broadcast is in digital. You still have to have a digital tuner to pick up the signal. Remember when they shut down analog about 10 years ago and the gov't handed out $40 checks for the conversion boxes for those who couldn't afford them?

[captaind]

Sling TV is $20/month. Includes ESPN. Worth checking out.

[Mister Hoarse]

You could always got a Smartstream box if you have 60-90 mins to search for a decent stream for anything you try to watch...