DirecTV allows subs to drop locals

[dishrich]

DirecTV Drops Local Stations From Lower-Priced Bundle​

Subscribers would get $12 discount if they opt out:

DirecTV Drops Local Stations From Lower-Priced Bundle

Subscribers would get $12 discount if they opt out

www.nexttv.com

DirecTV said it would be allowing customers to opt out of receiving their local TV stations, and pay a lower monthly rate in the bargain.

Customers who opt out of receiving local stations directly through DirecTV will receive discounts of $12 a month or $140 a year.

“Consumers have been voting with their wallets for years that pay TV – as currently constructed – is too expensive and restricts their choices,” said Rob Thun, DirecTV chief content officer. “Our new ‘No Locals’ package enables customers to take an important step forward in culling out certain types of content they may no longer care to watch and better balance the price they are willing to pay.”

DirecTV’s announcement comes after a long retransmission fight with Tegna. During that dispute, DirecTV suggested an arrangement based on getting programming directly from the broadcast networks and offering local stations on an a la carte basis.

The owners of the broadcast networks also own many broadcast television stations, which might pose a problem for DirecTV in implementing this plan.

 

[zippyfrog]

Interesting - the locals package/savings is identical to Dish if you opt to remove the locals. $12.

 

[Bruce]

Interesting - the locals package/savings is identical to Dish if you opt to remove the locals. $12.

Except with Dish, you can still view and DVR them with a adapter, I believe you cannot with DirecTV.

Also, I smell a Broadcast Channels fee coming soon for DirecTV.

 

[John2021]

Except with Dish, you can still view and DVR them with a adapter, I believe you cannot with DirecTV.

Also, I smell a Broadcast Channels fee coming soon for DirecTV.

didn't the hr 44 take an antenna adaptor of some sort i am unsure about the hr 54 the hs-17 is a no go

 

[KyL416]

Here's the official article from DIRECTV which has details on how you can opt out.

The Hx2x and non-HS17 Genies all support the AM21 if you can find one on ebay. There's also the LCC for the HR44, H44 and HR54, but it was never widely released.

The caveat though is if you opt out, you might not get VOD or TV Everywhere access to network programming, and you probably won't get network 4K events like the World Series, Super Bowl and college football.

 

[jcrandall]

Very interesting transition, Dish has done this for years, same savings - $12/month. The real key question will be if anyone that removes locals will receive guide data for the OTA locals using an LCC or AM21. I can't recall how DirecTV handled that, as they do have a few markets without locals (and previously gave a $3 discount in those markets if I recall correct). There aren't many but there are a few out there where locals were never added. Looking at you Alpena.

 

[KyL416]

The OTA guide data in the APG stream isn't contingent on you subscribing to LIL channels via satellite. It's a seperate setup process where you enter zip codes for the primary and secondary DMAs you can pickup with your antenna.

The OTA database has entries for Alpena and other DMAs that don't have satellite locals. Anything that isn't in the database will also scan in with their PSIP labels and "Regular Schedule" as the listing. For Alpena everything except 11.4 WBKBDT4 (FOX/MyNet) and 6.4 WCMLDT4 (Michigan Learning) are in the OTA database.

 

[zippyfrog]

The caveat though is if you opt out, you might not get VOD or TV Everywhere access to network programming, and you probably won't get network 4K events like the World Series, Super Bowl and college football.

I think you are correct with this. I have Dish, and once I opted out of the locals, the VOD and TV anywhere access was gone. I would have to think it would be the same on DirecTV - if you aren't paying for the locals content you don't get that extra benefit of VOD or TV anywhere.

 

[jcrandall]

I was thinking back to when Dish did not provide guide data if you dropped their locals, despite that they had it in their system. I think they changed that over the years and now provide guide data for using DVR on locals. I'd expect DirecTV does the same and allows the guide data for DVR purposes but I certainly cannot confirm that.

 

[dishrich]

I'd expect DirecTV does the same and allows the guide data for DVR purposes but I certainly cannot confirm that.

I can - I had a couple of HR20's (with built-in OTA tuner that works just like an AM21) & recorded several OTA shows on locals that DirecTV did not offer, via the DirecTV provided EPG data.

 

[rad]

Well, this really sucks for us folks with HS17's, have that nice USB port on the back but can't use an AM21 or LCC to get OTA channels. I still have an AM21 laying around in the closet, maybe I should see about swapping the HS17 out for an HR54. Not only save the $12 but also get the ability to view/record all the sub channels that DIRECTV doesn't carry from one single platform.

 

[larry55]

I have an antenna and rotor I used with my am21. If I could dvr the local and a guide I would drop the locals.

 

[Wobble]

We need the locals, as my wife records her shows 5 evenings a week, to view whenever. She has all her favorite series to record, whenever they come up. We also watch some Milw Bucks, Badger games for sure, Brewers, Marquette, State HS Tournaments, news, daily shows, etc. We are retired since late 2008. DTV Satellite is the best, being so user friendly and having PQ. Dish signal strength is 99-100, across the board since last weeks check. Been that way for a long time.

 

[KyL416]

I don't know if it rolled out to everyone yet, but the option is now available under Manage TV Package.

 

[videojanitor]

I dropped locals this afternoon. Very easy process. Here's the final "warning" you receive before committing:

 

[videojanitor]

Well this is a bit concerning: Three hours later the locals are still available. Checking my account, it still says that locals are in my package — but the concern comes when looking at the price — the $50/mo. promo discount I’ve been enjoying has disappeared. Perhaps it will reappear after the change propagates in the system. Curious is anyone else dropped locals and had it impact discounts?

 

[videojanitor]

This went downhill fast. Because my programming package changed from "Choice" to "Choice - no locals," the $50/mo credit I had until Feb 2025 was removed. The rep and supervisor in the loyalty department worked on it for a while and determined there was no way to re-apply it.

As a result, I canceled the service entirely.

 

[Mister B]

I recently switched from stream to satellite as the internet is not reliable enough this far out in the county. I had read that the option to leave out locals and save $12 a month was available during the sign up process, but I never saw that option. The next day I called and asked if dropping the locals would effect my promotional discount and was assured that it would not and I even asked the representative to quote what my standard monthly bill would be.
I now see through my on-line account information and pending credit card charge that indeed I continue to have the promotional discount with the Entertainment Package-No Locals.
Perhaps it would be best to call in to make this change, especially for any customers who are still on a promotional discount.

 

[telstar_1]

This went downhill fast. Because my programming package changed from "Choice" to "Choice - no locals," the $50/mo credit I had until Feb 2025 was removed. The rep and supervisor in the loyalty department worked on it for a while and determined there was no way to re-apply it.

As a result, I canceled the service entirely.

DiSH launched with a single package option called "America's Top 40", at a now-unbelievable rate of $10/mo. In addition to cable staples like TBS & ESPN, it also had Westerns. Made sense, I guess, for a service going largely to more rural homes than most. On a service call in 1997 I had to replace one of a customer's receivers, and after activation while I was checking that channels came on, the customer specifically asked to check Westerns- not there! Everything else apparently was. Upon calling DiSH (and getting through to them, which was no mean trick in those days) I was told Westerns had been moved to a new higher-cost package, imaginatively named "America's Top 50". I advised that the customer had still been getting Westerns on their original service, one of their receivers was still getting it, and could they please put it back onto their replacement main-room receiver?

I think you know the answer, which was nope. The "hit" for Top 40 no longer included Westerns, they said, even though that channel had been advertised and sold to customers as being in the $10 deal. Further, the customer had paid in advance for a year for the discount and not having to deal with a bill every month, and the year wasn't up yet. (DiSH would soon enough drop THAT popular option) The only option was to upsize package. Even though it was DiSH's own equipment that had malfunctioned. I could also mention that I was doing the call gratis as it wasn't yet a year since the customer's inception. Well, the romance had lasted nearly a full year, if you didn't count their startup of direct-to-consumer advertising that DIDN'T refer dealers, after they'd said that we were key. Things would only go downhill from there for local servicing dealers, and rather precipitously.

 

[videojanitor]

A good resolution to this:

Received a call from a very nice person at the "Office of the President" in response to my BBB complaint. She was able to restore my account back to the way it was before I attempted to remove the locals.