Another DirecTV year with no Pac 12 Networks. Curses!

Since 2012 I've been cursing DirecTV and the Pac 12 Networks for not working out a deal to offer us Pac 12 sports fans a way to see ALL of the football games and other events, not just the ones shown on ESPN, Fox, or other channels. 

Every year around this time I Google "DirecTV Pac 12 Networks" to see if there's any hope that I'll be able to watch ALL of the Oregon and Oregon State football games this fall. 

I put ALL in caps, because early on DirecTV had the annoying habit of telling me that I'd be able to see the Oregon/Oregon State football games "with the most conference or national title implications."

As noted in this post, that argument doesn't hold weight with me, especially since once again, Oregon State appears to be headed for near the bottom of the Pac 12 standings, but I'd still like to watch their games. The first part of what follows came from DirecTV. My response is in italics. 

In addition, the vast majority of games, and those with the most conference or national title implications, will instead be televised by the ESPN family of networks and ABC Sports, FOX Sports and FSN, FX, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, NBC Sport and NBC Sports Network, and several other regional services, all of which are available on DIRECTV.

First, I don't believe this "vast majority" stuff. But maybe you're right. What's annoying is your assumption that I should only be interested in games with "conference or national title implications." I guess this means DirecTV won't have any OSU games, since likely the Beavers will suck this year and have no chance at the Pac-12 title. Still, I'd like to watch them when I want to. So don't tell me which football games I should be interested in, when the Pac-12 Network will be televising all of them, to my understanding.

Now, the TV Answer Man did hold out some hope for DirecTV and the Pac 12 Networks working out a deal this month, since the contract between AT&T's U-verse and the Pac 12 Networks runs out soon, so maybe DirecTV (also owned by AT&T) will become part of a joint deal.

Now that doesn’t mean AT&T will negotiate a new pact for both U-verse and DIRECTV, and perhaps its live streaming service, DIRECTV Now, as well. The telco might decide to let the Pac 12 Network go completely when the current U-verse contract ends in August.

But the U-verse deadline could be an opportunity for AT&T and the Pac 12 Network to reexamine their relationship and strike a wider carriage agreement that would include AT&T’s entire suite of TV services.

I doubt this will happen, though. I've had my hopes dashed every year since 2012, with the only semi-bright spot being in 2016, when Sling TV started offering the Pac 12 Networks as part of their $25 a month subscription. 

I've had a Sling TV subscription, but cancelled it earlier this year, because I really don't care all that much about Pac 12 sports once football season is over -- other than baseball and softball, when either Oregon or Oregon State makes the playoffs. And then most, or all, of the playoff games are shown on other sports channels.

I'll probably start up a Sling TV subscription again if DirecTV and the Pac 12 Networks don't reach a deal by September. However, I don't like watching football games on Sling TV, because typically I couldn't fast forward past commercials, halftime, and such.

And we've got a slow Internet connection, which created some additional streaming problems. 

So basically I'm back to cursing DirecTV and the Pac 12 Networks, and not looking forward to watching Oregon/Oregon State football games in a fashion that is way less convenient than recording and watching them on our DirecTV receiver. 

Yes, I'm aware that the Dish Network carries the Pac 12 Networks.

But we used to have Dish, and it had its own problems, which led us to switch to DirecTV. (These are our only real options out here in rural south Salem.) We like DirecTV, aside from it's failure to have the Pac 12 Networks. My wife isn't a sports fan, so switching to Dish doesn't make sense for us.

Comments

[Walker]

Football seems to damage the players as much as cigarettes damage smokers. Stop supporting it. Problem solved, money saved, a couple of rabid plutocrat-loving corporations not supported with your money.