As of March 10, millions of Dish Network subscribers have lost access to many channels that air local news, sports and weather due to a dispute with Gray Media.
Gray Media pulled 226 channels in 113 markets across the United States after Dish refused to accept unreasonable rate increases that would have raised monthly bills for consumers.
“It is deeply disappointing that Gray Media is using its viewers as bargaining chips,” said Kevin Covell, Senior Vice President, DISH Video Services, in a statement issued on March 10. “We offered a fair agreement to keep these stations on the air, but Gray Media walked away. Gray Media chose to black out their own viewers, rather than reasonably negotiate, in an attempt to extract significantly higher fees.”
If you’re a Dish Network customer living in any of the affected markets, it means you’ve lost access to your local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, CW, MyNetwork TV and Telemundo affiliates.
In addition to local news broadcasts, you’ll also miss things like the World Baseball Classic quarters, semifinals and finals on FOX, the finals of the Big East basketball tournament also on FOX and the Players Championship golf tournament on NBC. Over on CBS, a full weekend of college basketball will conclude with Selection Sunday.
ABC will present a sports-filled Saturday with NWSL, NHL and NBA action scheduled to air throughout the day.
Even if you aren’t a sports fan, there are some major shows airing on network TV, including CBS’ hit Sunday night slate with “Tracker” and “Marshals.” Harry Styles hosts “Saturday Night Live” on NBC this Saturday. The Academy Awards are also set to air on ABC this Sunday, March 15.
There are solutions, though, including our favorite live TV streaming service: DIRECTV, which is offering some great deals in addition to a five-day free trial on all plans.
How to watch channels blacked out on Dish Network for free
DIRECTV offers a number of flexible plan options that include the affected channels, plus all plans come with a five-day free trial.
Below, check out a breakdown of some of DIRECTV’s most popular plans by how much they cost after a five-day free trial and what channels they include.
- Entertainment: $49.99/month for the first month ($89.99/month after)
- ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo
- Choice: $59.99/month for the first month + 1 month of MySports free ($94.99/month after)
- ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo
- Ultimate: $84.99/month for the first month ($124.99/month after)
- ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo
- MySports Genre Pack: $69.99/month
- ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX (includes ESPN Unlimited)
- MyNews Genre Pack: $34.99/month for the first two months ($39.99/month after)
- Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.