DirecTV giving customers the choice to cut local stations out of their TV packages
DirecTV is offering a deal to customers who opt out of local programming.
On Sunday, the satellite multichannel distributor announced its new “No Locals” packages, which allow customers to opt out of local programming for as long as they want. Customers who use this new feature will receive a corresponding discount, saving them $12 a month or $144 annually.
“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’s chief content officer, in a statement.
“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.”
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Customers can use the new feature to “opt out of their usual local station access during non-peak programming months – like the summer – and then resume in the fall or whenever they choose,” a news release said.
Customers can switch their local package configuration over the phone by calling customer service. The ability to make the change online will be available soon, according to the company.
Feeds from local stations are typically the center of disputes between entertainment companies and their cable and satellite distributors. Last year, Spectrum cable customers couldn’t watch Disney-owned channels after a previous agreement between Disney and Charter Communications expired.
Weeks later, the two companies reached a deal that allowed Spectrum cable customers to access Disney+, but channels like Freeform and Disney Junior were dropped from the cable lineup.
DirecTV and Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of KTLA, had a similar disagreement last year that was eventually resolved.
The new package option comes as TV providers continue to innovate to compete with various streaming services.
Premium content from entertainment companies like Walt Disney Co., NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. goes straight to their respective streaming platforms, essentially eliminating the need for cable in many households.
For example, ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery are planning to launch a sports streaming platform later this year, which could also convince sports fans to cut the cord.
“National broadcast network content but has suffered a more than 40% decline in viewership since 2015, according to Nielsen Media Research. The major studios that own the national broadcast networks keep shifting top series producers and most buzzed about scripted shows that had bolstered local stations’ primetime lineups over to their streaming services instead.”
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