How to watch the 49ers game and presidential debate during DirecTV-Disney blackouts
As a week-old contract battle between AT&T’s television and streaming arms and Disney drags on, DirecTV users are scrambling to find a way to watch the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets on “Monday Night Football,” as well as Tuesday’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Disney-owned channels have been blocked out across the nation and here in the capital region since Sept. 1 as the owner of the ABC television network, ESPN and other channels dukes it out with the platform that provides 11 million subscribers with traditional satellite, cable and internet-delivered service.
And while Sacramento’s ABC affiliate, KXTV, isn’t a Disney-owned-and-operated station, Channel 10 is not being shown on DirecTV Stream service after the Tenga-owned station opted into a different contract between the two giants over carriage — the money that changes hands for delivering those signals.
So while viewers of traditional over-the-air broadcasts and others using different cable and satellite providers won’t miss a thing, how can DirecTV — and U-Verse and Stream users — see these two must-see events?
How to watch the 49ers without DirecTV
Football fanatics, take a deep breath — you’ve got options.
SIGN UP FOR ANOTHER SERVICE
▪ Users of the ESPN App, NFL+ or Disney’s Hulu + Live TV are just an app download away. In some cases, you can sign up for free (don’t forget to cancel the subscription before the trial period ends).
▪ Head to Best Buy and pick up a Tablo. For $100, you can use the old antenna on your place and hook it up to this device, which allows you to watch over-the-air signals on your TV or cellphone within your Wi-Fi network. (Be sure to give yourself an hour or more to get it all set up — game time Monday is 5:15 p.m.)
▪ You could also try YouTubeTV, SlingTV, FuboTV or any of the other streaming bundles that carry local channels.
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE
▪ Sacramento radio personalities Damien Barling and Kenny Carraway will host a live recording of their daily sports show “D-Lo & KC” on ESPN 1320 at 32 Brews Street, inside of Sky River Casino in Elk Grove from noon to 4 p.m. The hosts will be joined by their “chatty house” fans as they countdown to 49ers’ season kickoff against the Jets.
▪ If you’re downtown, check out Tom’s Watch Bar, 414 K St., which opened in October. The premier sports bar seats more than 400 inside and out and has more than 100 screens.
▪ Other options include Public House Downtown, at the corner of 16th and L streets; Cheaters Sports Bar at 3221 Folsom Blvd.; or Limelight Bar & Cafe at 1014 Alhambra Blvd., even if its known more for being a haven for Philadelphia sports fans.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS...
▪ Find a friend or family member who has Xfinity, Wave, Fidium or any of the other providers sprinkled across the capital region.
▪ Find another watering hole or restaurant with lots of TVs — though beware some of them have DirecTV, too.
Presidential debate on Tuesday
While Tuesday’s debate between presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is being hosted by ABC News, many other networks will be carrying the 6 p.m. event.
▪ The debate will be carried by other cable news networks, such as MSNBC and NewsNation.
▪ Local stations for all the networks — CBS (KOVR, Ch. 13), NBC (KCRA, Ch. 3), PBS (KVIE, Ch. 6) and Fox (KTXL, Ch. 40) — will simulcast the debate as well.
▪ You can use that new Hulu or Disney subscription to see it, too.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 5:00 AM.