The current dispute is DirecTV vs TEGNA, a media group that owns multiple stations in multiple markets with multiple network affiliations.
It has nothing to do with Disney or ABC. I believe the NBC affiliate in Waco/Temple/Killeen is also involved as a TEGNA station.
The streaming vs. cable vs. satellite debate has been hashed out on these threads for years (search “cord cutting”), but I think this is the first time on the Football board. I’ve stood on the table many years for YouTubeTV as the best streaming service (I’ve tried most of them), while others may prefer others. I was a many year DirecTV subscriber before that, because I needed NFL Sunday Ticket to watch Longhorns in the NFL.
I understand some are limited by their geographic situation, but if you can, dump DirecTV. It is shit and incredibly expensive.
For DTV users, consider how you watch the service in secondary rooms (bedroom, den, patio, TV-equipped bathroom)… need a DVR or client? Some may now use a Direct associated streaming service, which was finally rolled out. But it can add up to a ridiculous sum. I was paying something in the neighborhood of $230 maybe? And those fucking clients NEVER worked.
With your streaming service, again, mine being YTTV, I watch the same account (it’s $79.01 a month) on all my TVs (they need to be “smart,” which can be accomplished by a $25 Roku or Fire Stick) and I can even watch it on my iPad or phone. I have unlimited DVR, it saves everything for a year, I get most of the channels I need (I use a family member’s old skool cable account to access LHN on the ESPN app) and I don’t really care about Bally (but can access that app, too thru the family member).
Yes, you need a strong internet service/WiFi. You certainly do not need a separate internet signal for your TVs and everything else.
There is a learning curve, maybe a “familiarity curve” is a better way to put it when one moves to streaming. The channel changing is different, it takes a second longer, you don’t punch in channel numbers on a remote. I still find myself scrolling down thru many rows of channels to get where I want. The “Home” section is a nice shortcut, it has a memory of where you’ve been before. But it’s a bit more effort for a superior yet much cheaper alternative.
I agree everyone should have antenna backup, unfortunately my house is either in a gully or the trees block the signals, but I get almost no reception thru an antenna. If you do, then that’s an easy option. I prefer watching things on a DVR so I can rewind or watch later, but antenna obviously can work for KVUE.