CBS Goes Dark on AT&T and DIRECTV, But We Found Ways You Can Still Watch

The CBS blackout affects 240 million viewers in cities across the nation.

Well, it's official. CBS has officially been dropped by AT&T. The blackout is the result of a contract dispute between CBS and AT&T and affects DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW, and AT&T U-verse subscribers. An extension was granted earlier this month by both parties in order to avoid an interruption in service, but the parties have yet to come to an agreement. AT&T is also involved in a dispute with Nexstar Media Group that began on July 4, 2019, resulting in a blackout on more than 120 stations.

The blackout with CBS includes CBS local stations and programming in Atlanta, Baltimore, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, and Minneapolis. CBS Sports Network has also been dropped from DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW, and the Smithsonian Channel is no longer available to DIRECTV customers.

CBS claims they have been negotiating in good faith but can’t accept unfavorable rates. The current contract with DIRECTV was negotiated in 2012, before AT&T owned the television network providers. There is no telling how long the blackout will last.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can still get CBS programming at home:

Watch CBS This Morning, Face the Nation, and CBS Evening News on CBSN.
Download the CBS All Access app on mobile devices, smart TVs, and streaming devices. You can buy an all-access pass through this service to watch all CBS’s primetime programming and news.
Download the Locast App. Available in 13 major cities, this free app allows you to watch local broadcast stations over the internet. Locast is a nonprofit organization and requests donations to maintain and build its network.
Go old school with an antenna. Local network programming is always available for free over the airways. Unfortunately, most new flat-screen televisions don’t come with an over-the-air antenna, but you can purchase one at your local electronics store.

Are you shut out of CBS? Are you thinking of changing providers? Tell us in the comments!