No Dallas Mavericks on Directv Stream!

Hi there. We apologize for the inconvenience. DIRECTV via Internet/STREAM does not currently have the rights to provide local in-market Dallas Mavericks games and is working with the specific teams, leagues, and new rightsholders to try to make games available to fans who may want them. Lorie, DIRECTV Community Specialist

So you do have these rights for Directv dish users but did not secure it for Stream users?  I don’t understand why Directv would not have negotiated rights for ALL their customers regardless of how the customer receives the broadcast.  I thinks Mavs ownership would have wanted ALL their fans to receive broadcast regardless of how received.  

I think I’ll reach out to them and get their thoughts.

Maybe the Mavs don't want the games on a streaming service which competes directly with the Mavs new streaming service.

Channel 29 is on FUBO. It doesn't seem that the Mavs are trying to restrict streaming services.

I suspect the problem is neither technical or legal. It's most likely financial. DTS already carries WFAA. There's no reason that they couldn't also purchase the rights to air KFAA, which is owned by the same company.

@DIRECTVhelp please escalate to the people who need to hear, that we need channel 29 which is the sister channel of channel 8. They are owned by the same company. Most of us got directv stream because it was the only place we could watch the mavs and stars. Now we can't on directv but other streaming platforms do. So based on your response, I think directv is telling us it is time to go shopping for your competitors and to dump directv!  

Since it's all about the $$, just get the deal done and charge us more.  I cannot believe you are holding Directv streaming customers hostage as the season has already begun. Shame on you!

We all pay for channels that we don't watch, and the price keeps going up. DirecTV has to decide whether the licensing fee is greater than the number of customers they'll lose by not streaming the 70 Mavericks games that will be exclusively on KFAA 29.

DirecTV has lost a lot of customers over licensing disputes, high prices, and loss of sports coverage like NFL Ticket. It's not fair that the customers who don't leave have to pay more for service because bad policy decisions are reducing revenue.

I appreciate getting non-sports fan’s opinions. Guess I’m the only one who would pay more to get this channel on Directv stream rather than paying $15.99

per month to Mavstv which isn’t even ready to broadcast the games??

Regardless of what programing or sports that I am a fan of or not, I do not call shame on the TV provider for not acquiring additional content for me and raising up everyone else's bill.

You demand the channel/programming, which would increase bills across the board regardless of who watches it, and call it hostage holding and claiming shame. That shows a rather selfish perspective, especially when nothing obligates or entitles you to that channel.

If they end up getting it, which may still be a decent possibility (but we won't know until it happens), then great for all who want it. Unfortunately that will come at the cost of everybody. Unless you could get DirecTV to agree to allow you to cover the channel for anybody who doesn't want it added to their bill.

It’s pretty simple.  I want to watch the Mavs.  Directv satellite allows this.  Directv Stream does not.  And in my Fort Worth condo, yes, I can watch channel 29 on Spectrum.  At lake house with Stream, can’t watch.  My neighbor across the street has Directv with a dish.  He can watch the games.  Directv has had a brain (Edited per community guidelines) and their management did not plan.  Quit the excuses and simply do the right thing for your customers.  Make channel available on Directv stream!

Very well stated. I have opted for the monthly subscription via MavsTv which isn’t yet streaming the games. Another brain freeze from the Mavs!! With this subscription, you are directed to download the NBA app to watch the Mavs games. 

Juniper, your logic is progressing to a system that I would consider ideal, where each customer could select the channels that they'd like and pay only for those channels. I suspect that's not a good business model as no provider has ever offered that flexibility with the exception of premium channels.

Having eliminated the ideal, the business model has to be providing the maximum choices to the consumer at the least cost. I think, for a content provider, it would be foolish to  underestimate the sports fans' desire to watch their local teams on TV. It's not like losing the Disney channels. There are plenty of options for children's programming. There are no options to Mavericks games for Mavericks fans. 

I like many others would love the freedom to choose the exact channels we get. Unfortunately, because of companies that own many channels (local affiliates like Nexstar, Mission and nationwide bigwigs like Disney and Viacom), that channels are bundled to TV providers which means bundling to us. That is how the industry is current setup.

So TV providers get the best bundle agreements they can. In turn we consumers choose the service and package that best matches our interests and budget. Individual owners (Mavs, Disney, etc.) are pushing for their personal streaming option for those that want very specific content. Problem is adding enough of those to get the variety of full providers you risk exceeding the cost and deal with many different interfaces which may not be as convenient (and of differing quality). There is no ideal setup available that fits consumer, TV provider, and the content owners. At least not now anyway. Will be a long time before someone implements an option that disrupts that, shall we say "status quo", of the industry.

I doubt they are underestimating the desire of sports fans. They (the fans) show it every time a channel owner withholds the feed to upset them to lever higher costs during negotiations. I would expect they are looking into the option of the channel for their streaming services, but as normal will not say anything unless they actually get it. I get that lack of information is frustrating for fans.

One thing is that is not just a channel for the Mavericks but is a local channel. So it would not be just added for the fans (such as an al-a-carte option), but forced upon all who live in the market and the cost added to all customers (even if they don't live there).

Time will tell if they get the channel or not added to the streaming side. Either way there is not the "right thing" for all customers. It will either be a good thing for Mav fans or everybody else (with some non-fans who because they are in the local area being on either side of this issue).

DIRECTV is working with TEGNA to possibly add the Mavs games for streaming customers too. Ariane, DIRECTV Community Specialist