This weekend's matchup between the South Carolina football team and their SEC rival Kentucky Wildcats will be broadcast on ABC and streamed on the ESPN app (kickoff time is set for 3:30 PM ET). For some Gamecock fans, though, that poses a problem as DirecTV subscribers do not have access to any Disney properties at the moment.
For those unaware of what is going on, DirecTV and Disney are in a contract dispute (one that only hurts paying customers and not the uber-rich corporations) and so the two companies are not in a business relationship right now. This means that ESPN (and all of the ESPN family of networks), ABC, and all other Disney-owned networks have been pulled from DirecTV cable, satellite, and streaming services. This will remain the case until the dispute is resolved and the networks have been returned.
However, this doesn't mean that South Carolina football fans are completely out of luck when it comes to watching the Gamecocks play in Lexington this weekend. Heading out to a sports bar or a friend's house (a non-DirecTV home, obviously) are potential fixes, but if the dispute lasts longer than a week or two, at-home solutions will be needed.
Below are a few viewing options one can try out even from home:
Fans can sign up for free trials to various television or streaming services.
- FuboTV has some free trial offerings that you can check out here.
- Other streaming services like Hulu+ and YouTubeTV offer short free trials, as well.
- Some services offer discounted rates for their first month. For example, SlingTV is just $20 for the first month.
- You can purchase a digital antenna for $20 or less from online sites like Amazon or from most retail stores. Typically, these antennae allow viewers to watch local channels (like ABC, which will show the next two Gamecock games) free of charge.
- According to the ESPN website, all games shown on ABC are simulcast on ESPN+. A subscription to ESPN+ means access to games broadcast on ESPN. Plans start around $10 but can be bundled with Hulu and Disney+ for a better overall deal.