DirecTV Fox 31 Blackout… Again

About every 3 months you can count on a DirecTV blackout or rate increase or both. DirecTV has raised rates on 2 separate occasions in 2023 alone. It was less than a year ago when DirecTV and FOX 31 Denver last argued about dividing up your subscription dollars in 2022 and had a blackout. Now, in 2023, with the Women’s World Cup and NFL season fast approaching, they are at it again. Plus most recently DirecTV blacked out channel 9 NBC.

Read about the 2023 DirecTV channel 9 NBC blackout

DirecTV’s Fox 31 Denver blackout had been going on for 3 months. As of July 2023, Denver FOX 31 and CW channel 2 affiliate stations owned by NEXSTAR Media can no longer be viewed on DirecTV platforms. This applies to both satellite and streaming versions of DirecTV.

Of course those of us with an outdoor antenna don’t care. We will get Denver FOX 31 and CW 2 free for life, in HD. So even if the negotiations last into NFL season and beyond, we will still get to see all the games on FOX. Heck, we will even get to see all the Broncos pre-season games as well.

Why do Blackouts Occur?

We have written about this extensively in the past so here is a list of articles about blackouts and why an antenna is always your best option to avoid both blackouts and subscription fees.

• DirecTV FOX 31 Blackout 2022 – View Alternatives
• Dish Fox 31 Blackout – Get Denver Fox 31 Free!
• CBS Blackout Wars
• What are Cable and Satellite Retransmission Fees?

Most of these articles tell the same story and it goes something like this. Every month DirecTV, Dish, Comcast, etc bill you for “Broadcast TV Fees.” Most of those fees you pay are split between the national broadcasters (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW) and the owners of the local affiliate stations. For example, in Denver NEXSTAR Media owns the local Denver FOX channel (FOX 31) and CW (CW 2). So right now, in the summer of 2023, NEXSTAR is telling DirecTV to pay more of those fees to them. Since DirecTV does not want to pay more, NEXSTAR is refusing to let DirecTV broadcast those signals.

To get more details on this specific blackout, consider reading this article on Nexttv.com or Nexstar:

• Hot Blackout Action! DirecTV and Nexstar Wage Huge Broadcast Retrans Battle … in the Middle of Summer When Fewer People Are Watching
• Viewers Deprived Of Critical Local News, Important Weather Updates, Women’s World Cup Soccer Matches, And MLB All-Star Game, Following DIRECTV’s Removal Of 159 Nexstar Local TV Stations

The Only Way to Avoid Blackouts

The only way to avoid blackouts is to get a whole home HD antenna for FREE HD TV signals guaranteed by the FCC. To make sure you get all of your local network channels without interference we highly recommend a professionally installed outdoor or attic whole home antenna.

Denver’s Fox 31 and CW 2 antenna signals never get blacked out because the national broadcasters and local affiliates must continuously broadcast free signals. Why? So that people can still receive emergency alerts form the Emergency Broadcast System. Because free TV signals are tied into the Emergency Broadcast System, those signals must always be available.

Denver CW channel 2 also Blacked Out on DirecTV

Nexstar Media also owns the CW (Channel 2) in Denver, so that is blacked out as well. Its the exact same story and with an antenna you can get the CW, in HD, for free.