Cleveland Browns NFL playoff game will be on DirecTV, AT&T U-verse after all

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Local DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and AT&T U-verse customers will be able to watch the Cleveland Browns take on the Houston Texans in the opening game of the NFL Playoffs after all.

The satellite, cable and streaming provider and Tegna, the owner of WKYC Channel 3 and 63 other stations across the nation, announced Saturday that they have come to a new multi-year distribution agreement, ending a nearly two-month blackout. A Tegna spokesperson confirmed WKYC is being restored to the three DirecTV-owned services “as we speak.”

“DirecTV and Tegna greatly appreciate the patience of their subscribers and viewers,” the two companies said in a joint press release.

“We will continue to work with station owners and networks to align the price customers pay with the value they receive,” added a DirecTV spokesperson in a statement to Deadline.

The resolution was welcome news to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who urged the chief executives of Tegna and AT&T to return to the negotiating table in a letter to the FCC earlier this week.

“Ohioans don’t care about contract disputes between TV executives – they want to be able to check the local weather, cheer on their favorite teams, and stay up to date on local news without disruption,” Brown wrote in a statement. “I am glad the parties came to their senses and ended this in time for the Browns to beat the Texans.”

Local DirecTV subscribers had not been able to watch WKYC, the Cleveland-area NBC affiliate, since Nov. 30 when the contract between the TV provider and Tegna expired. Both sides went back and forth, blaming the other for the impasse as it stretched on for nearly two months. Carriage disputes, which concern the fees that satellite, streaming and cable providers pay networks or station owners for the right to carry programming on their distribution platforms, have become increasingly common in recent years.

The situation caused much consternation among some local Browns fans when it was announced that the team’s opening-round playoff game — its first postseason contest in three years — would be broadcast on NBC. Fans and bars alike scrambled to find a way to watch the game, signing up for a free trial or short-term subscription to an alternative streaming service or purchasing an over-the-air antenna. Turns out, they didn’t have to.

The Browns and Texans kick off in Houston at 4:30 p.m. For viewers who don’t have access to NBC, the game will also be available on Peacock, NFL+ or in Spanish on Telemundo.