As we predicted a few days ago DIRECTV NOW added Hearst-owned NBC affiliates including Sacramento, Cincinnati, Orlando, Baltimore, and more last night.

Now keep in mind DIRECTV NOW has been rolling out locals as they are ready. This does not mean every Hearst-owned NBC affiliate will go live today but that they will be added. Hearst Television owns 12 NBC affiliates and a host of other stations around the United States.

At the start of October DIRECTV NOW offered at least one live local in 75% of the United States. DIRECTV NOW has recently been adding many NBC and even some FOX affiliates and has likely driven that number even higher.

Earlier this year NBC struck a deal with their affiliates allowing them to negotiate with live TV services on behalf of most of their affiliates. Now it looks like we have started to see these affiliates go live on services such as Hulu and DIRECTV NOW as part of this deal.

It will still be a slow process because this is not about just flipping a switch. Equipment needs to be installed at the affiliates and a secure connection made among other issues that need to be addressed. According to unofficial sources DIRECTV’s satellite service and streaming services are not located in the same area forcing them to have a separate connection to the local affiliates; however, DIRECTV NOW has been adding new locals almost weekly for about a month now.

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews.

Need cord cutting tech support? Join our new Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.