It has never been more competitive in the world of live TV streaming than it is today. So, that's why it's never been more important to ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck.
Enter DirecTV. With over 75 channels included in their starter plan alone, this streaming service affords you instant access to the best quality entertainment, news and sports content.
What else does this streaming service offer that gives it an edge over other live TV streaming services? The lucrative DirecTV Visa reward cards, fluctuating from $100 to as much as $400 depending on the plan you choose. There is also a price guarantee for the first two years with this streaming service, meaning there will be no change in price to what you originally signed up for.
The downsides? With a two-year price guarantee you are locked in with this streaming service for this lengthy amount of time, a long commitment. Price is another factor as one of the pricier services on offer, potentially setting you back as much as $159.99 per month alone.
Continue reading if you're weighing up the pros and cons of and looking to cut through the noise in this time of competitive live TV streaming.
DirecTV Entertainment
The first plan, DirecTV Entertainment, offers a whopping 75 channels minimum with internet and over 165 via Satellite. These include essentials such as CNN, ESPN channels, AMC and Nickelodeon, all of which are perfect for family viewing.
Among the other channels this plan guarantees are BBC America, Comedy Central, Discovery, FX, MTV, TruTV and many more. Another bonus – available with all the plans – is three months of free premium cable channels including Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, MGM+ and Cinemax, worth over $160 together in value. Just remember to cancel after three months, if you don’t want to keep them past their trial periods, or you’ll have a big surprise in your next bill.
Regarding DVR storage, the quality will vary with regards to if you sign up via Satellite connection or internet. Whereas Satellite promises up to 200 hours of HD content on your device (including 4K), internet plan offers unlimited 4K storage in the cloud which will expire after 9 months. This DVR storage is the same across all DirecTV plans – from this Entertainment package to the Premier package.
DirecTV Choice
The next step up from DirecTV Entertainment is DirecTV Choice which is available for $84.99 per month. Boasting over 105 channels (and double this amount of channels on Satellite), DirecTV Choice prides itself on providing speciality sports channels.
These extra channels include (on top of the previous 75 channels from DirecTV Choice) ACC Network, Big Ten Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, SEC Network among various others. For those who want to branch outside of just football and baseball content, this plan also provides Golf Channel and Tennis Channel and even the Cooking Channel, Science Channel and Travel Channel. Regional sports, with the most in-market RSNs, and local channels are also included where available.
DirecTV Ultimate
Despite being called DirecTV Ultimate, there is one level above this third-tier plan. However, this particular package includes over 140 channels – and at least 270 via Satellite – for the more expensive price of $114.99 per month.
This jump to paying above $100 per month comes with a lot more sports and movie channels, alongside the previous plans’ offerings, with the likes of CBS Sports Network, Discovery Family, FX Movie Channel, NHL Network, STARZ Encore and many more. We don’t have space to list all the channels but you can check out the full list on their website. Across all plans, DirecTV also gifts you their latest Gemini device – once installed it delivers all your favourite programmes in one place without switching inputs or swapping remotes.
DirecTV Premier
If you’re willing to cough up $159.99 for a plan which offers the most, DirecTV Premier is the one for you. With over 150 channels via internet and over 340 for Satellite, this top plan from DirecTV certainly gives you bang for your buck.
Whereas the other plans all include a trial three month period of Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ and Cinemax, DirecTV Premier includes them for the length of your time with them. This access to the top-rated premium networks (with the exception of MGM+ which is still only a three month trial period) may justify the inflated price for some but for others paying over $150 per month may be too much. Just a few of the extra channels, not available on other plans, include ActionMAX, NFL RedZone, Outdoor Channel and Willow. Ultimately, it’s up to you as to whether you can justify this price for DirecTV’s biggest and best package.
