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DIRECTV Review 2021

DIRECTV will have everything you need, but it does come with a midcontract price increase

Published on August 12, 2021

DIRECTV's satellite TV service has all the channels you want—including NFL SUNDAY TICKET and premium channels like HBO and SHOWTIME.

Although DIRECTV has a two-year contract with second-year price hikes, you're guaranteed a great channel variety for the family, for movie buffs, and for sports addicts.

You may have to budget wisely to have this great service in your home, but read on to see if this is the satellite provider for you.

Pros

DIRECTV has tons of channels.
This satellite TV provider is home to NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

Cons

DIRECTV has 2nd-year price hikes.
Expect fees/deceiving prices.

Let's see if DIRECTV is available in your area.

How much does DIRECTV cost?

The first year's pricing isn't too bad. It's the second-year price hikes you'll have to worry about

With each TV plan, DIRECTV includes lots of channels and a solid Genie DVR. It seems like a good deal at first until you see your monthly bill practically double in the second year of your contract.

We think DIRECTV could be a 5-star service—when they decide to stop this price hike nonsense.

But if you're looking for lots of channels and a TV service that is widely available across the US, DIRECTV is the satellite service for you.

Data effective 11/19/18. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

* Prices subject to change at any time. Current prices for 12 mos. plus taxes and Regional Sports Fee w/24-mo. agmt. Autopay & Paperless bill reqd. Prices higher in 2nd year.*

† Prices subject to change at any time. Current price for 12 months plus taxes and Regional Sports Fee w/24-mo. agmt. Autopay & Paperless bill reqd. Prices higher in 2nd year. Regional Sports Fee up to $9.99/mo. is extra & applies.*

‡ Prices subject to change at any time. Current price for 12 mos. plus taxes and Regional Sports Fee w/24-mo. agmt. Autopay & Paperless bill reqd. Prices higher in 2nd year. Regional Sports Fee up to $9.99/mo. is extra & applies.*

Does DIRECTV have a contract?

As we said in our price hike rant up above: yes, DIRECTV has a two-year contract. Sigh.

But the biggest bummer is the second-year price hikes, and this might be a deal-breaker because some of the package prices almost double in year two of your two-year contract.

For example, your $69.99 per month bill will be $115 per month during your second year. As for the PREMIER package, the most expensive one at $134.99 per month, will end up being $200 during year two (what??).

And it will be a pain to get out of the contract early. You'll have to pay an early termination fee if you want out of the relationship. This means you'll have to pay up to $20 per month that is left on your contract.

So if you want DIRECTV because of all of the channels they offer or because satellite TV is your only TV option in your area, then just make sure to budget for that second-year price hike.

Money

Make sure to sign up for autopay and paperless billing as soon as you sign up for DIRECTV. You'll get a $5-per-month discount that starts in the first 1–4 billing cycles. This discount only applies for the first year (which is wack, if you ask us).

Does DIRECTV have fees?

Here's a plus: DIRECTV gives you free installation and free DVR service. No monthly payment!

But you do have to pay for a monthly regional sports fee. Dang, DIRECTV. There you go hurting us again.

And keep in mind, you'll have to pay installation and a monthly DVR fee for additional receivers if your daughter and son want one in their room.

How much are DIRECTV's fees?

Fee	Monthly price
DVR service fee	Included
Installation cost	Included
Additional receiver fee	$7/mo. + $99 installation fee
Regional sports fee	Up to $9.99/mo.

Data effective 8/12/2021.

Which DIRECTV package should you choose?

First of all, pick out your must-have channels. Then, pick a package based around those channels that's affordable for you.

But let us help you decide which package might be the chosen one:

ENTERTAINMENT: With DIRECTV's starter package, you'll have all of your family's favorites like Disney Channel, HGTV, and CNN. Channels that you miss out on going from CHOICE to ENTERTAINMENT that are worth mentioning are TeenNick and TV Land, but in return, you get ESPN and Lifetime Movie Network.
CHOICE: The CHOICE package tends to the sports-watching families. Not only do you get a few more key sports channels, like NFL Network, but football fans will also get a nice bonus from DIRECTV. . . Enjoy a free subscription to NFL SUNDAY TICKET for a season if you get CHOICE or above. You'll get access to all out-of-market NFL games on your TV.
ULTIMATE: This upgrade adds channels for movie lovers, such as ENCORE Action and ENCORE Drama. If you're a big fan of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, you're going to want this package for the Tennis Channel. And your kids will love Boomerang and PBS Kids.
PREMIER: The biggest package is for the movie buffs and includes 45+ premium channels, including HBO, CINEMAX, STARZ, and SHOWTIME. And for the international sports fans, the PREMIER package also includes Fox Deportes and Fox Soccer Channel.

Which channels does DIRECTV have?

One of DIRECTV's best features is its pretty awesome channel lineups

Luckily, you don't have to pay for the highest-tier packages to get the channels you want with DIRECTV. You're likely to find the channel variety you need in the ENTERTAINMENT plan.

But don't let us stop you if you need a channel lineup that has all the sports or all the movies. We'll highlight some channels each package includes when you upgrade from one to another.

DIRECTV'S ENTERTAINMENT plan includes the following:

ABC Family
Animal Planet
Cartoon Network
CNN
Disney Channel
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
Fox News
Food Network
Hallmark Channel

HGTV
Lifetime Movie Network
MSNBC
Nickelodeon
TBS
TNT
Turner Classic Movies
USA Network
And more

DIRECTV CHOICE plan includes the following:

Big Ten Network
Cooking Channel
ESPNEWS
ESPN U
FUSE

Independent Film Channel
NFL Network
Science Channel
And more

DIRECTV ULTIMATE plan includes the following:

Boomerang
ENCORE Action
ENCORE Drama
NHL Network
PBS
PBS Kids Sprout

Style Network
Sundance Channel
The Movie Channel
Tennis Channel
And more

DIRECTV PREMIER plan includes the following:

CINEMAX ActionMax
ESPN CLASSIC
ENCORE Family
ENCORE Love
FLIX
Fox Deportes
Fox Soccer Channel
HBO2
HBO Family

Outdoor Channel
STARZ Cinema
STARZ Edge
SHOWTIME Beyond
SHOWTIME Showcase
STARZ Comedy
STARZ Kids & Family
CINEMAX ThrillerMax
And more

How much are DIRECTV's premium channels and add-ons?

Guess what? DIRECTV tosses a free subscription to HBO Max for one whole year and a free subscription to CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and EPIX for three months. Now, that's currently the best premium channel-perk in the TV industry!

Don't forget to cancel your subscription after the year is up, or else you'll be charged $57 per month. Or just make sure you budget so you won't have to miss out on Raised by Wolves, Strike Back, or Billions.

How much are DIRECTV's premium channels?

Which DIRECTV package is best for sports?

To put it simply, the more you can budget for your monthly satellite bill, the more sports channels you'll get.

You'll get a complete list of sports channels if you go as high as the ULTIMATE package (especially if you want to watch your O's, D-backs, or Yanks).

DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT includes the following sports channels:

ESPN
ESPN2
ESPN3

DIRECTV CHOICE includes the following sports channels:

Big Ten Network
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPN3

ESPNEWS
ESPN U
NFL Network

DIRECTV ULTIMATE includes the following sports channels:

Big Ten Network
CBS Sports Network
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPN3
ESPNEWS
ESPN U

Golf Channel
MLB Network
NBA TV
NBC Sports
NFL Network
NHL Network
Tennis Channel

NFL SUNDAY TICKET is one of DIRECTV's best features. You get all out-of-market Sunday NFL games right on your TV. And guess what? You get a free season subscription for your first year if you get the DIRECTV CHOICE package or above!

DIRECTV offers the following add-on packages:

Movies Extra pack:$4.99/mo. (first three months included)
DOGTV:$4.99/mo. (first month included)
Outdoor Channel:$4.99/mo.
Hallmark Movies Now: $5.99/mo. (or check out other ways to watch the Hallmark channels)
Lifetime Movies Club: $3.99/mo.
A&E Crime Central: $4.99/mo.
Pantaya: $5.99/mo.

You can also get DIRECTV packages for the following languages ($10.00–$37.99):

Italian
Filipino
Russian
Brazilian Portuguese
Chinese
Korean
Vietnamese
Spanish
Japanese

How much is DIRECTV's DVR?

The Genie DVR is one of the best out there

We appreciate that DIRECTV includes your first DVR. And it's got plenty of storage. The Genie DVR holds up to 200 HD hours, which falls behind the 500 hours of the DISH Hopper 3, but is still a lot more than other competitors.

How much storage does DIRECTV's Genie DVR have?

DVR price	Storage	Simultaneous recordings	Details
Included	200 HD hrs.	5	View Plans

The Genie DVR is one of the best brand DVRs out there. You get 4K resolution, the ability to switch between games, and the ability to connect up to eight TVs wirelessly. You can record five programs at once with a single Genie DVR, and you can schedule it on your TV or online.

You can take your DVR recordings on-the-go with the DIRECTV app, too. So if you start your day with Good Morning America, you don't have to stop once you get goin' on your commute.

Recap: Is DIRECTV good?

Sure it's pricey, but it's got everything you need

We're not gonna lie, DIRECTV's second-year price increases are a huge bummer. Even though first-year pricing is reasonable, if you start adding multiple receivers and premium channels, it can get spendy real quick.

Beyond the price, though, you will get what you want from DIRECTV. At every level of service, DIRECTV includes most of your favorite channels for you and your family to enjoy.

It's also an NFL fan's dream with NFL SUNDAY TICKET, and you could get it for free for the 2021 season if you order CHOICE and above. (Don't forget, we recommend the ULTIMATE plan to get all of the sports channels DIRECTV offers).

DIRECTV plans and pricing recap

ENTERTAINMENT All-Included: $64.99/month, 160+ channels
CHOICE All-Included: $69.99/month, 185+ channels
ULTIMATE All-Included: $84.99/month, 250+ channels
PREMIER All-Included: $134.99/month, 330+ channels

Now that you know, here are your next steps.

Enter your ZIP code to see if which TV providers are available in your area.

Still looking? Check out the top-ranked TV providers.

Chantel Buchi

Written by

Chantel Buchi

Chantel is all about finding the best tv or streaming service to watch as many football games as possible to keep her Fantasy Football team in check. Prior to being a TV and Streaming Tech Reporter for Reviews.org, she worked for NFL Network and The Alliance of American Football. Before that, she received a B.A. of Communication at the University of Utah and an M.S. in Sports Journalism at USC. Go Utes and Fight On. Contact her at chantel@reviews.org

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