DirecTV Stream Review: Expensive But The Best Option For Streaming NBA And NHL
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In its six-year life span, has had one of the most tumultuous histories of all of the . After starting life as DirecTV Now in 2016, it's endured three different name changes, flip-flops on compulsory hardware and a series of price hikes. The current version of DirecTV Stream is separate from the DirecTV satellite service, and instead competes against cord-cutter services and .
DirecTV Stream is not cheap. A monthly subscription starts at $70, and to get access to your local regional sports network you'll need to pay for the $90 Choice package (which just , while higher tiers are now $10 more). Those local sports channels, which carry the regular season games of , and teams, are the best reason to subscribe to DirecTV Stream. No competitor has nearly as many RSNs, so for fans who want to catch all the action of their teams live, paying $90 a month to DirecTV Stream is often the only streaming option. As a bonus, that price also includes three months of . A cable TV subscription, which typically also offers RSNs, is likely cheaper, however.
7.4
DirecTV Stream
LikeOffers most regional sports networks on $90 tierGreat for channel surfingLive pause works well
Don't LikeExpensiveNot as many nonsports channels as competitorsChannel changing slow on RokuNo Google TV or Android app
In daily use the DirecTV stream app also feels more cable-like than any of its competitors, in part because you can easily flip channels. While it's compatible with multiple platforms, I liked it best on an , which loads channels twice as fast as . If you crave a familiar interface and want access to its extensive sports coverage DirecTV Stream is worth a look. However, if you don't need your local RSNs, then YouTube TV -- which costs less and has more channels overall -- is a better choice, .
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Multiple channel packages, with RSNs starting at $90
DirecTV Stream is a live TV streaming service designed to (), Apple TV, Roku, Android and iOS, TVs and browsers. It doesn't currently support Android or Google TV devices, however.
One of the benefits of choosing a streaming service over cable is that you're not tied to a contract, so you can cancel at any time without penalty. DirecTV Stream's basic package starts at $70 a month with 65-plus channels and a 20-hour DVR, but it does miss channels such as MLB Network, NFL Network and Travel Channel found on the competition.
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If you're a cord-cutter and want to follow your local NBA, NHL or MLB team during the regular season, DirecTV Stream's $90 Choice package is a better option. If you're ready to read more info on แทงบอลออนไลน์ visit our page. It gives you access to almost all regional sports networks. RSNs are local channels devoted to showing the live, regular-season games of a particular local team. There are numerous such networks across the country, including YES Network (which carries the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets), NBA Sports Chicago (White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks) and Bally's Sports Sun (Tampa Bay Rays and Lightning).
Unless you subscribe to cable or satellite, your only option for getting your local RSN, and the live games it carries for your team, is most likely DirecTV Stream. Other services like and YouTube TV used to carry more RSNs, and they still offer a handful (YouTube TV has five RSNs and , for example), but .
DirecTV Stream also has an Ultimate tier that costs $105 with more channels including Starz and Encore. The "whole enchilada" $150 Premier level adds even more channels including HBO (and HBO Max), Starz, Showtime and Cinemax.
The DirecTV Stream set-top box costs an extra $5 a month, but you can also use devices like Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When it was still called TV, users had the option of entering a contract for a cheaper price with a streaming set-top box bundled in. Now that the service has been rebranded DirecTV Stream, the contract has been scrapped and the optional box costs $5 a month.
Premium live TV streaming services compared
Premium services
YouTube TV
DirecTV Stream
Hulu Plus Live TV
FuboTV
Base price
$65 a month
$70 a month
$70 a month
$65 a month
Total number of top 100 channels
79
62
73
59
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Record shows for later (cloud DVR)
Yes (keep for 9 months)
Yes (20 hours, unlimited hours for $10 a month)
Yes (50 hours, 200 hours plus commercial skip for $10 a month)
Yes (250 hours)
Step-up packages with more channels
No ($20 for 4K only)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Simultaneous streams per account
3
20
2 ($10 option for unlimited)
3
The service recently , which is good news for households with lots of people who want to watch at once. The out-of-home concurrent streaming limit is three, which should still be plenty.
What's it like to use?
My favorite feature of DirecTV Stream is the ability to click (or swipe) left or right to quickly change channels, much like channel flipping on a cable box. Unfortunately the "flip" to a new channel isn't instantaneous, and how long it takes varies according to which device you're using. For instance, I found that changing channels via a web browser or an took about 3 seconds, while a took 6 seconds. However, even though there is a lag before you can see video, the channel and current program do display immediately on a loading screen.
DirecTV Stream comes with a grid-style program guide.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When using DirecTV Stream with a remote, the controls center around the direction buttons and the Enter/OK button. This makes it quick to pick up and use, and also means you don't need a complicated remote control to make it work, making the minimalist Apple TV clicker a great companion. If you want the full "surfing" experience on a universal remote, you could even program left and right arrows into your Channel up and down buttons.
The service loads straight into the last channel watched -- further enhancing its cable credentials -- and pressing down brings up the interface with a choice of the 14-day guide, Watch Now, My Library recordings and a Discover option. Navigation is intuitive and quick, unlike the painfully slow YouTube TV.
One of the major upgrades recently has been to the live pause feature. Previously only Apple TV could pause the action for up to 2 minutes. But now you can pause both Apple TV and Roku broadcasts seemingly indefinitely, just as with YouTube TV.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Depending on the tier you choose, DirecTV's cloud DVR offers between 20 hours and an unlimited number, while YouTube TV offers unlimited storage by default. YouTube TV lets you keep recordings for up to nine months, while you're limited to 30 days on DirecTV.
Some programs do give you the option to restart, and pressing down on the Apple TV remote will bring up show info, a recording option and Restart (if available). Pressing the Select button will pause the program. In contrast, pressing the middle button on Roku brings up a different menu with similar functionality and the ability to restart.
I briefly used a and found the experience closer to Apple TV than Roku. If you don't have an Apple TV, the Fire TV is my next choice for using the service. Using an iPhone also offered a smooth experience with quick channel changes.
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Is it worth your $70 (or $90) a month?
The cable experience is what DirecTV Stream is all about -- the swipe left and right functionality is quite inspired. While the service has really bulked up on its content since 2019 -- when it had fewer than 50 of the most popular channels -- the service still lags behind every other rival in terms of breadth. The real reason to get it is if you're an avid sports fan -- the $90 Choice package with its numerous RSNs is unmatched by the competition.
If you don't need your local sports network, however, almost any other service offers a better value than this, and many cable packages will be cheaper too, and usually include your local RSNs.
Channel comparison
Below you'll find a chart that's a smaller version of . It contains the top 100 channels from each service. Some notes:
Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier.
No = The channel isn't available at all on that service.
$ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
Not every channel a service carries is listed, just the "top 100" as determined by CNET's editors. Minor channels such as AXS TV, CNBC World, Discovery Life, GSN, POP and Universal Kids didn't make the cut.
-- channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams -- are not listed.
Top 100 Channels
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Total channels:
36
59
73
79
62
ABC
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CBS
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NBC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
PBS
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
CW
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MyNetworkTV
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
A&E
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
ACC Network
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Accuweather
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
AMC
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Animal Planet
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
BBC America
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
BBC World News
$
$
No
Yes
$
BET
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Big Ten Network
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Bloomberg TV
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Boomerang
$
No
Yes
No
Yes
Bravo
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Cartoon Network
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
CBS Sports Network
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Cheddar
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Cinemax
No
No
$
$
$
CMT
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CNBC
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CNN
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Comedy Central
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cooking Channel
$
$
$
No
$
Destination America
$
$
$
No
$
Discovery Channel
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney Channel
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney Junior
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney XD
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DIY
$
$
$
No
$
E!
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EPIX
$
No
No
$
$
ESPN
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPN 2
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPNEWS
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
ESPNU
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Food Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Business
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox News
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 1
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 2
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Freeform
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX Movies
$
$
Yes
Yes
$
FXX
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FYI
$
No
Yes
No
$
Golf Channel
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Hallmark
$
Yes
No
No
Yes
HBO/HBO Max
No
No
$
$
$
HGTV
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
History
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
HLN
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
IFC
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Investigation Discovery
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lifetime
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Lifetime Movie Network
$
No
Yes
No
$
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
MLB Network
$
$
No
Yes
$
Motor Trend
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MSNBC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV2
$
$
$
Yes
Yes
National Geographic
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nat Geo Wild
$
$
Yes
Yes
$
NBA TV
$
$
No
Yes
$
NBC Sports Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NFL Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
NFL Red Zone
$
$
$
$
No
NHL Network
$
$
No
No
$
Nickelodeon
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nick Jr.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Nicktoons
$
$
$
Yes
$
Olympic Channel
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
OWN
No
Yes
No
Yes
$
Oxygen
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Paramount Network
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Science
$
$
$
No
$
SEC Network
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Showtime
$
$
$
$
$
Smithsonian
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Starz
$
$
$
$
$
Sundance TV
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Syfy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tastemade
$
Yes
No
Yes
$
TBS
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
TCM
$
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Telemundo
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Tennis Channel
$
$
No
No
$
TLC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
TNT
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Travel Channel
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
TruTV
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
TV Land
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
USA Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
VH1
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Vice
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
WE tv
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Channel
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($70)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
