DIRECTV STREAM Is Best Streaming Service for RSNs, but What Else Does It Offer?

I chose DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) for my live TV needs because it’s one of the most popular streaming services in the world. When searching for a streaming solution, several factors drew me to this service. Most importantly, I found the transition from my cable/satellite contract to streaming incredibly smooth, making it an ideal choice for my entertainment needs.

Another big selling point of DIRECTV STREAM is that it provides great sports coverage, including by far the best selection of regional sports networks in the industry.

In a hurry? New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.

DIRECTV STREAM Pros and Cons

The idea of DIRECTV STREAM is very simple. Instead of the standard satellite dish as the source of your channels, your internet connection functions as your TV tuner/cable receiver. Since you almost certainly already have internet, that’s one less thing to worry about if you choose to go with DIRECTV.

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DIRECTV STREAM offers four base plans starting with the Entertainment package for $79.99/month with a 75+ channel lineup. The selection is what you would expect from a base cable plan. But it is different from a cable plan in that there is no contract and it comes with a cloud DVR.

Where DIRECTV STREAM really excels is in its selection of local and regional channels. If there is a local channel in your area, DIRECTV STREAM will almost certainly provide it.

DIRECTV also has the best set of RSNs available of any streaming service. However, there are a couple of interesting holes in their coverage (discussed below) but in almost every area, they have you covered in terms of NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS.

DIRECTV STREAM Plans and Pricing

DIRECTV STREAM offers four plans.

They all come with the ability to stream on unlimited compatible devices or TVs on your home wifi network and up to 3 when on the road. And they all include unlimited cloud DVR storage (for 9 months).

Although DIRECTV STREAM offers four plans, when it comes to everything but the premium channels, the Ultimate and Premier plans are the same. There is one minor difference: the Premier plan includes Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. With the Ultimate plan, you need to pay extra for it.

What the channel lists below show is that DIRECTV STREAM offers more channels than their standard estimates indicate. In most areas, the total number of channels is closer to the following:

What Channels Does DIRECTV STREAM Have?

DIRECTV STREAM offers all the channels that you expect from cable TV. That’s one of its best selling points.

The channel lineup includes A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Food Network, Fox News, HGTV, MSNBC, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TBS, and TNT.

Our DIRECTV STREAM packages page has a complete list of all these channels divided by categories and plan.

DIRECTV STREAM’s Lineup of Local Channels

DIRECTV STREAM offers one of the best lineups of local channels in the industry. But as always, it will depend upon where you live. DIRECTV STREAM provides an easy-to-use zip code lookup tool that tells you exactly what local stations you will get.

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In most areas, DIRECTV STREAM offers these channels:

• ABC
• CBS
• Fox
• NBC
• The CW
• PBS
• Telemundo
• Univision.

For more information, see our DIRECTV STREAM Local Channel Guide.

DIRECTV STREAM’s Sports Channels

Sports channels can be divided into nationally televised stations like ESPN and regionally or locally broadcast stations like local network affiliates.

National Sports Channels on DIRECTV STREAM

Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) on DIRECTV STREAM

For American sports fans, regional sports networks (RSNs) are incredibly important. If you are a fan of the local team in MLB, NBA, NHL, or MLS, you will spend a lot of time watching your RSN.

The biggest providers of RSNs are the Bally Sports channels. There are 19 of them. After them, there are 6 NBC Sports, 3 AT&T SportsNet, 2 Spectrum SportsNet, and then Altitude, Marquee, MASN, MSG, Root, SportsNet, and YES.

DIRECTV STREAM has the best set of RSNs available of any streaming service.

Among most streaming services, RSN coverage is pretty thin. The best is Fubo (formerly FuboTV) but its coverage is far weaker than that of DIRECTV STREAM. The catch is that you must sign up with the Choice plan ($108.99/month) or higher to get access to the RSNs.

There is only one major RSN that DIRECT STREAM does not offer: NBC Sports Philadelphia, which covers Phillies, 76ers, Flyers, and Union games. If it is critical to you, check out Fubo and Hulu + Live TV since they both do.

Note that you do not get all these channels. In order to get an RSN from any provider, you must be located inside that RSN’s coverage area. So if you live in San Francisco, you will get NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area. You won’t get Bally Sports Arizona or Space City Home Network.

For complete information about RSNs, see our DIRECTV STREAM Local Channels Guide.

Premium Channels Available on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM’s higher-priced plans really shine in terms of offering premium channels. The Entertainment and Choice plans do not come with these channels but they can be purchased as part of add-ons.

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The Ultimate plan comes with 8 Starz Encore channels: Base, West, Action, Black, Classic, Family, Suspense, and Westerns.

The Premier plan includes all of those channels and more as you might expect for $45 more each month. For that, you get:

These channels are available for an extra fee:

• MGM+
• MGM+ Hits
• MGM+ Marquee

DIRECTV STREAM’s Premium Channel Add-ons

All of the premium channels are also available as add-ons for the plans they are not included with.

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The Choice and Ultimate plans come with 3 months of free Premium channels (HBO Max, Showtime, Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax) when you sign up, while the Entertainment plan comes with 3 months of all of them except HBO Max.

You can get a number of other channel-bundle add-ons like the Movies Extra Pack ($5/mo), which includes Hallmark Drama, Smithsonian Channel, and more.

DIRECTV STREAM offers a number of language-specific add-ons:

What’s the DIRECTV STREAM User Experience?

DIRECTV STREAM offers a modern user interface that can run on most devices.

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They also provide:

• Unlimited cloud DVR with 9 month storage
• Unlimited screens
• Large selection of on-demand content including archives of most channels
• Stream on unlimited devices at home (some channels limit you to 3)
• Stream on unlimited mobile devices away from home
• Use your account on countless apps using TV Everywhere

DIRECTV STREAM Live Stream Devices and TVs

DIRECTV STREAM does not support as many devices as other services like Fubo and Sling TV. But they still support the vast majority of devices currently in use. What’s more, they offer their own device with voice remote, which you can purchase directly from them.

Third-Party Devices and TVs That Work With DIRECTV STREAM

It’s likely you are already using a third-party streaming device or TV that DIRECTV STREAM supports — from smartphones to smart TVs.

Here is the complete list of supported devices:

• Amazon Fire TV (2nd gen)
  • Fire TV Stick
  • Fire TV Edition Smart TV
  • Fire TV Cube
• Android mobile devices (OS v7.1+, 8 recommended)
• Android TV-based smart TVs
• Apple TV (4th gen)
• Chromecast (2nd gen)
• iOS 11+ (12 recommended) (iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch)
• Roku
• Samsung smart TVs (select models)
• Web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari).

For more information, see our DIRECTV STREAM Device Guide.

What Are Some Alternatives to DIRECTV STREAM?

• Fubo: A great all-around streaming service with an awesome selection of sports channels. For $79.99/month, you get 150+ channels (35+ sports-oriented), unlimited cloud DVR, and 10 streaming devices. They also have a solid selection of RSNs at this base price.
• Sling TV: This low-cost streaming service gives you 40+ channels, 50 hours of cloud DVR, and up to 3 simultaneous streams for just $40.00/month. And if you want more, Sling offers the best selection of add-ons in the industry.
• Hulu + Live TV: The great on-demand streaming service adds an excellent selection of 85+ live TV channels for a great over-all cable replacement for $76.99/month. And you get Disney+ and ESPN+ too. The base plan comes with unlimited DVR space and the ability to stream on up to 2 devices (upgradable with add-ons).
• YouTube TV: 100+ channels for $72.99/month, similar to Hulu Live, but with an extra screen (for a total of 3) and without the Disney+ and ESPN+ goodies. Their channel lineup tends to be a bit volatile due to frequent carriage disputes.

Summing Up

DIRECTV STREAM is a solid way to cut the cord. And the ability to use its own streaming device makes it easy to do. So it’s a good choice for people who don’t like to make major changes.

It’s also the go-to service if you want RSNs in your area, ones that are not provided by other streaming services.

Otherwise, we generally think that Fubo and Hulu + Live TV are better options for full-cable replacement services.

FAQs

Is DIRECTV STREAM good for streaming the NFL playoffs?

DIRECTV STREAM is great for watching every football game in general and NFL playoff games in particular. It provides all the channels you need to watch the playoffs (including Super Bowl LVIII) in the base package. It’s also great for watching preseason and regular-season games.

Its base Entertainment plan provides your local CBS and Fox, which allow you to watch the Sunday afternoon games. And you get NBC for Sunday Night Football and ESPN for Monday Night Football. The only primetime NFL games you will miss are Thursday Night Football since they stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

This last year, it lacked NFL Network and NFL RedZone. But now that DIRECTV no longer has NFL Sunday Ticket, it has acquired these channels. Regardless, you will be able to stream NFL games from the start of the first preseason game to the Super Bowl.

Is DIRECTV STREAM the same as DIRECTV?

They are both owned by the same company, DIRECTV, which in turn used to be owned by AT&T. In 2021, AT&T spun off all its TV provider services (DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-Verse) into a separate company (though it retained a 70% ownership in the new company).

Typically, “DIRECTV” is used to refer to the traditional satellite TV service, while DIRECTV STREAM is used for the streaming multichannel service.

Do you get local channels with DIRECTV STREAM?

You betcha. Almost anywhere in the US, you’ll get all the same local stations you would get with your cable provider. New this year, DIRECTV STREAM now has agreements in place to carry 250 PBS stations, giving it 99% coverage over the country. Who’s up for some Masterpiece?

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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