What Is DirecTV Stream? Plans, Channels, Features And Downside Explained

DirecTV Stream is a live TV streaming service similar to Fubo, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV. While DirecTV Stream officially launched in 2021, the service previously operated as DirecTV Now, AT&T TV Now and AT&T TV. A lot changed during these transitions, including the price and channel lineups, but other aspects of the live TV service remained the same.

How Much Is DirecTV Stream?

The cost of DirecTV Stream depends on the plan. DirecTV Stream currently offers four main packages for new customers to choose from and the cheapest ‘Entertainment’ plan costs a minimum of $79.99 a month.

Here’s a rundown of all of the currently available DirecTV Stream plans:

Does DirecTV Stream offer A Free Trial?

Yes, DirecTV Stream offers a 5-day free trial to all new subscribers. Unlike some other live TV services, DirecTV Stream rarely offers any longer (or shorter) free trials.

The base plan prices are the minimum a subscriber pays each month, as DirecTV Stream also offers a number of premium networks and add-ons that can be bundled with any of the base packages.

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$80-165/mo

• 90-185 channels
• Unlimited streams
• Unlimited DVR

Deal: Get DirecTV Stream for as low as $49.99/month for 3 months.

5 day Free Trial

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Channels Available Through DirecTV Stream

Similar to the price, the exact number and selection of channels depends on the plan. In general, DirecTV Stream offers between 90 and 190 channels.

Channels available with all DirecTV Stream plans

AccuWeather, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby First, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg TV, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNN International, Comedy Central, Daystar, DirecTV 4K, DirecTV 4K Live, DirecTV 4K Live 2, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, E!, EarthxTV, ESPN, ESPN2, Family Movie Classics (FMC), Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Soul, Fox Sports 1, Fox Weather, Freeform, FUEL TV, FX, FXX, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (Entertainment and Premier only), HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network (HSN), IFC, Investigation Discovery (ID), ION, Jewelry Television, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic, Newsmax, NewsNation, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, PBS Kids, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Reelz, RFD-TV, Scientology Network, Shop LC, SportsGrid, SundanceTV, SyFy, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, The First, TheGrio, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, USA, VH1, WE tv.

Channels available with Choice and higher plans

A&E HD, ACC Network, Big Ten Network (BTN), Bounce TV, Cheddar News, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, ESPNews, ESPNU, FanDuel TV, Fuse, Fuse Music, Game Show Network (GSN), GET, Golf Channel, Great American Family, Grit, Heroes & Icons, History Channel, Justice Central, Lifetime, MeTV, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Ovation, OWN, Pop TV, Revolt, Science Channel, SEC Network, ShortsTV, Tastemade, Tennis Channel, Travel Channel, Unimas, UPtv, Vice, The Weather Channel.

Channels available with Ultimate and higher plans

American Heroes Channel, Aspire, BBC News, BET Her, CBS Sports Network, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Fox Sports 2, FXM, FYi, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MTV Classic, Nat Geo Wild, NHL Network, Oxygen True Crime, Smithsonian Channel, Sportsman Channel, Starz Encore, Starz Encore Action, Starz Encore Black, Starz Encore Classic, Starz Encore Family, Starz Encore Suspense, Starz Encore Westerns, TUDN, Universal Kids, Universo.

Channels only available with Premier

5StarMAX, ActionMAX, Cinemax, HBO, HBO2, HBO Comedy, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Signature, HBO Zone, MAX Latino, MoreMAX, MovieMAX, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime 2, Showtime Extreme, Showtime FamilyZone, Showtime Next, Showtime Showcase, SHOxBET, Starz, Starz Cinema, Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz in Black, Starz Kids & Family, ThrillerMAX.

DirecTV Stream also offers an Óptimo Más plan which unlocks access to more than 100 channels (55+ in Spanish and 40+ in English) for $79.99 a month.

DirecTV Stream Premium Networks And Add-Ons

DirecTV Stream offers the option to add a number of premium networks and add-ons to any of its base packages.

Premium Channels: Antena 3, Arirang TV, Atres Series, BabyTV, Bandamax, Canal 22 Internacional, Caracol TV, Centroamerica TV, Cine Estelar, Cine Mexicano, Cine Nostalgia, Cinelatino, Crime + Investigation, CTS, De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clasico, Discovery en Espanol, Discovery Familia, EBS, Ecuavisa Internacional, Enlace, ESPN Deportes, Estrella TV, Film 24H, FOROtv, Fox Deportes, Globo, GolTV, Hallmark Drama, HDNet movies, History en Espanol, HITN, Hogar de HGTV, Hola TV, HONVIETV, INSP, KBS America, MBC America, MBN, MGM+, MGM+ Hits, MGM+ Marquee, MTV Live, Multimedios, Nat Geo Mundo, NBA League Pass, NBABet Stream, NTN24, Nuestra Tele, Once Mexico, Pasiones, Peru Magico, S Channel, SBS, SBS Plus, SBTN, Sony Movies, Sportv, SUR Peru, TAN, TC Internacional, TeleCentro, Telefe, Telemundo, Tr3s, TV Chile, TVE, TViet Network, TyC Sports, Univision tlnovelas, VePlus, VGN TV, Videorola, Vien Thao, Viendo Movies, Vietface TV, VIETV, Vme, WAPA, YTN, ZooMoo TV.

Premium service add-ons

• ALLBLK
• AMC+
• Cinemax
• Discovery+
• Fox Nation
• Max
• MGM+
• Paramount+ with Showtime
• Peacock Premium
• Starz

Sports Pack: ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNews, ESPNU, FanDuel TV, FS2, Golf Channel, Longhorn Network, MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone, NBA TV, Next Level Sports, NFL Network, NFL RedZone from NFL Network, NHL Network, Outdoor Channel, SEC Network, Sportsman Channel, Tennis Channel, TUDN.

DirecTV also offers a Movies Extra Pack add-on that unlocks access to Crime & Investigation, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HDNet Movies, INSP, MTV Live, ShortsTV, Smithsonian Channel, Sony Movies.

DirecTV Stream Supported Devices

DirecTV Stream is available on a variety of platforms and devices through the DirecTV app. DirecTV also offers its own Gemini devices as well.

Supported platforms include:

• Amazon Fire TV players, smart TVs
• Amazon Fire tablets
• Android phones, tablets
• Android TV players, TVs
• Apple TV
• DirecTV Gemini, Gemini Air (formally DirecTV Stream Device)
• Google Chromecast
• Google TV players, TVs
• iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
• Roku players, TVs
• Roku Smart Soundbar
• Samsung smart TVs
• Vision Pro
• Web browsers

DirecTV Stream Features

In spite of being considered a premium live TV service, DirecTV Stream is somewhat limited in terms of additional features, with the main benefits consisting of an unlimited DVR, unlimited streams (at home), and frequent access to free previews.

Unlimited DVR

All DirecTV Stream subscribers get access to an unlimited cloud DVR. While there are some limitations, including how many episodes of an individual show can be stored at the same time, subscribers can generally record as much as they want.

Unlimited streams

DirecTV Stream subscribers can stream on as many devices as they like at the same time, so long as those devices are connected to the same (Home) network. When away from home, subscribers can stream on up to three devices at the same time.

Free Previews

One thing we like about DirecTV Stream is that subscribers routinely get access to free previews of add-ons and premium networks at no additional cost. While not a reason to subscribe on its own, it is a nice benefit, and especially compared to the frequency of free previews available with other live TV services.

The Downside Of DirecTV Stream

Price is the main downside of DirecTV Stream. Even though DirecTV Stream offers multiple packages to choose from, the cheapest costs a minimum of $79.99 a month. With no cheaper plan available, DirecTV Stream is a relatively expensive live TV streaming service.

If you also want access to regional sports networks, you’ll need to subscribe to Choice at a minimum, increasing the monthly base price up to $108.99 a month.

Another potential downside is device support. Even though the DirecTV app can be downloaded on many platforms, device support is a little more limited when compared to other live TV services. For example, there’s currently no support for LG or Vizio smart TVs.

Is DirecTV Stream Worth It?

In our opinion, the big selling point with DirecTV Stream is the choice of packages. Having multiple options makes it easier for homes to find the right plan for them. If you don’t particularly care about the cost as much as the channel lineup, then DirecTV Stream may very well be worth it to you.

We also feel that DirecTV Stream can be worthwhile to those that are just switching over from a traditional TV service. If, for example, you’re already a DirecTV customer, switching to DirecTV Stream is going to be relatively easy, and offer a very familiar experience. Even if not a DirecTV customer, the experience is a little more cable-like than other services, making the switch to streaming easier.

For most people, however, we do consider DirecTV Stream to be an expensive service for what you get. For that reason, we would recommend trying other services, like Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV, first.