DirecTV Stream offers consumers a choice between an Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate and Premier plan. With four main live TV plans to choose from, the number of channels can range from over 65 to more than 140. As to be expected, the price of DirecTV Stream highly depends on the plan chosen. Furthermore, these are not the finite limits as each plan can also be further customized, at a price, to provide access to even more channels.
DirecTV Stream has been known by a variety of different names over the years. At launch, the service was originally branded as DirecTV Now. It then evolved into AT&T TV Now before simply becoming known as AT&T TV. In 2021, the service once again changed name to the current DirecTV Stream. While similar to the traditional DirecTV service, DirecTV Stream does differ in a number of fundamental ways and is best understood as the streaming version of DirecTV.
In spite of the change in name to DirecTV Stream the actual channel lineup hasn’t changed massively. Previously, AT&T TV offered a choice between the Plus and Max plans but these were then rebranded and expanded on, leading to a choice between the Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate and Premier plans.
Following the transition to DirecTV Stream, the same four plans remain available, albeit with some minor tweaks to the channel selection.
Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate & Premier Compared
Priced at $74.99 per month, the Entertainment plan is the cheapest and provides access to more than 65 channels. At $99.99 per month, the Choice plan increases the number of channels to more than 90.
From there, the Ultimate plan costs $109.99 per month and unlocks more than 130 channels. Those wanting the best DirecTV Stream experience possible can pay $154.99 per month for the Premier plan and get access to more than 140 live TV channels.
Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate & Premier Channels:
DirecTV Stream | Entertainment | Choice | Ultimate | Premier |
---|---|---|---|---|
1+1 International | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
A&E | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ACC Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
AccuWeather | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
AMC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
AHC | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Animal Planet | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Aspire | ✔ | ✔ | ||
AXS TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
BabyFirst | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
BBC America | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
BBC World News | ✔ | ✔ | ||
BET | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
BET Her | ✔ | ✔ | ||
BTN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
BNC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Bloomberg TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Boomerang | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Bounce | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Bravo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
C-SPAN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
C-SPAN 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Cartoon Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
CBS SN | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Cheddar News | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Cinemax | ✔ | |||
Cinemax ActionMAX | ✔ | |||
Cleo TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
CMT | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
CNBC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
CNBC World | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
CNN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Comedy Central | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Comedy TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Cooking Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Cozi | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Destination America | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Discovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Discovery Family | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Discovery Life | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Disney Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Disney Junior | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Disney XD | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
E! | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ESPN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ESPNews | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
ESPNU | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
FM | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Food Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fox Business | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fox News | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fox Sports 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fox Sports 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Fox Weather | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Freeform | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fuse | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
FX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
FXM | ✔ | ✔ | ||
FXX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
FYI | ✔ | ✔ | ||
GAC Family | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Galavision | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
GSN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Golf Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Grit | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Hallmark Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Hallmark M&M | ✔ | ✔ | ||
HBO | ✔ | |||
Heroes & Icons | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
HGTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
History | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
HLN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Home Shopping Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
IFC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Investigation Discovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ION | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Jewelry Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Jewish Life TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Justice Central | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Lifetime | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
LMN | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Logo | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Magnolia Network | ✔ | ✔ | ||
MLB Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
MotorTrend | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MSNBC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MTV2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MTV Classic | ✔ | ✔ | ||
National Geographic | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Nat Geo Wild | ✔ | ✔ | ||
NBA TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
NewsNation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
NHL Network | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Nickelodeon | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Nick Jr. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Nicktoons | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Olympic Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Ovation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
OWN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Oxygen | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Paramount Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
PBS Kids | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
POP | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
QVC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
QVC2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Reelz | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Revolt | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
RFD-TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Science | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
SEC Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Shop LC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
ShortsTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Showtime | ✔ | |||
Smithsonian Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Sportsman Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Starz | ✔ | |||
Starz Encore | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Starz Kids & Family | ✔ | |||
SundanceTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Syfy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Tastemade | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
TBS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TCM | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TeenNick | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Tennis Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
The Weather Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
TLC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TNT | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Travel Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
truTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TUDN | ✔ | ✔ | ||
TV Land | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TV One | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TVG | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
UniMas | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Universal Kids | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Universo | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Univision | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
UPtv | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
USA Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
VH1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Vice | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WE tv | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Picking the right DirecTV Stream plan
The Premier plan is the best in terms of channels. It not only includes all of the channels available with the Entertainment, Choice and Ultimate plans, but also a number of channels that are only available with the Premier plan.
Even though it is significantly more expensive compared to the other DirecTV Stream plans, and live TV plans from other providers, it does also include some premium channels that households might already be paying for. As these premium networks are included in the monthly price, they may help to reduced the overall cost of a live TV subscription for some homes.
Outside of the Premier plan, things can become a little more complicated. For example, while each more expensive plan tends to include the same channels as the cheaper plans, that’s not always the case. A case in point is Ovation. Although the channel is available with the Entertainment plan, it’s not included with either of the more expensive Choice or Ultimate plans. Again, this is the exception rather than the rule, but it is still an example of why it’s important to not assume a more expensive plan automatically includes all of the channels available with a cheaper plan.
By the same token, just because a channel is not available with a certain plan that doesn’t mean it can’t be added on top. DirecTV Stream offers add-ons that can help to add missing wanted channels without having to upgrade to a more expensive tier. For example, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is another channel that’s available with the cheapest Entertainment and the most expensive Premier plan, but not the middle Choice and Ultimate plans.
However, it can be added to either the Choice or Ultimate plan through the Movies Extra Pack add-on. While this add-on costs an additional $5 per month, that’s cheaper than upgrading to the next more expensive plan. Add-ons can be a useful way to improve a base channel lineup, but not every channel missing from a DirecTV Stream plan can be added via an add-on.
DirecTV Stream channels summary
DirecTV Stream provides access to more than 140 live TV channels if opting for the best Premier plan. As to be expected, this is also the most expensive DirecTV Stream package overall, and at $154.99 per month, it’s not exactly cheap. For those households that find the Entertainment, Choice or Ultimate channel lineup suits their needs, they will save on the cost.
Even at its cheapest price, DirecTV Stream is not the cheapest live TV service around. While DirecTV Stream is not necessarily any more expensive than fuboTV, some homes may find the selection of channels available through a different service to be a better fit.
DirecTV Stream is certainly a good option for those wanting the most channels possible, and are willing to pay for them. For other homes, it may be worth comparing the channel lineups of other live TV services before committing to DirecTV Stream.
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