DIRECTV NOW: Grandfathered Go Big Still the Best Plan?

Update: Check out our updated for 2022 version of this article which compares DirecTV Now’s original ‘Go Big’ package to current plans from DirecTV Stream, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV, among others. End of update.

DIRECTV NOW offered the best deal in live TV streaming when it first launched. But after various price increases, is the grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big plan still the best deal in town?

In this guide, we’ll be taking a closer look at the grandfathered “Go Big” plan and comparing it to the other major live TV streaming services to see if it is worth grandfathered subscribers switching to a new service.

We won’t compare channel lineup to lineup exactly. Instead, we’ll highlight which grandfathered Go Big channels are included with other plans. Where applicable, we’ll also point out the channels you get with those other services, but don’t get with the original Go Big plan.

In this channel comparison, the DIRECTV NOW grandfathered Go Big plan will be matched with plans that are similar in price from fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

Plans priced higher than the current Go Big subscriber rate have been excluded as there’s not much point switching just to pay more. We’ve also excluded any channels that have since been added to both a competing service and Go Big. For example, ACCN. We’re simply looking at the original lineup compared to what’s on offer today from other services.

The grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big plan

Although now known as AT&T TV NOW, the live TV streaming service originally launched as DIRECTV NOW in late 2016. As part of the launch, DIRECTV NOW offered four main plans: Live a little, Just Right, Go Big and Gotta have it.

Live a little was priced at $35 per month, Just Right at $50 per month, Go Big at $60 per month and Gotta have it at $75 per month.

However, as a means to drive early traffic to the service, DIRECTV NOW offered the $60 Go Big plan for just $35 per month. This was a limited-time promotional price, but with access to around 118 channels it was easily the best live TV streaming deal at the time.

DIRECTV NOW price rises

One of the issues surrounding AT&T video subscribers has always been the price rises. However, grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big subscribers were given a price promise. While the exact language used by AT&T is up for debate, the company has always provided a $25 discount off the current price of the Go Big plan for as long as the subscriber remains a subscriber. AT&T still honors that deal to this day. Although it hasn’t stopped the price from rising.

DIRECTV NOW has been the subject of multiple price rises. For example, the Live a little plan jumped from $35 to $40 in 2018 and then from $40 to $50 in 2019. The other plans, including Go Big, followed a similar price direction.

The plans have actually changed more than that as following DIRECTV NOW’s transition to AT&T TV NOW, the original four plans have also transformed into two plans: Plus and Max. For those original subscribers, less has changed. Yes, the price of their plan has gone up but they maintain their discount and what is largely the same channel lineup.

AT&T TV NOW is currently understood to be about to raise prices yet again and while grandfathered Go Big subscribers will still get their discount, the rate they will be paying is expected to climb to at least $65 per month. At almost twice the original rate, many might now be thinking it’s finally time to make the switch.

But is it?

Here we’ll highlight the switching options and how the grandfathered Go Big plan compares to the competition on channels. First off, here’s a reminder of that impressive channel lineup.

DIRECTV NOW Go Big’s original channel lineup

If you are a grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big subscriber, then you are privy to one of the best and largest selection of channels available to stream.

At launch, AT&T offered access to around 118 channels for just $35 per month. While some things have changed since then, for those grandfathered subscribers, the list below should look familiar.

The list above is certainly impressive and before we delve any deeper into the Go Big channel comparison, let’s make one thing clear.

No service mentioned below offers more channels than what’s available with DIRECTV NOW’s grandfathered Go Big plan. If the number of channels is your only concern, you can stop reading now.

However, if you still wish to proceed then then let’s kick things off with what is probably the closest service in terms of price and the number of channels: fuboTV.

Grandfathered Go Big vs. fuboTV

On paper, fuboTV is the closest match to the grandfathered Go Big plan. According to fuboTV, the “Standard” plan is loaded with more than 100 channels.

That’s not the only similarity either as the fuboTV Standard plan will currently set you back $59.99 per month.

Let’s see how many Go Big channels you’ll get if you switched to fuboTV today.

Go Big channels included with fuboTV Standard plan

• A&E
• AMC
• Animal Planet
• Baby First
• BBC America
• BET
• Bravo
• BTN
• Cartoon Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• CMT
• CNBC
• CNN
• Comedy Central
• CW
• Discovery
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business
• Fox News
• FOX Sports 1
• FOX Sports 2
• Fuse
• FX
• FX Movie Channel
• FXX
• fyi
• Galavision
• Golf Channel
• Hallmark Channel
• HGTV
• HISTORY
• HLN
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery
• Lifetime
• LMN
• MSNBC
• MTV
• Nat Geo WILD
• National Geographic
• NBA TV
• NBC
• NBCSN
• Nick Jr.
• Nickelodeon
• Olympic Channel
• OWN
• Oxygen
• SYFY
• TBS
• TCM
• Telemundo
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• TV Land
• TVG
• UniMás
• Universo
• Univision
• Universal Kids
• USA Network
• VH1
• Viceland
• WEtv
• Weather Channel

fuboTV channels not included with grandfathered Go Big

Adult Swim, bein Sports, Cheddar Business, Comet, Cozi TV, FOX Deportes, fubo Sports Network, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, Local Now, Motortrend, MLB Network, Pop, Pac12 Networks, Paramount, NFL Network, Smithsonian, TUDN, Sundance TV.

Grandfathered Go Big vs. Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV has not been around as long as some of the others, but that hasn’t stopped the service from growing rapidly.

This is the live TV streaming service in ascendance, and it’s already thought to be competing with Sling TV for the number one spot, in terms of the subscriber numbers.

One of Hulu + Live TV’s selling points is the $44.99 per month price. What makes that price all the more attractive is that it includes the standard Hulu subscription service as well.

Normally, you would have to pay an additional $5.99 per month for the standard Hulu service. For those who are already signed up to the standard subscription, it means the live TV portion of the subscription only costs $39.

The question is, does Hulu + Live TV have the Go Big channels you are looking for?

Go Big channels included with Hulu + Live TV

• A&E
• ABC
• Animal Planet
• Bloomberg TV
• Bravo
• BTN
• Cartoon Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• CNN
• CW
• Discovery
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• E! Now
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNEWS
• ESPNU
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business Network
• Fox News
• FOX Sports 1
• FOX Sports 2
• Freeform
• FX
• FX Movie Channel
• FXX
• Golf Channel
• HGTV
• HISTORY
• HLN
• Investigation Discovery
• Lifetime
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo WILD
• National Geographic
• NBC
• NBCSN
• Olympic Channel
• Oxygen
• SEC Network
• SYFY
• TBS
• TCM
• Telemundo
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• Universal Kids
• USA Network
• Viceland

Hulu + Live TV channels not included with grandfathered Go Big

ABC News Live, Cheddar Business, College Extra, CNN International, Cozi TV, Goal Line & Bases Loaded, Motortrend, NASA, Smithsonian.

Grandfathered Go Big vs. PlayStation Vue

Over the years, PlayStation Vue has not attracted as many users as Sony might have hoped. This is in spite of offering a robust service with many features and a decent channel lineup.

If you were thinking of switching away from AT&T TV NOW to PlayStation Vue then unfortunately that boat has now sailed.

Sony recently confirmed PlayStation Vue is closing down in January, 2020. Even more recently, the service stopped accepting new subscribers. Therefore, you can no longer sign up to this live TV streaming service.

For informational purposes, here’s how you would have fared if you did switch from the grandfathered Go Big plan to PlayStation Vue.

Note: PlayStation Vue offered two plans cheaper than Go Big. They are the $49.99 Access plan and the $54.99 Core plan. We’ve included the channel lineups for both below. Channels marked with “Core only” are only available through the $54.99 Core plan.

Go Big channels included with Access or Core

• ABC
• AMC
• Animal Planet
• Baby First
• BBC America
• Bravo
• BTN (Core only)
• Cartoon Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network (Core only)
• CNBC
• CNN
• Cooking Channel (Core only)
• Discovery
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• DIY Network (Core only)
• E! Now
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNEWS (Core only)
• ESPNU (Core only)
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business Network
• Fox News
• FOX Sports 1
• FOX Sports 2
• Freeform
• FX
• FXX
• Golf Channel (Core only)
• Hallmark Channel (Core only)
• HGTV
• HLN
• IFC (Core only)
• Investigation Discovery
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo WILD (Core only)
• National Geographic
• NBA TV (Core only)
• NBC
• NBCSN
• Olympic Channel (Core only)
• OWN
• Oxygen
• SEC Network (Core only)
• SundanceTV (Core only)
• SYFY
• TBS
• TCM (Core only)
• Telemundo
• Tennis Channel (Core only)
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• USA Network
• WEtv

Access / Core channels not included with grandfathered Go Big

ABC News Live, bein Sports (Core only), Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, Comet (Core only), Cozi TV, College Extra (Core only), Law & Crime (Core only), Motortrend, NFL Network (Core only), PlayStation Emerging Filmmakers Program, Pop (Core only), PS Vue Spotlight, Smithsonian (Core only), StartTV.

Grandfathered Go Big vs. Sling TV

Those thinking of switching from the grandfathered plan to Sling TV will likely already know they’ll end up with less channels. After all, Sling TV is known to be light on channels.

However, it is also light on price as well. For example, Sling TV plans start at just $25 per month. That’s even cheaper than DIRECTV NOW’s 2016 rates.

The most comparable plan to any AT&T TV/DIRECTV NOW plan is the Sling Orange & Blue plan. This one costs $40 per month and looks to combine the best of the individual Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans.

Sling Orange & Blue currently offers access to over 50 channels, but how do they compare to the grandfathered Go Big channels?

Go Big channels included with Sling Orange & Blue

• A&E
• AMC
• AXS TV
• BBC America
• BET
• Bloomberg TV
• Bravo
• Cartoon Network
• CNN
• Comedy Central
• Discovery
• Disney Channel
• E! Now
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• Food Network
• Fox
• FOX Sports 1
• FOX Sports 2
• Freeform
• Fuse
• FX
• FXX
• HGTV
• HISTORY
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery
• Lifetime
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo WILD
• National Geographic
• NBC
• NBCSN
• Nick Jr.
• SYFY
• TBS
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• USA Network
• Viceland

Orange & Blue channels not included with grandfathered Go Big

Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, Comet, EPIX Drive-in, ESPN3, Local Now, Newsy, Motortrend, MLB Network, Paramount, Stadium.

While Sling TV’s lineup is limited compared to the Go Big plan, so is the price. $40 per month is a lot less compared to the $65 per month grandfathered subscribers will be paying.

In addition, quite a few of the missing Go Big channels can be added to a Sling TV plan through the company’s add-on options. Sling TV allows subscribers to add “extra” packs, including add-ons for Sports, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Kids and so on.

Each of these plans typically cost around $5 per month and provide access to more than one channel. Adding multiple of these “extra” add-ons does bring the channel lineup much closer to Go Big. But it also brings the price much closer as well.

And that’s before factoring in additional costs such as cloud DVR. Sling TV currently charges an additional $5 per month for cloud DVR access.

Grandfathered Go Big vs. YouTube TV

Many subscribers thinking of abandoning the grandfathered Go Big plan are probably considering YouTube TV as their likely destination.

This is understandable. YouTube TV is currently priced at $50 per month and has always been well-received due to its premium benefits and features. For example, YouTube TV offers an unlimited cloud DVR storage and lets you keep those recordings for up to 9 months.

That’s a big improvement on AT&T’s cloud DVR arrangement. Both in terms of hours and the length recordings stay recorded for. You can check out how all the main live TV streaming services compare on cloud DVR, by checking out our cloud DVR comparison.

In addition, a single YouTube TV account can be shared between 6 different users, each with their own customized experience, including individual cloud DVR.

The problem when comparing to the grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big plan is YouTube TV lacks in the channels department. Right now, YouTube TV says it offers more than 70 channels, but how many of those overlap with Go Big?

Go Big channels included with YouTube TV

• ABC
• AMC
• Animal Planet
• BBC America
• BBC World News
• Bravo
• BTN
• Cartoon Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• CNBC
• CNBC World
• CNN
• CW
• Discovery
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• E! Now
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNEWS
• ESPNU
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business Network
• Fox News
• FOX Sports 1
• FOX Sports 2
• Freeform
• FX
• FX Movie Channel
• FXX
• Golf Channel
• HGTV
• HISTORY
• HLN
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo WILD
• National Geographic
• NBA TV
• NBC
• NBCSN
• Olympic Channel
• Oxygen
• SEC Network
• SundanceTV
• SYFY
• TBS
• TCM
• Telemundo
• Tennis Channel
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• Universal Kids
• USA Network
• WE tv

YouTube TV channels not included with grandfathered Go Big

Adult Swim, Cheddar Big News, Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, Cozi TV, LAFC, Local Now, MLB Game of the Week, MLB Network, Motortrend, MyNetworkTV, NECN, NESN, Newsy, Orlando City, Pop, SNY, Smithsonian, Sounders FC, StartTV, TYT, Tastemade, YES.

Is it time to switch from the grandfathered Go Big plan?

While $65 might seem like a lot for the grandfathered DIRECTV NOW Go Big plan, you are getting a lot in return.

None of the major live TV streaming services currently offer as many channels as the original Go Big plan. What’s more, the price difference is minimal now.

While the original Go Big channel lineup is likely to have seen some changes since launch, if you are happy with the exact channels you have as a grandfathered customer, then there might not be much point in switching.

You might save some money, but you will almost certainly lose some channels. The question you have to ask yourself is which service lets you keep the channels you want? The decision to switch all comes down to that channel lineup.

If you don’t mind losing some channels, then maybe switching is the right decision for you. Especially if the price is right and instead of the channels you gain features you don’t currently have access to.

Grandfathered Go Big channel comparison summary

If you’re still undecided, below is a summary of how the grandfathered Go Big plan compares to the other main live TV streaming services.

The first column lists the entire Go Big launch channel lineup. Channels offered by the other services are shown with a check mark in the corresponding service column.

As you’ll see, only a select few channels are commonly available through all the live TV streaming services, and none of the others offer anywhere near as many channels in general.

While fuboTV is the closest numerically, a lot of its 100+ channels are from the same networks. For example, beinSports and TUDN.