DirecTV Stream is the latest name for AT&T’s live TV and on-demand streaming service, once called AT&T TV among other names. If you’re worried about such things, it’s now jointly owned by AT&T and private equity firm TPG Inc. That new venture means we no longer know how many subscribers DirecTV Stream has, but it is believed to be the smallest of the live streaming services in the United States. (The last time we got the numbers was in late 2020, when the service was at about 656,000 subscribers, or about half of Fubo’s, or no more than 13 percent of YouTube TV’s base.)
In any case, you’re looking to cut the cable cord, DirecTV Stream among other services like Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, and the aforementioned YouTube TV is more of a service to consider.
Let’s break it down.
What channel options does DirecTV Stream have?
DirecTV Stream’s lineup has always been quite extensive, boosted by the fact that it’s one of the only services that offers multiple tiers that add more channels the more you pay. DirecTV Stream has a full channel lineup guide so you can check which specific channels are included in each package and which channels can be added for an additional fee. That’s an impressive lineup compared to other options like Hulu with Live TV and Sling TV.
Is DirecTV stream different from DirecTV?
Yes, it is, and it is important to know the difference. DirecTV refers specifically to satellite subscriptions, which require a satellite dish and do not use Internet-based streaming. DirecTV Stream is the Internet version where you stream channels to your home network or your mobile device. The channel lineup is very similar, but you may notice small differences since they are completely different services.
DirecTV Stream and DirecTV Now share one site so you can do a quick comparison — just make sure you don’t confuse them. Also, note that they both support recording content via DVR, but Stream uses cloud-based recording to store shows.
What are the pricing and packages for DirecTV Stream?
They are very similar to AT&T’s packages and even have similar names. let’s take a look:
- Entertainment – $80 per month: This is the base package with the fewest channels (more than 75) at the lowest price. This includes live TV, most on-demand titles (over 40,000 of them), and unlimited recordings. Showtime, Starz, Epix, and more are all included free for the first three months, but you’ll be charged for them after that. This is one of the only upgrades from AT&T TV that did not offer any free months of subscription in this package.
- Option – $109 per month (currently available for $84 for the first two months):Choice is a significant upgrade that adds more channels (over 105), like additional ESPN channels, cooking channels, and more. You get access to over 5,000 on-demand titles on the service (over 45,000 in total), and access to regional sports networks that make it easy to watch local games. It offers three free months of Max (new users only for this deal, not previous subscribers), Showtime (you’ll need a separate subscription for this), Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax.
- Ultimate – $120 per month (currently available for $95 for the first two months): This includes everything that’s in the Choice package, plus 35 more channels (over 140) including things like NHL Network and FXM, and even more on-demand titles (now up to 55,000) Are included. With this package, you get three free months of Max (again, new users only), Showtime, Starz, EPIX, and Cinemax.
- Premier – $165 per month (currently available for $140 for the first two months): The Premiere package significantly increases the price to include subscriptions to Max, Starz, Cinemax, and Showtime, and you also get three free months of MGM+. You’ll still have to pay for completely separate apps without AT&T partnerships, like Netflix or Hulu. The number of channels has also increased to over 150, and you have access to the entire catalog of 65,000-odd on-demand titles.
You are also able to sign up for a free five-day trial period as a new customer. Previously, DirecTV Stream required an additional fee for unlimited cloud storage for TV recordings. Unlimited cloud DVR storage is now automatically included in every package. However, note that additional taxes may apply to all packages, as well as discounts offered by AT&T from time to time. AT&T also recommends Internet speeds of at least 24Mbps and limits users to three concurrent out-of-home streams at a time. Additionally, DirecTV and U-Verse TV customers cannot apply for AT&T TV: you will need to contact an AT&T representative and discuss pausing those old subscriptions and switching to this service.
