DIRECTV STREAM offers four main pricing tiers, Entertainment, Choice, Premier, and Ultimate. For 2023, the cost of even a base DIRECTV STREAM subscription has gone up to a whopping $74.99, so the decision to upgrade is a big one. Do you need to upgrade to watch your favorite team?
DIRECTV STREAM’s base offering, the “Entertainment” package, offers ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1, which means excellent NFL coverage, and a strong NCAAF lineup, albeit with holes for smaller matchups that air on league specific networks like SEC Network and Big Ten Network. The base DTV STREAM package also gets fans access to big games across all sports.
$74.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial | |
$99.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial | |
$109.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial | |
$154.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial |
For most sports fans, choosing between the DIRECTV STREAM’s base “Entertainment” package and the more expensive ‘Choice” offering, is a function of whether watching local NBA, NHL, and MLB is a priority.
Upgrade for regional sports networks
DIRECTV STREAM carries the largest library of regional sports networks (RSNs) of any live TV streaming service, but unlike YouTube TV, fuboTV, and Hulu, none of the RSN’s are available in the base package.
Because DIRECTV STREAM pays a handsome carriage fee to Sinclair Broadcasting for the right to air Bally Sports regional sports networks, and other popular local sports channels, like the YES Network and Spectrum Sportsnet, they have to pass on the cost to their subscribers. As such, niche, and local sports channels, like Big Ten Network, as well as RSNs, are only accessible by upgrading to the more expensive “Choice” package.
Going beyond “Choice” not necessary for most sports fans
Upgrading beyond the “Choice” package won’t be necessary for most sports fans, however, there will be exceptions. For example, an upgrade to the Ultimate package is required for access to NHL Network, the Olympic Channel, and CBS Sports Network.