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DirecTV Review

, Editor | Updated November 8, 2018
My3cents Rating: 3.75/5.0

DirecTV is a satellite television service that lets you get television delivered to your home over the air. You can choose from a wide variety of DirecTV packages to get exactly the channels and services that you need. You can also sign up for the company’s streaming service, DirecTV now, which lets you watch your favorite channels from anywhere that has an internet connection.

DirecTV reviews from sources like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau are generally positive, citing the company’s good customer service and fair prices.

We maintain strict standards of editorial integrity when writing our guides & reviews to help you make decisions with confidence. To help support our site, some of the products we highlight are from our partners and we may receive compensation when you visit their sites.

DirecTV Plans, Bundles, and Costs

What everyone cares about with their TV service is whether they’ll have the channels they want and how much they’ll pay. DirecTV’s cost varies with the bundle that you sign up for.

What are the packages offered by DirecTV?

DirecTV’s bundle options include six satellite bundles and five streaming bundles for a total of eleven packages that you can choose from.

Select Entertainment Choice Xtra Ultimate Premier
Cost per month (first year) $35 $40 $45 $55 $60 $110
Channels 155+ 160+ 185+ 235+ 250+ 330+
Premium channels None Sports (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1) Travel Channel, Game Show Network, Weather Channel Universal Kids, American Heroes Network, Oxygen Encore, Boomerang, The Movie Channel HBO, Starz, Showtime, Cinemax

What DirecTV Package Should I Get?

The package that you should choose depends on what you’re looking for from your TV service.

Start by deciding whether you want to get satellite service to watch on your TV or a streaming service that you can watch on the go. Then, take the time to go through the DirecTV channel listings for each package to find the best cost-to-value ratio for you.

You might find that you only want to watch local channels, so a basic package is sufficient. If you want a premium channel like HBO or the NFL network, you’ll need a more expensive bundle.

Does DirecTV Have 4K Channels?

Yes, DirecTV offers 4K channels. In fact, it offers a special channel that only shows 4K content.

What is Included in DirecTV Bundles?

Different bundles offer different channels and services. For example, DirecTV Select does not offer premium sports channels. Only DirecTV Premier offers channels like HBO and ShowTime.

The DirecTV internet service, DirecTV Now, includes access to the DirecTV DVR cloud service. Every package also includes access to the DirecTV App.

You can view the DirecTV guide to see what channels are included in each package.

How Much Does DirecTV Cost?

DirecTV’s costs range from $35 per month to $110 per month in the first year. After the first year ends, your monthly bill will increase by as much as $60, so be prepared for a more expensive second year with the service.

Our Review: The Deep Dive

DirecTV provides great service for people who like to watch live TV. If you enjoy channel surfing or like having access to premium channels, it’s hard to go wrong with DirecTV’s services. People who are more interested in just basic channels might want to settle for a basic cable package or over the air antenna.

DirecTV reviews from industry partners are generally good. The Better Business Bureau gives DirecTV an A- rating, which is good for a TV provider.

Customer reviews from sources like Yelp are less complimentary. Customers complain about poor DirecTV customer service. Many customers who are going through the DirecTV cancellation process are annoyed by the steps required. One of the most common DirecTV complaints surrounds the increased rates for service in the second year.

How Does DirecTV’s Television Service Rate?

All in all, DirecTV can be a good deal for people who like TV a lot, or who want the freedom offered by DirecTV’s streaming service.

Benefits:

Choose your channel package and stream live TV anywhere that you have access to the internet.

Drawbacks:

Service can get expensive after the first-year discount ends.

Bottom Line:

DirecTV is a good choice if you really like TV and need access to a variety of channels. Otherwise, you’re probably better off with a different TV service.

Consumer Reviews

Posted on 11/24/2019

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- DirecTV NFL Sunday ticket SUCKS and CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE - I live in Miami and I purchased the NFL Sunday ticket for the purpose of watching the New Orleans Saints games. During the Panthers - Saints game today I watched the first 3 hours of the game, and then right when the game was tied at 31-31 it suddenly told me the game was blacked out in my area and gave me a blank screen so I missed the last 1/3 of the game.

When I called DirecTv to complain they tried to claim the local station had blacked out the game even though the game was not on a local station. I spoke with 3 different people none of whom had the slightest idea of what NFL Sunday Ticket was, or why anyone would purchase it. I told them I wanted at least a partial refund because I did not get what I paid for, they said no to that.

I asked to speak with a supervisor or someone who knew how NFL Sunday Ticket worked and after a few minutes the woman came back and said the supervisor would not speak to me, that it was not DirecTV's fault if the game was blacked out in my area (it wasn't). All 3 people I talked to were totally ignorant about NFL Sunday Ticket. The last woman tried to tell me that NFL Sunday Ticket did not include regular season games!!! DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket are a rip-off.

Posted on 12/16/2018

PRESCOTT VALLEY, ARIZONA -- Paid for NFL Ticket, three times system went down. Advised by DirecTV Supervisor they would send someone to fix it the following morning. No show. Again no NFL Ticket. Terrible customer service.

Posted on 11/14/2018

LA, CALIFORNIA -- I ordered NFL Sunday Ticket. I could not watch my game so I called to cancel. I probably can't read but there is no way I would have agreed to pay $300 for this terrible service. You can't cancel. The employee told me I need to cancel my debit card in order to stop the payments. It is a rip-off. My team season tickets don't cost this much to sit at the 50 yard line. They're not that good 🤷🏾‍♂️. DO NOT GET THIS SERVICE.

Posted on 09/14/2018

DENVER, COLORADO -- My husband bought the NFL Sunday Ticket with DirecTV back in May. This past weekend we were supposed to have access to the app since football had started. We tried to sign in and it wasn't working. My husband had contacted their customer service and they said they would work on it and if it wasn't fixed by the end of the weekend then we could have our money back.

After the weekend it still wasn't fixed. He called again and the 2nd person he spoke with said it was too late for him to get his refund back (however, we had it in dialogue of them saying we were entitled to our refund). He then was transferred to AT&T and that person was not able to help him so then he was transferred for a 3rd time. At this time my husband was not happy. He finally just said, "I just want my refund. I don't want it fixed, just would like the money back." I mean we already lost a weekend of football anyways. So, they said they would and will contact him within 24 hours to verify the refund. That phone call was supposed to happen yesterday and we still have not received a phone call.

Horrible customer service! If we do not receive our refund within the next week, we will dispute the charge and have the credit card deal with these idiots that obviously don't know how to refund charges, fix anything that have to do with the sign-in issues, and that are not good with customer service! We have a written transcript via email of them saying they would refund us the charge (because it already seems like they will dispute that they never said they would). Definitely not worth the money. There are other companies that offer the NFL package and it's A LOT cheaper.

Posted on 01/29/2018

NORTH CAROLINA -- Got ** a few weeks ago that my NFL Sunday Ticket would not auto renew by Jose speaking to me from El Salvador. Even got a phony cancel confirm number. Chatted today with representative after it still was on my statement as current programming. They will not put it in writing that my NFL auto renew has been canceled but they will have a "supervisor" call me. Just canceled my auto pay and paperless statements so they cannot slip it by me this year.

Posted on 01/02/2018

We signed up with DirecTV with promo for $300 gift cards plus free NFL ticket for one year! DO NOT DO THIS unless you enjoy throwing away your money for no TV. What a huge mistake! First weekend, we could not watch any of their 10,000 free movies. We're told it was due to taking 72 hours to load all of the packages. Monday came and was told our internet needed to be faster. Increased this but still no movies. Thursday was finally told this is a known issue. They would not let us out of our contract even though we reported it immediately.

Tonight, during the FBS Sugar Bowl, 4th quarter, entire system shut down and Leah could not fix it. We have 18 months left and it will be the worst TV time in our history. Wish we had kept U-verse even at higher price. How can they continue?

Posted on 12/17/2017

MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN -- DirecTV offers watch anywhere, however when you travel for work and want to watch football on NFL network they tell you, you need to be on your home network... If I was on my home network I wouldn't be trying to watch on my iPad! Same ** if you try to access your DVR. Pointless app and remote service. I'm going to finally go with cable, ** the satellite companies.

Posted on 11/30/2017

You need to watch your bill for items you did not order. Just found out that I have been charged for NFL tickets for 2 years even after I called and cancel it. And when you call them and stay on the phone with them for over 90 minutes but there is nothing that they can do for you!!! But they found out that I did call and cancel 20 month ago but still charge my account.!!

Posted on 10/27/2017

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Numerous crashes + errors, including errors with pure code (certainly not meant for users to see). I've missed parts of every game I've tried watching (not many since I only follow 1 team). When I try switching from one device to another during a crash the system won't let me sign in saying I'm already signed into 1 device (without fail - that must be where they concentrated their development.

And this is a pricey service, with the NFL badge all over it. You'd expect a premium service. I'm sitting here watching a football game hosted by Amazon (for free) at perfect quality. That shouldn't happen if NFL Sunday Ticket was putting my money into the service.

Posted on 10/08/2017

PHOENIX, ARIZONA -- I purchased the Sunday Ticket in 2015. DTV tried to autobill me for it last year, so I had to call them to make them cancel it. Now they just did the same thing for 2017. I video tape every convo I have with them, so I'm going to post the vids showing how insane DTV is. In my latest vid I'm telling the representative I did not sign up for the package, and canceled it last year as well. She keeps trying to charge me, and barely speaks English. Complete ripoff.

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