When you hear about DIRECTV, you may first think about its satellite TV plans. But the company is doing a lot with streaming in 2025.
I created this guide to help you decide which DIRECTV streaming plan, if any, is best for your household.
The DIRECTV Plans I Don’t Recommend
For the last decade, I’ve been helping people cut the cable TV cord and switch to streaming. The main reason why people make the switch is to avoid contracts and hidden fees.
That’s why there is one type of DIRECTV plan that I recommend very rarely — if ever.
I’m talking about the legacy DIRECTV plans, which can now be purchased with or without a satellite dish. These plans include a two-year contract, plus fees for equipment and regional sports networks.
DIRECTV’s No-Contract Streaming Options Explained
This guide will focus on DIRECTV’s streaming TV plans that have no contracts, so you can cancel anytime.
You can find these plans on a separate area of DIRECTV’s website. Do not type DIRECTV.com into your web browser. Instead, go to DIRECTVSTREAM.com.
You can also use this direct link to get there.
DIRECTV STREAM has two main types of offerings: Signature Packages and Genre Packs. I like to think of these as Full Cable 2.0 Bundles and Partial Cable 2.0 Bundles.
- Full Cable 2.0 Bundle/Signature Packages: Cable sports, news and entertainment networks; local stations in most cases
- Partial Cable 2.0 Bundle/Genre Packs: Select components of a traditional cable TV plan
Signature Packages – Full Cable 2.0 Bundles
I want to start with the Signature Packages.
These are similar to the DIRECTV Satellite plans, even down to the names of the plans. However, there are some key differences with the DIRECTV STREAM plans.
- No two-year contract
- Use your own equipment like a Roku, Fire TV Stick or Apple TV
- No extra cost for regional sports networks (select plans)
The base DIRECTV STREAM plan, called Entertainment, starts at $86.99 per month. It includes local broadcast TV stations, plus cable sports, news and entertainment networks.
In most cases, I will recommend a competing service like YouTube TV if that’s what you are looking for.
Why DIRECTV STREAM then? A lot of people end up paying more for DIRECTV STREAM because they want regional sports networks included in a big bundle service.
Those are not in the base Entertainment plan, but they are available with the Choice plan and above.
If you’re serious about sports, including regional sports networks, the Choice plan is a very good plan. Problem is, it’s also a very expensive plan at $114.99 per month after limited-time deals.
To save money, some people downgrade or cancel their DIRECTV STREAM plan during the off-season.
Some other key features of DIRECTV STREAM plans:
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage; recordings saved for up to nine months
- Select 4K content available at no extra charge
- Stream on unlimited devices at home, three away from home
Genre Packs – Partial Cable 2.0 Bundles
For a lot of people, the price of DIRECTV STREAM’s Signature Packages is just too high. They are paying for too many channels that they don’t watch.
In 2025, the company launched new Genre Packs to reach more price-sensitive customers. They’re called:
- MySports: $69.99 per month
- MyEntertainment: $34.99 per month
- MyNews: $39.99 per month
- MiEspañol: $34.99 per month
There are some add-ons to these base Genre Packs, including one for regional sports networks.
Remember, these are Partial Cable 2.0 Bundles. You will be giving up some programming in a Full Cable 2.0 Bundle in exchange for a lower monthly price.
I’ve been able to test out of a couple of them. This is how I see it:
- The MySports plan is made up primarily of sports networks (cable and some broadcast) as well as some news networks. It leaves out most of the entertainment networks.
- MyEntertainment includes entertainment and news channels, but you won’t get sports and locals.
- The MyNews plan is made up primarily of cable news networks, but it also includes some local stations depending on where you live.
The MySports and MyEntertainment plans also include some additional streaming services at no extra cost.
Finally, we are getting more flexibility with the pay-TV bundles. Thanks to streaming, you can pay for a Full Cable 2.0 Bundle or downgrade to a Partial Cable 2.0 bundle if you prefer.
Like the other DIRECTV STREAM plans, unlimited cloud DVR storage is included with the Genre Packs.
Use the DIRECTV App for DIRECTV STREAM Services
You access DIRECTV STREAM’s Signature Packages and Genre Packs from the DIRECTV app. There is no separate DIRECTV STREAM app.
I primarily use the DIRECTV app on Roku and Apple TV devices, but here is a link to the full list of compatible devices.
During my testing, I’ve noticed that the user experience is the same across the various DIRECTV STREAM services. The home screen, live guide and DVR are laid out the same way.
MyFree DIRECTV
That brings me to a point that I want to make about DIRECTV’s free streaming service, MyFree DIRECTV.
After registering for an account on DIRECTV’s website, you can download the DIRECTV app and start watching a selection of free channels — no credit card required.
There are so many similar apps with free content, but DIRECTV does seem to be adding channels regularly.
One benefit of testing out MyFree DIRECTV is that you can familiarize yourself with the user interface before you commit to any of the paid plans.
I’ve always recommend people focus on price and content, but the app experience also matters.
These are some of the important questions that you can answer for yourself by spending some time using MyFree DIRECTV:
- How quickly does content load?
- Do you like the home screen and live guide?
- How is the picture quality?
- Do you like how the playback controls (pause, rewind, fast-forward) work?
Checklist: Before You Sign Up for DIRECTV’s Plans
If you decide to try out one of the paid DIRECTV STREAM plans, there are typically free trials offered. Here’s what to do before you sign up:
- Make sure you are on DIRECTV STREAM’s website for a no-contract plan, not DIRECTV’s website.
- Compare the channel lineups: This will help you decide if you want a Signature Package or one of the more affordable Genre Packs.
- Confirm that you have a compatible streaming media player and download the DIRECTV app.
Then, once you are signed up for DIRECTV STREAM, you can log in to the DIRECTV app on your TV set as well as the mobile app or from a web browser.
If you’re a current customer, the service historically has not made it easy to downgrade your plan.
If you encounter any issues while trying to switch, you can usually get around them by canceling your current plan online and signing up for a new plan with a different email address.
If you have any questions, please email me. I am always looking for ways to improve my guides.
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