DIRECTV got its start in 1990 and has since grown into a successful Fortune 100 company. The company offers over 190 full-time HD channels as well as high-speed internet and a streaming service. In a side-by-side comparison with other digital satellite providers, it holds up very well.
In June 2015, AT&T officially acquired DIRECTV, creating one of the largest television and communications companies in the world. The projections for this merger are positive for DIRECTV customers, giving them bundling opportunities on internet and phone service not available before.
DIRECTV is a digital satellite entertainment service provider that offers homeowners and businesses more than 250 channels throughout all 50 states.
Read what other DIRECTV customers are saying about their service (below).
Each DIRECTV package offers a variety of channels each designed to entertain clients of all ages. Customers can enjoy hit shows, movies, sports, and more.
DIRECTV is transparent about what each package includes (even mentioning notable channels), allowing customers to make an informed decision about which package will work best for them.
SELECT™
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $40/mo + taxes until discount starts. $78/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change).
ENTERTAINMENT
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $45/mo + taxes until discount starts. $90/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change).
CHOICE™
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $50/mo + taxes until discount starts. $105/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change). Regional Sports Fee up to $7.49/mo. is extra & applies.*
XTRA
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $60/mo + taxes until discount starts. $117/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change). Regional Sports Fee up to $7.49/mo. is extra & applies.*
ULTIMATE
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $65/mo + taxes until discount starts. $128/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change). Regional Sports Fee up to $7.49/mo. is extra & applies.*
PREMIER™
*Plus taxes for 12 mos. w/ 24-mo. agreement. Autopay & Paperless bill required. Pay $115/mo + taxes until discount starts. $181/mo. in months 13-24 (subject to change). Regional Sports Fee up to $7.49/mo. is extra & applies.*
In decades past, TV plans came with one remote for one television. Now any iPhone mobile device can act as a DIRECTV remote, and viewers can watch up to four different shows in four different rooms at any given time. Android devices can be used as well. but only if they are running on at least an IOS 6.0.
The Genie HD can be used to record shows. Better yet, those shows can be recorded in HD, meaning customers can fully enjoy them without viewing them live.
The ability to view different TV channels in multiple rooms has many customers asking, "How much extra equipment will I need?" With DIRECTV, all you'll need is a Genie Mini in each additional room. Also, if you have a Samsung or Sony Direct Ready TV, you don't need any external devices to run multiple TVs through the network.
With each of the plans listed above, customers will receive a set-top box in the mail that allows them to do their own installation. Instructions for setting up your DIRECTV set-top box are sent with the package and customer support is also available.
DIRECTV has plenty of channels to offer. The TV provider has over 200 live HD channels and a plethora of movie channels. Customers can enjoy HD and 4K programming with each of its channel packages; however, you'll need to purchase a higher tier plan or upgrade to gain access to a larger variety of HD channels. You'll also need a 4K TV to access the 4K channels.
DIRECTV's PREMIER package gives consumers access to premium channels. If you're obsessed with HBO's Game of Thrones or if you can't miss an episode of Showtime's Billions, then this DIRECTV package is perfect for you.
Sports fans love DIRECTV because it is the exclusive TV provider for the NFL Sunday Ticket. This sports package lets consumers watch live, HD, out-of-market games every Sunday. This plan particularly appeals to football fans, but if you're a fan of another major sport, no need to panic — DIRECTV still has you covered. You can select from any of these sports packs:
Every DIRECTV channel pack has plenty of options for even the pickiest entertainment buffs. There is plenty of original content, classic movies, and sports channels for everyone. Just be sure to pick a channel lineup that satisfies your entertainment needs.
The DIRECTV App lets subscribers stream live news, sports, along with their favorite shows and movies. The app gives customers flexibility as they can decide when and where they want to watch. Users can watch live, On Demand, or download their DVR recordings to their device, to view it anywhere. The DIRECTV app comes at no extra cost, can stream on up to 5 screens at once, and uses no data when customers have AT&T wireless.
The DIRECTV App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
When bundling your DIRECTV Satellite TV services with other services (phone and internet service), you can save a decent amount of money. The AT&T internet plan costs $50 per month and the most basic DIRECTV package costs $35 per month. The DIRECTV and AT&T Internet bundle costs $75 per month, saving customers $10 a month. What customers get is over 155 channels, internet speeds up to 100 Mbps, over 99 percent reliability, and the professional installation fee waived — a $99 value. Customers can even sign up for a 3-month preview of HBO®, SHOWTIME®, STARZ®, and Cinemax® at no extra charge.
Before signing up with DIRECTV, it is essential to review the terms and conditions for each service to be sure of any additional fees or taxes. Too often, customers sign up and don't find out the terms until it's too late. Here are some possible fees a DIRECTV customer might run into:
Activation and Installation:
For each of the DIRECTV packages, there is a $19.95 activation fee.
While installing DIRECTV, the technician may need to make changes to a telephone line or provide extra equipment, etc. and a custom work fee may be applied. The technician should prepare a Custom Work Rate sheet to explain what was needed and the cost.
However, customers should also be aware that there is a non-activation fee. DIRECTV will charge $150 per receiver if it is not activated within 30 days of installation.
Equipment:
There is an Equipment Lease Fee. The fee for the first receiver is waived; after that, each additional receiver costs $5 per month.
At the end of their agreement, customers should return their equipment to avoid DIRECTV's Unreturned Equipment Fee, which can range from $55-$470 per receiver.
Cancellation and Deactivation:
Customers who don't fulfill their Programming Agreements may be charged a pro-rated fee of up to $480.
There is a disclaimer at the bottom of DIRECTV's site that states there is an "early termination fee" or cancellation fee of $20 per month, for each month remaining on the TV agreement.
If a customer deactivates their service or if DIRECTV deactivates the service, there may be a charge of $15. This charge is made apart from the termination fee.
Extra Fees:
DVR Service Fee: Choosing a DVR or HD DVR receiver will automatically enroll customers in a DVR service. The cost is $6 per month, no matter how many DVR or HD DVR receivers they've selected.
HD Access Fee: For an additional $10 per month customers can receive HD channels
Late Fees: If a customer misses their monthly bill and fails to pay within the grace period, DIRECTV will charge $5 or the maximum amount permitted by law.
DIRECTV is known for locking customers into great promotional packages for the first year of their contract; however, once the first year of the contract is complete, year two can bring a substantial increase in monthly programming prices. While this is stated in the contract, it comes as an unwelcome surprise to many customers. A number of DIRECTV reviews mention these price hikes as one of the top frustrations with this satellite tv service. If this is a deal breaker for you, there are other service providers that offer set pricing for the length of your contract.
DIRECTV is satellite-based and is subject to all the disadvantages that come with a satellite dish: reception is at the mercy of weather conditions. Heavy storms are likely to affect the satellite connection. Weather does not affect the quality and availability of cable tv or fiber optic programming to the same extent as satellite TV service. Be prepared to deal with spotty live tv connections as connections to local channels during considerably adverse weather.
There are plenty of reasons to consider signing up with DIRECTV.
DIRECTV offers an incredible assortment of specialty and local channels, and its initial promotional packages are hard to beat. However, be aware that after your one or two year contract is up, there will be a price hike; while this isn't unusual in the industry, this catches many customers off guard. Customer reviews did not take this lightly.
DIRECTV is the exclusive provider for the NFL Sunday Ticket. This is great for football fans who want to watch those out-of-market games, but if football isn't your game, then there are plenty of other sports packages to select from. You'll also have access to plenty of channels, so you can pick the perfect TV package. These perks make DIRECTV hard competition for a number of Satellite and Cable TV providers.
If you're looking for a TV provider that provides a plethora of HD channels, amazing sports packages, and gives you access to exclusive content, then it might be worth looking into DIRECTV.
Call our recommended rep over at DIRECTV below.
1-(866) 416-5157
Star Rating
1,245 Reviews
Review Breakdown
Sentiment Criteria
Juan
I miss having DirecTV. They have a quality tv interface, with the DVR you can record anything. The service normally always works unless there is a big storm. The only thing i do not like is their prices are a little high.
Glori
DIRECTV sucks. Tonight I invited friends over to watch the Rams game. Well guess what we could not watch because of another problem with the network. All summer we had no Channel 8. In September no channel 3 for a few weeks and again no channel 3. This is ridiculous and unacceptable. We as customers pay good money for our service and should be getting what we are paying for. Not at all happy!!
Sara Smith
Had a good experience just didn't like the equipment attached to the house and where it was placed made it difficult to work when it snowed as it was covered.
Roberson
Over priced, additionally cable tv is chalk full of advertisements and setup and cancel services are a nightmare. They never are there when they say they are going to show up for services.
Grant smith
This company is a marketing scam the truth is they give you a year of service and then double or triple your rate after one year.. This AT&T company sucks!!!
Keith
I contacted AT&T since taking control. Your 1st tier in the Philippines goes by a script period, your talking to a person that speaks very poor English. So, to get to someone that can make decisions it takes time and you get bounced around to different people, but your now back in America and has good English skills. I needed to get a replacement on a mini Genie, I asked was there a cost involved, I was told no. I then asked if this will effect my contract I was told again no. 11 months later I called in to restore a discount that I had lost, but the person (2nd tier America) that I had to wait till the discount expires, then call back after it expires and we will re-instate the discount. Well, today 1 day after it expired to restore the discount, now I was told that it can't be restored for at least 2 to 3 billing cycles. So I said let's cancel the account, then I was informed that I had a contract for another 13 months. Well, remember the no addition to the contract, THAT WAS A LIE! So, I cancelled anyway and plan to fight the charge to cancel.
Anne R
I feel I was scammed. I wanted to sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket and an online customer service rep didn't answer my questions directly. I thought it was just a language barrier, but my understanding was a one-year contract at about $30 a month with a 3 month free movie channel package. I was able to watch games that day. After the dish was installed, I found out we have a 2-year contract at $69 /month. I wouldn't have agreed to that ever. The rep was not honest and I have no record of the chat. He also kept asking me to close the chat window if we were done. I realize I was scammed. The cancellation fee is $240 prorated and $10/month. This was a costly mistake and I will never trust AT&T or DishTV again.
Connor
The apartments I live at currently use DirecTV and they are awesome. Still learning the system, but I'm loving it. Whenver I have a question, they are so quick to answer. One of the best CS teams I've ever dealt with.
KC
We really liked Direct TV, mostly for the NFL ticket. They had a couple of really neat features too -- we liked being able to pause one channel, flip to another and then go back to the original channel where it was paused. The reason we switched is price. They kept increasing the price.... by a LOT!
Amanda
Direct TV has all the TV stations I would need! Very satisfied with my options.
Kaydence Bonino
We were once a customer of Directv but a few years switched over to comcast. We never had a bad experience with Directv. The only reason switched to comcast was because they offered a bundle pack with our internet and it was a cheaper route to go.
Jon Posey
I used to love DirecTV, then when it came time to renew, they screwed me, I told them I would never come back (after 7 years as a customer) and they could have cared less. No loyalty at all, and even after all this, they send me so much junk mail and even call me begging me to come back. They don't get it and it's frustrating. I tell everyone to steer clear.
Spencer Morris (Logan)
I used to love DirecTV-- was the only one Id use--- but has gotten so expensive.
Joe Zanter
It's a tv service when the weather is good and not much when the weather turns. Special? Not imho. I have Charter at home and DirectTV at my mom's. The DVR was not great or simple to use - try to teach an 80 year old and you'll get an idea. Worse though, she passed over the summer and I have been trying to successfully cancel the service and get early cancellation penalties removed (I've been promised in three phone calls to them in the last 7 weeks but so far they just keep adding late charges, non-return of equpment charges and telling me to "just wait another month") I suppose their customer service is good while you're consuming their product but good luck trying to end service. It seems like it should be so easy - "just take your eqpt to a UPS store and they will scan it, pack it and ship it for free!" That part is true but so far, almost a month after the equipment was returned (within a week of receiving in structions), I am still getting additional charges related to that. I am frustrated in a measured way.
Ariyana Miller
Large variety of channels but tends to lose signal with bad weather. Overall very good service.
Mike p AZ
Nightmare of a company went to the dogs after the AT&T merger. Lies, incorrect, and misleading information, customer service people contradict themselves continually with every call. Absolutely zero loyalty and appreciation of a 15-year long customer . Actual service is nice great DVR but the company is horrible always jacking up adjusting your rate nickel-and-diming. Even under "contract" they find a way to raise your rates. What's the point of a contract then? I can't just decide to pay them less why do they think they can get away with just deciding to charge me more? How does a $58 package turn into $107 a month? Their bull service fees, advanced receiver fees, DVR fees Etc are a joke. I canceled and went with orby. Sure Orby package and DVR a much less sophisticated system and programming but also less than half the price...
Karen
Like many of my neighbors, I am subjected to countless numbers of door to door salespeople pushing plans for television subscriptions. Comcast, Dish, Directv, have all been at my door in an attempt to sell me something. Until October of 2018, I successfully turned down all of these offers. None seemed to offer a plan that I was interested in. Prices were either too high to begin with, or sneaky low introductory offers with a 2 year contract and the second year at an exorbitantly high price. In October 2018, A young lady came to my door with yet another offer for satellite TV. After patiently listening to her sales spiel, I asked if the seemingly acceptable price was for the length of the contract, or only 1 year. She assured me that it was for the duration of the contract (2 years). Thinking that this was a new offer due to the fierce competition in the area, I believed what she was saying, and signed an installation agreement. After installation, for whatever reason, I became suspicious, and on the 25th of October 2018, called Directv customer service. After explaining to several CSRs, I was finally "escalated" to a CSR who called herself "Pauline". I was assured at that time that my bill would remain at the agreed price for the 2nd year. Fast forward to this October, and suddenly my bill has more than doubled! On October 23rd, I once again called Directv, expecting to resolve this issue. After spending 15 minutes jumping through the hoops of the phone tree, I finally spoke to an agent "Christine" who could do absolutely nothing (no surprise there), and was referred to "Customer Loyalty" , and with Directv, including the contact with "Pauline". I was told that despite what the salesperson told me, and despite what "Pauline" had assured me, I was expected to pay the higher price. When I objected, "Brenda" put me on hold to (presumably) confer with someone with more authority. She came back with an offer that was still $6.00 higher than the original offer. This was rejected by me, and I told Brenda to cancel my plan, I was advised that there would be a $200 early termination fee (of course). As I had not yet received a confirmation of cancellation either through the mail or Email, I called again on November 3rd 2019 to re-request an Email confirmation and offer Directv an opportunity to do the honorable thing and restore my payment to what I had been originally promised. 3 levels of CSRs later, the best they would offer is $15 off the inflated price. Perhaps I'm very "old school", but I believe that honor is very important. and I have been treated dishonorably by Directv. A promise is a promise, I held up my end, why can't Directv do their part?
kay
signed up for At&T/ direct satellite. Rep for company told me I could have extra pkg for channels for 7 dollars more a month. when they came to install there was no extra pkg and also done installing, they told me I had 30 days to cancel. Now this is 2 rep from Direct Tv/AT&T that fed me line of Bs. Tried to cancel because of this and would do nothing about the lies. I am paying ETF because it is worth getting rid of them. No telling how many more lies I would get told.
Kevin001
I have been a subscriber for 30 plus years but you care too much about new subscribers instead of your old ones and give big discounts to new subscribers. Why not worry about keeping me than someone that keeps switching service.
Carolyn Millen
Liars Lairs the worse customer service people I have ever done business with 30 times or more with the same issue with no resolution you call back and get another lie minus zero is my rating
Carl DeRossi
They constantly rip you off. You get a promotional package they charge you a different bill every month. you call them to fix it, the next month it goes even higher. lets say after like 10 phone calls for 2 years The bill went from 60 dollars to 250 dollars a month in that time frame. Every time you call to fix the problem they claims it starts a new 12 month contract. This is the biggest con i have ever seen. you threaten to cancel then they tell u well that is another 480 dollar cancellation fee. plus you have return the junk they rip you off every month for in rentals or they charger you hundreds of dollars for each piece. you return it they charge you anyways. Keep away from this company. What ever you do do not use their service or products you will regret it they make you feel like your dealing with a mafia mentality.
christina
crappy customer service and awful plans! I was given False information when signing up for Direct TV and called IMMEDIATELY to cancel and was promised NO FEES.... Well not to my surprise.... Misled again! Will also be cancelling my cell service over this!
Adriana Diaz
Easy and affordable , no other service could compete!
Desi
Our family has been using directv for years and the service is great. No regrets!!!
Dylan Curtis
I enjoyed the picture quality and channel choices,. Living in Utah means heavy snow sometimes and it was a bummer when the signal would be lost in snowstorms.
sydney clark
The only cable provider I still will use! I love the people who work here and they are fast at answering questions!
Linda Anderson
You right about price hikes not only did they charge me 38.00 after promotion period they just charge me another 38.00 called about it said they didn't charge me enough the first time they made a mistake can't wait until this 12month is up worse decision ever getting Direct Tv
Cameron Clark
Don't love DirectTV as much as Dish. A bit harder to navigate and more spotty. Would get Dish before DirectTV.
Chad Carman
I have enjoyed Directv for years now. They have a very wide range of TV channels that I love, and they're price matches the quality.
Rischelle Mikkelson
They offer a good variety of plans to customize your viewing needs. We decided to bundle internet as well. The service was reliable expect in heavy storms.
Sydney Boren
I really love the selections of channels that Direct TV offers it's customers. I also love on demand. It makes it so easy to watch the shows and movies I want. There is also a great selection on demand for free, and the ones that are not free are priced reasonably.
Lesa Stewart
We get to watch all ate favorite shows anytime. They have wonderful customer service.. Lesa
Linda Clark
I had direct tv for many years and discontinued service because it got too expensive.
Ed Clark
I used DIRECTV for a short period of time. I was not happy with the cost for the package that I desired. I had no problem with the service. I just found them to be expensive.
Jen
We just got rid of DTV after about 17 years. When we had no issues it was ok EXCEPT FOR STORMS-RAIN AND SNOW. If there’s a storm, forget it. You’re not watching anything. When there was issues, the customer service was horrible. Always wanting to charge us for everything. Their receivers weren’t the best. Always had issues and needed replacement. We were finally fed up with DTV and not being able to watch Phillies games, we switched to Xfinity
Zac Marx
I am not a huge fan of DirecTV except to watch BYU football and BYU basketball. It was easy to setup and use though.
Alyssa Boren
The service is fast and the DVR has a good amount of space on it. Recording shows and movies was easy and you could record multiple things at once.
L. Fowler
We used Directv a few years ago before changing to cable. It was a little difficult to use in our windy neighborhood. Hopefully they have been able to fix that.
Vincent Leuzze
Watch this all the time and neved have had a complaint, best shows and very consistent connection all the time.
Amy
We used cable for years and switched to Directv. We loved it so much that when we moved locations we kept using their service. It was great but became too expensive. We realized we weren't watching tv as often. Their customer service is great to work with. If you watch alot of tv this is the way to go.
Jami Howell
It's too expensive for the packages that it offers and it hardly ever has the games and channels that I want. Always in "contract disputes". Freezes all the time and they never offer upgrades.
Melinda
We had Direct TV for many years, more than ten. We were constantly having issues with billing. They did not have easy to fix billing and made many billing errors.
John McMahan
I will never do business with ATT again. I had DirectTV installed in May 2019, I canceled in a month. The receiver wouldn’t stay connected to my internet. So we tested it with two other internet sources; ATT did troubleshooting and determined indeed the receiver needed to be replaced ( just got a bad one). No problem, they will do it for $100. Really, you just put this system in less than a month ago and you want me to pay $100 because your equipment failed. Canceled and called Dish. I also moved our five cell phones to Verzion since they were so rude. I returmned their equipment as requested and now they are trying to get me to pay an early termination fee; in fact they had a collection agency call me today. That’s what being apart of the ATT family is like..
PapaP
It's Thurs Night, Oct 3, 2019. The debut of "4K" Thur Night Football! I had a DTV tech come out Wed (yesterday) checking my lines/channels/DTV boxes as well as my 4K Sony TV and HDMI cables. "Sir", he said, "you are all go for tomorrow night's game, in 4K." So, here it is. I'm looking at it right now; "Live". This has to be the WORST LOOKING PICTURE I HAVE SEEN IN YEARS. This simply is NOT 4K. Somebody screwed the pooch on this one. Maybe they all screwed this up; starting with the camera equipment used to televise this program. Don't buy the hype. It doesn't even look HD. Big disappointment. Gary P Dallas, TX
Jennifer Bachan
I enjoy my Directv. I have had it for close to 20 years and through a move. They made the move so easy. I enjoy my programming and the app. My one complaint is the pricing. It is expensive and the NFL package use to be affordable but now not so much. It is disappointing.
Anonymous
We are not a sports tv family just wanted some local channels when the kids were little PBS disney cartoon network boy does it cost an arm and a leg for a very long contract.
Becky
Overall we are satisfied with DirectTV. The only downside is they are not travel friendly for full-time RV travelers. I do get tired of paying for all the sales and reality TV channels.
Cynthia Carman
It has a great selection of channels and very nice customer support, but they charge too much which is why I gave them 4 stars.
Tony Gibson
I started off with Directv early on when cable was still the king. I've always enjoyed the quality and content that I could have on Directv. Definitely recommend.
Amy Boren
Direct tv was fine, they were difficult to schedule and come out when we had problems. We discontinued with them when they dropped the pack twelve network.