DIRECTV offers NFL SUNDAY TICKET, every football fan’s fave, but you’ll need to keep a closer eye on your monthly satellite bill as it goes up in the second year. On the other hand, DISH doesn’t have sneaky price hikes, but it might not be the best pick for some sports fans. (It is for NCAA fans, though.) If you’re going to install a satellite dish on top of your home, let’s make sure that the provider you pick is worthy of your home. Whether you’re more focused on maximizing your entertainment or keeping an eye on your budget, you’ll know the best option for you once you finish reading this review. DIRECTV offers the most channels between these two satellite TV providers. So if you need more than 340 channels, DIRECTV is at your service. The no-contract Flex TV option through DISH allows you to prepay for your TV package and then pay as you go each month. Your monthly bill will be $10–$15 more than advertised. But you won’t have to worry about weaseling your way out of a contract if you decide to cancel. If you sign a contract, you’ll have to commit to the satellite TV service to avoid the early termination fees (which can get a bit pricey). Oh, and don’t forget, DIRECTV raises your plan’s monthly price after year two by double. DISH early termination fee:
$20 for every month left on your contract
DIRECTV early termination fee:
Up to $20 per month left on your contract
Let’s start with DISH because their receiver fees can get a little confusing. The Hopper Duo (125 HD hours) with DVR service will be included with qualifying TV packages. And for $5 more a month, DISH can upgrade your main set-top box to the Hopper 3. The Hopper 3 can store 500 HD hours. The additional receiver you order is called a Joey ($5–$10 per month each). DIRECTV includes the Genie DVR (200 HD hours) with your plan, and it’ll cost $7 per month for each additional receiver. But DIRECTV has the audacity to charge a regional sports fee. Many major satellite TV providers charge a hefty fee when customers need to move their equipment. DISH offers free in-home installation to existing customers who are planning to move at no additional cost. We know you need your daily CNN Newsroom Live, and if you need to distract the little ones, you can turn on Big City Greens. DISH has about the same sports coverage that DIRECTV does, but DISH has all of the NCAA channels. And DIRECTV has an NFL SUNDAY TICKET add-on that gives you all out-of-market NFL football games (basically a front-row ticket to 200+ games on your couch). We recommend comparing the channel lineup of both DISH and DIRECTV to figure out which one suits your entertainment, sports, lifestyle, or reality TV needs. If you order one of DIRECTV’s packages today, you’ll get free subscriptions to HBO Max, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, Starz, and MGM+ for three months. DISH also offers a free 3-month subscription to SHOWTIME, MGM+, and DISH Movie Pack (15 movie channels, including Sony Movie Channel and MGM HD). Just make sure you cancel them at the end of your free period or you’ll get charged. NFL SUNDAY TICKET lets you watch every out-of-market NFL game—all Sunday games your local broadcasting stations don’t carry. And NFL SUNDAY TICKET is included in the top three DIRECTV packages for your first year. (Now that’s a win.) Along with NFL SUNDAY TICKET, DIRECTV also has the following sports channels: But even though DIRECTV has the TICKET, DISH has a 6+ more sports channels. And you get all of them (besides the beIN channels and Sportsman channel) with the $99.99 per month plan. This same $99.99 per month plan (America’s Top 200) even made our list for the top providers for the NBA season. DISH has the following sports channels: When you order one of DISH’s TV packages, you’ll get DISH’s Hopper Duo, which gives you 125 HD recording hours (that’s a pretty good deal). And for an extra $5 a month, you can upgrade to the Hopper 3. This Hopper 3 will give you 500 recording hours. You’ll be able to record all 201 episodes of The Office, the weekend’s 16 NFL football games, and over 170 movies, and still have room for more. And if you’re interested in adding TVs to your entertainment system, you can add up to six Joeys (DISH’s name for TV receivers) for $5 to $10 more a month. And DIRECTV so kindly includes the Genie DVR with your plan, giving you 200 HD recording hours. You’ll be able to record all 130 episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and 120 of Saturday Night Live before you even sit on the couch to binge-watch. There’s an app for that. Check out the four best iPhone apps for DIRECTV and DISH. DIRECTV does offer NFL SUNDAY TICKET, but DISH has better pricing that stays consistent throughout the contract. It also provides you with lots of popular channels, including great sports coverage.
Pricing: DISH offers more bang for your buck in the long run because you don’t have to worry about second-year price hikes. You can choose to go the Flex TV no-contract route or pay $10–$15 less with a 2-year commitment. If you want more than 330+ channels, make sure you budget for DIRECTV’s year two rates. Channels: You’ll get most of your favorite live TV channels with both providers, and both give you free memberships for premium channels for a period of time. Sports Channels: DISH has the most sports channels, but DIRECTV has NFL SUNDAY TICKET for the football families. If you live in Miami but you’re a Seattle Seahawks fan and you want to watch every full Seahawks game, you’ll want the TICKET. DVR: DISH’s Hopper 3 can give you loads of storage space with 500 hours, and you can beef up your DVR game by adding Joeys to your TV system for $5 to $10 more a month. DIRECTV’s DVR only has 200 hours of storage, but the first receiver is free (and 200 hours is still quite a bit).
DISH has better overall pricing that is not only consistent but also offers the best bang for your buck. DISH’s Hopper 3 is also our favorite DVR with 500 hours of storage space. For sports fans, DISH also offers more sports channels but lacks NFL SUNDAY TICKET, which you can only find on DIRECTV—you’ll need to make the call there. Additionally, you won’t need to worry about second-year price hikes with DISH as you will with some other providers. You can even choose to sign a 2-year commitment to drop your bill by $10-15/month. If you’re looking for a cable provider, or a fiber-optic TV service, you can check out providers like Cox TV, Verizon Fios TV, Xfinity, Spectrum, and Optimum.
