Is it cheaper to stream than DIRECTV?

Ultimate Guide: Is It Cheaper to Stream Than DirecTV?

Since the emergence of on-demand platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and others, a growing number of individuals are considering whether it is more affordable to cut the cord and rely solely on streaming services. DirecTV is one of the most popular paid TV providers that streaming targets to unseat, and it is the largest satellite TV provider in the United States. Isn’t getting rid of DirecTV and switching to streaming the better and cheaper option? However, there are the following considerations in the process of comparing the costs.

Upfront Costs

In contrast to the DirecTV, streaming does not require any initial expenses to begin using the service. As for streaming services, all one needs is the internet connection and a streaming device like a Roku or Firestick which can be bought rather inexpensively while DirecTV requires to have a satellite dish and receiver installed and thus involves paying for professional help in installation. Especially if you have no base dish that if you have to start from scratch you may spend $200 or more just to begin. If you inherit an existing system, receivers are over $100 plus any upgrade or rewiring charges that may be necessary. Therefore, streaming undoubtedly helps to minimize initial costs.

Monthly Subscription Costs

When focusing only on the subscription prices without regarding the packages, DirecTV is slightly more expensive than the majority of the most beloved streaming platforms. The basic channel packages are available for as low as $70 per month while the higher channel packages cost well over $100 per month if you add on extra channel packs, HD service fee, DVR service among other features. Most popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu offer plans starting as low as $9. 99. And even if you continue to be a subscriber to several of the most popular streaming services simultaneously, all in one that combination costs significantly less per month than most of DirecTV’s programming tiers.

It is however crucial to understand that while these streaming options contain a lot of popular shows, movies and original content, they do not hold as much channel variety and depth as cable and satellite providers offer in their packages. But if you wish to get all the same channels and programs that you are used to with DirecTV, which are offered in the form of streaming services at a much lower cost, it is better to complement them with additional services such as Sling TV and YouTube TV that also provide live TV streaming packages closer to the cost of traditional pay-TV. The logic behind that is, the greater the number of streaming services which in total were built to create your personalized list of channels, the greater is the total cost per month.

Pay-Per-View/On-Demand Costs

There is also usually also efficiency maintained regarding costs by streaming over satellite especially in the case of pay per view and on demand services. DirecTV viewers usually pay $6 for each pay-per-view movie or event and $7 for the high definition pay-per-view. Other features that are offered by the streaming services are options to watch thousands of movies and Tv shows which is available in the basic subscription package without any additional charges. Thus, for the customers who frequently turn to the on-demand movies or use pay-per-view events, streaming cancels out per-view costs at the cost of monthly fees.

Additional Fees

While all the streaming services only require customers to pay the single monthly fee with no contracts and penalties for cancellation, DirecTV is infamous for adding lots of hidden fees over and above the subscription fee. DVR service is usually an additional $10 on top of your programming package price. Extra charges can be incurred for other TV sets if you wish to have the TVs in various rooms of the house. It is possible to have extra costs for protection plans or premium tech support services. And of course, one cannot escape an early termination fee especially if he or she cancels the service before meeting the necessary contract period. However, when you agree to be served by DirecTV there are other charges outside the monthly subscription fees.

Streaming services are much more likely to only charge the base monthly rate they advertise, without additional obscure fees adding up the monthly statements. Just be careful of the exceptions regarding the lower-priced ad-supported tiers of services such as Hulu and Peacock. Although the subscription fee is lower, a user has to endure more adverts which can be quite inconvenient for a number of viewers. Expect the unexpected but always read the small prints so as to be prepared.

Internet Costs

The largest attainable hidden streaming cost is your home internet provider. Though streaming providers offer subscriptions to a set of channels and streaming services at significantly lower rates than TV bills, a strong home internet connection is required to support streaming. And the more TVs one intends to stream on at the same time and the higher the density of the video stream, the faster that home internet service has to be. If you are currently just scraping by with basic internet speeds, you are very likely going to have to move up to one of the faster premium plans as you eliminate the cord and move to streaming sticks and boxes on every television. That upgrade alone can cost you between $10 up to $50+ on top of your existing internet bill depending on your provider’s pricing.

Alternative Streaming Sources

If you want to continue supplementing streaming services while still saving money over DirecTV, you can do so with the help of free, ad-supported streaming services. Popular apps, including Pluto TV, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Fox Weather, and Fox Sports provide TV channels and movies without the necessity of creating the user’s account or paying for the subscription fee. Compared to neatly curated lists of programs, it is fairly random – but it can help fill in the gaps in your programming needs while not as frequently relying on DirecTV channel packages you might have formerly been used to but have no need for anymore post-cord-cutting.

Another streaming-friendly TV that can replace DirecTV and which is accessed through digital antennas is Over-The-Air (OTA) TV. An OTA antenna can capture local affiliate stations from large broadcast networks such as NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, among others without incurring any additional cost in most places. This may be true but picture quality is usually better over OTA signals than satellite as well. When you add OTA channels, additional free streaming sources, and paid streaming services, you can create a rather solid list of TV programs while cutting $50, $75, or even over $100 per month compared to the skyrocketing DirecTV prices.

Is streaming cheaper than DirecTV? The Bottom Line

Generally, the cost of pure services required for streaming is lower than that of the traditional satellite TV by a distinguishable monthly margin. However, be cautious with extra charges and most importantly internet charges which reduce the benefits that streaming has over the expenses that DirecTV satellite involves. Spend some time looking into the details and crunching all the numbers for your household, and never forget free streaming options to get the most out of saving money when cord-cutting. Although letting go of the numerous channel listings that satellite is associated with, streaming provides the freedom to enable many viewers to pay less monthly than DirecTV while getting access to loads of popular content across paid as well as free platforms.