YouTube TV vs. DirecTV: Which Live-TV Streaming Service Is Best?
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Cable and satellite might be taking their last gasps, but live TV hasn’t gone anywhere. Today, millions of Americans subscribe to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), more commonly called a live TV streaming service. These services deliver live TV channels to just about any streaming device, including streaming sticks, smart TVs, laptops, and smartphones. Plus, all the major live TV streamers don’t require contracts, like we used to have with cable plans.
Two of the biggest players in live TV streaming are YouTube TV and DirecTV. The two popular services offer some of the best channel lineups, package options, and pricing in the game, making excellent choices if you’re finally cutting the cord on cable or looking to get cable channels back for any live events.
Ahead, we’ve put together a full comparison of DirecTV and YouTube TV to help you decide which is best for your viewing needs (and budget). Both services offer free trials (DirecTV’s free trial lasts five days and YouTube TV’s free trial lasts 21 days), so you can also test drive both for yourself.
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YouTube TV vs. DirecTV: Packages, Pricing, & Channels
YouTube TV and DirecTV both offer a large selection of plans, including comprehensive packages with local channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS) and national networks, as well as more affordable genre-specific packages.
The short answer is that DirecTV wins this battle. DirecTV offers more packages and better channel availability. YouTube TV lacks A&E, Lifetime, History Channel, and Vice, as well as, crucially, Regional Sports Network (RSN) coverage that can compete with DirecTV. DirecTV has all major channels and the best RSN coverage in the business.
For more details, here’s a full look at all of the packages offered by both services and how much they cost.
Note: All pricing is full-price, although both services frequently run substantial discounts for new subscribers.
YouTube TV Packages & Pricing
- YouTube TV main plan ($82.99/month): Over 100 channels, including all local and national networks, including ESPN, TBS, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. Also includes sport-specific channels like NBA TV and NFL Network.
- Sports Plan ($64.99/month): 30+ channels, including local networks, RSNs (in certain markets), and national sports channels like ESPN, FS1, TBS, and NBA TV.
- Entertainment Plan ($54.99/month): Major entertainment cable networks like HGTV, Bravo, ID, and Discovery, plus local networks, for a total of 60+ channels.
- Sports + News Plan ($71.99/month): Everything in the Sports Plan, as well as national news networks like CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and MSNBC.
- News + Entertainment + Family Plan ($69.99/month): Most of YouTube TV, minus sports channels
- Sports + News + Entertainment ($77.99/month): Almost all of YouTube TV, minus select family channels
DirecTV Packages & Pricing
- Entertainment ($89.99/month): 90+ channels, including local, sports, entertainment, and family channels. Also includes ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and Hulu.
- Choice ($94.99/month): 125+ channels. Everything in Choice plus more national sports channels and RSNs (regional sports fee applies).
- Ultimate ($124.99/month): 160+ channels. Everything in Choice plus extra movie and entertainment channels.
- Premier ($169.99/month): 185+ channels. Everything in Ultimate plus premium networks and included streaming services HBO Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, and Cinemax.
- MyEntertainment ($42.99/month): 60+ channels, including most major entertainment networks like FX, Bravo, A&E, and HGTV. Also includes HBO Max, AMC+, Disney+, and Hulu.
- MySports ($64.99/month): 20+ channels, including local and major national sports networks like ESPN, TNT, MLB Network, and NFL Network. Also includes ESPN Unlimited.
- MyNews ($44.99/month): 10+ channels, including national news networks like Fox News, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC, plus local channels.
- MyKids ($20.99/month): 20+ channels, including kids channels like Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. Also includes Disney+.
EDGE: DirecTV
YouTube TV vs. DirecTV: Interface, DVR, and Additional Features
Although the services’ offerings are similar, the way you access content on DirecTV and YouTube TV is fairly different. DirecTV’s interface is more similar to the ones on traditional cable setups, which means it’s more familiar but slightly dated. YouTube TV’s interface, on the other hand, functions more like a modern streaming app. YouTube TV still has a traditional live TV guide view, but it’s more streamlined, clean, and better-looking overall than DirecTV’s.
Both DirecTV and YouTube TV also offer multiview for watching different channels at once without flipping between channels. DirecTV offers seven curated multiview channels, including ones for sports, news, business networks, and local networks. YouTube TV does multichannel viewing better with a feature that lets you mix and match almost every channel in your plan.
Both services also offer cloud DVR, but their allowances are very different. YouTube TV subscribers get unlimited cloud DVR, and recordings are kept for nine months. DirecTV subscribers only get 20 hours of recordings (unless you pay an additional fee), and the recordings expire after 90 days.
Another important feature to consider when signing up for a live TV streaming service is the number of simultaneous streams allowed. Anyone with a family or roommates who share a streaming service account has faced the “too many users” screen. DirecTV offers unlimited streams on the same WiFi network and three on different ones. YouTube TV caps streams on the same WiFi at three, unless you pay for the 4K Plus Add-on. YouTube TV does let you create multiple profiles on the same account, which unlocks more simultaneous streams, although it’s still not as generous as DirecTV
Although DirecTV is slightly more generous with simultaneous streaming, YouTube TV still wins this round for its easy, clear interface, better multichannel functionality, and significantly more generous DVR features.
EDGE: YouTube TV
YouTube TV vs. DirecTV: Additional Streaming Services
These days, many streaming services (especially live TV streamers) are actually bundles with other services included. DirecTV is one of them, offering additional streaming services at no cost in almost every plan. All of their Signature plans (comparable to YouTube TV’s main plan) include ESPN Unlimited, Hulu, and Disney+. Their MyEntertainment Genre Pack and Premier packages include HBO Max, and the MySports Genre Pack also includes ESPN Unlimited. In short, you’re getting some very substantial added value, no matter which plan you’re going with.
YouTube TV, however, does not bundle third-party streamers into its plans (without add-ons). This might change, however, but for the time being DirecTV’s bundles are much better than YouTube TV’s.
EDGE: DirecTV
Verdict: Is DirecTV or YouTube TV Better?
In summary, here’s how DirecTV and YouTube TV stack up against each other:
- DirecTV: More packages, better channel availability, and third-party streaming services for free, but a worse interface.
- YouTube TV: Excellent interface, multiview function, more DVR and other features. However, channel availability (although great) is not quite as extensive as DirecTV’s, and you don’t get third-party streamers without purchasing add-ons.
DirecTV is the better streaming service if you’re looking for the absolute best channel availability and content lineup, but YouTube TV is better if you care about the experience and the features. Luckily, both of these services offer a free trial. Get a five-day free trial to DirecTV here and a 21-day free trial to YouTube TV here to test out both.