In the age of cord-cutting, you want to make sure you get the best possible TV streaming service. Do you go for the one with the broadest array of channels or the one with a clean and lean line-up? Do you want live TV and sports channels, or are you more of a cable and prestige show kind of person?
DirecTV Stream and Spectrum TV Choice are great streaming options, but they’re also for very different people. Below, we talk about who each service is for. This will depend on a number of factors, namely: popularity, price, device availability, channel availability, specialties, and trial options. Read on to find out which among the two is the best choice for you.
| Feature | DIRECTV | Spectrum TV Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | image quality | paying only for the channels you watch |
| Base price | $89.99/mo | $53.19/mo |
| Channels | 80+ | 61+ |
| Free trial | 5 days | 7 days |
| Subscribers | 788,000 | — |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Try DIRECTV — 5 days free | Try Spectrum TV Choice — 7 days free |
| DIRECTV 1 plan | Spectrum TV Choice 1 plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest MyEntertainment Pack | Cheapest Spectrum TV Choice | |
| Price / month | $34.99 | $53.19 |
| New User Deal | 15% off 1st month | — |
| Streams at Home | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 2 |
| DVR Storage | Unlimited | 50 shows with additional $5 |
| DVR Keeps For | 9 months | 90 days |
| Profiles | 5 | 1 |
| Multiview Screens | 4 | — |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 720p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | — |
| Audio | 5.1 audio | Standard stereo |
| Dolby Digital | ✓ Yes | — |
| Dolby Atmos | ✓ Yes | — |
| Min. Speed | 8 Mbps | 1 Mbps |
| Get plan → | Get plan → |
Add 3 on-demand subscriptions for more content
Choose your channel line-up along with your Spectrum Internet plan by contacting your local branch
38 channels are available on both services. DIRECTV has 100 exclusive channels not on Spectrum TV Choice. Spectrum TV Choice has 37 exclusive channels not on DIRECTV.
| Channel | DIRECTV | Spectrum TV Choice |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | — | ✓ |
| ABC | ✓ | — |
| ACC Digital Network | ✓ | — |
| AMC | ✓ | ✓ |
| AXS TV | ✓ | — |
| AccuWeather | ✓ | — |
| Alien Nation | ✓ | — |
| Anger Management | ✓ | — |
| Animal Planet | ✓ | ✓ |
| Are We There Yet? | ✓ | — |
| Aspire | — | ✓ |
| Ax Men | ✓ | — |
| BABY FIRST | ✓ | — |
| BBC America | ✓ | ✓ |
| BBC World News | — | ✓ |
| BET | ✓ | ✓ |
| BUZZR | ✓ | — |
| Bein Sports | — | ✓ |
| Big 12 | ✓ | — |
| Bloomberg | — | ✓ |
| Bloomberg TV | ✓ | — |
| Bob Ross | ✓ | — |
| Boomerang | ✓ | — |
| Bravo | ✓ | ✓ |
| C-SPAN | ✓ | — |
| C-SPAN2 | ✓ | — |
| CBS | ✓ | — |
| CBS Sports Network | — | ✓ |
| CBS local channels | ✓ | — |
| CMT | ✓ | ✓ |
| CNBC | ✓ | ✓ |
| CNN | ✓ | ✓ |
| CNN International | ✓ | — |
| CNN en Espanol | ✓ | ✓ |
| CW | ✓ | — |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cheddar News | ✓ | — |
| Cleo | — | ✓ |
| Cleo TV | ✓ | — |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Dynamics | ✓ | — |
| Court TV | ✓ | — |
| Crime 360 | ✓ | — |
| Curiosity Now | ✓ | — |
| Daystar HD | ✓ | — |
| Declassified | ✓ | — |
| Discovery | — | ✓ |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | — |
| Discovery en Español | — | ✓ |
| Disney | — | ✓ |
| Duck Dynasty | ✓ | — |
| E! | — | ✓ |
| E! Entertainment | ✓ | — |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| ESPN 2 | — | ✓ |
| ESPN Deportes | ✓ | ✓ |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | — |
| ESPNU | ✓ | — |
| ESPNews | ✓ | — |
| EarthxTV | ✓ | — |
| Ebony TV | ✓ | — |
| El Rey Rebel | ✓ | — |
| FMC | ✓ | — |
| FOX | ✓ | — |
| FOX SOUL | ✓ | — |
| FS1 | — | ✓ |
| FS2 | — | ✓ |
| FUEL TV | ✓ | — |
| FX | ✓ | ✓ |
| FXX | ✓ | — |
| Fanduel | — | ✓ |
| Food Network | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Business Network | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Deportes | — | ✓ |
| Fox News Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | ✓ | — |
| Fox Weather | ✓ | — |
| Freeform | ✓ | — |
| Fuse Music | ✓ | — |
| GCN | — | ✓ |
| Galavision | ✓ | ✓ |
| Golf Channel | — | ✓ |
| HGTV | ✓ | ✓ |
| HLN | ✓ | ✓ |
| HSN | ✓ | — |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Mystery | ✓ | ✓ |
| HerSphere | ✓ | — |
| History | — | ✓ |
| Home Shopping Network | ✓ | — |
| IFC | ✓ | — |
| ION | ✓ | — |
| ION Television | ✓ | — |
| Impact Network | — | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery | — | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | ✓ | — |
| Jewelry Television | ✓ | — |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime Movies | — | ✓ |
| Lionsgate Collection | ✓ | — |
| MSNBC | ✓ | ✓ |
| MTV | ✓ | ✓ |
| MTV2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| MeatEater TV | ✓ | — |
| MotorTrend | ✓ | — |
| MovieSphere | ✓ | — |
| NBA TV | ✓ | — |
| NBC | ✓ | — |
| NBC local channels | ✓ | — |
| NFL Network | — | ✓ |
| National Geographic | — | ✓ |
| News Nation | ✓ | — |
| Newsmax | ✓ | — |
| Nick Jr. | ✓ | — |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | ✓ |
| OWN | — | ✓ |
| One America News | ✓ | — |
| Ovation | ✓ | — |
| Oxygen | — | ✓ |
| Oxygen True Crime | ✓ | — |
| PBS | ✓ | — |
| PBS Kids | ✓ | — |
| PBS local channels | ✓ | — |
| Paramount | — | ✓ |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | — |
| Poker GO | ✓ | — |
| Pop | — | ✓ |
| Pursuit Channel | ✓ | — |
| QVC | ✓ | — |
| QVC2 | ✓ | — |
| QVC3 | ✓ | — |
| REELZ | ✓ | — |
| REVOLT | ✓ | ✓ |
| RFD-TV | ✓ | — |
| RSNs | ✓ | — |
| Racing America | ✓ | — |
| SYFY | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scientology Network | ✓ | — |
| Scripps News | ✓ | — |
| Shop LC | ✓ | — |
| Smithsonian Channel | — | ✓ |
| Somos Novelas | ✓ | — |
| SportsGrid | ✓ | — |
| Sportsnet | — | ✓ |
| Start TV | ✓ | — |
| SundanceTV | ✓ | — |
| TBS | ✓ | ✓ |
| TCM | ✓ | ✓ |
| TLC | ✓ | ✓ |
| TNA | ✓ | — |
| TNT | ✓ | ✓ |
| TUDN | — | ✓ |
| TV Land | ✓ | ✓ |
| TV One | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tastemade Home | ✓ | — |
| Tastemade Travel | ✓ | — |
| TeenNick | ✓ | — |
| Telemundo local channels | ✓ | — |
| The First | ✓ | — |
| The Weather Channel | — | ✓ |
| Travel Channel | — | ✓ |
| Tru TV | — | ✓ |
| USA | — | ✓ |
| USA Network | ✓ | — |
| Univision | ✓ | — |
| Up TV | ✓ | — |
| VH1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| WAPA America | — | ✓ |
| WE tv | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waypoint TV | ✓ | — |
| Women’s Sports Network | ✓ | — |
| Yahoo! Finance | ✓ | — |
| beIN Sports en Español | — | ✓ |
| theGrio | ✓ | ✓ |
| truTV | ✓ | — |
Both services support most major devices. Here’s a full breakdown of where you can watch each one.
| Device / Platform | DIRECTV | Spectrum TV Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | — |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xbox | — | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
DIRECTV has 788,000M subscribers compared to 0M for Spectrum TV Choice.
Spectrum TV Choice starts at $53.19/month, while DIRECTV starts at $89.99/month. That’s $36.80 more per month for DIRECTV, or $441.60 more per year. DIRECTV costs more but carries more channels (80+ vs 61+), which may justify the difference depending on what you watch.
Is Spectrum TV Choice cheaper than DIRECTV?
Yes. Spectrum TV Choice starts at $53.19/month, while DIRECTV starts at $89.99/month. That's a difference of $36.80/month, or $441.60 per year.
Do DIRECTV or Spectrum TV Choice offer a free trial?
DIRECTV offers a 5-day free trial. Spectrum TV Choice offers a 7-day free trial.
Which has more channels, DIRECTV or Spectrum TV Choice?
DIRECTV carries 138 channels, while Spectrum TV Choice carries 75. 38 channels are available on both services.
What channels does DIRECTV have that Spectrum TV Choice doesn't?
DIRECTV has 100 channels not available on Spectrum TV Choice, including: ABC, ACC Digital Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, Anger Management, and more.
What channels does Spectrum TV Choice have that DIRECTV doesn't?
Spectrum TV Choice has 37 channels not available on DIRECTV, including: A&E, Aspire, BBC World News, Bein Sports, beIN Sports en Español, and more.
Which has better DVR, DIRECTV or Spectrum TV Choice?
DIRECTV's base plan includes Unlimited of DVR storage. Spectrum TV Choice's base plan includes 50 shows with additional $5 of DVR storage.
Can I cancel DIRECTV or Spectrum TV Choice anytime?
Yes. Both DIRECTV and Spectrum TV Choice are month-to-month subscriptions with no long-term contracts. You can cancel either service at any time.
DirecTV is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or if you choose, you can get a "Gemini Air" box with a custom remote control for the service. But without the box, DirecTV functions like a Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to stream Live TV from anywhere by downloading the app. Within your home, you can stream on up to 20 devices (!), and from outside your home you can stream on up to three devices.
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