Best Satellite TV Service Providers 2023

We’ve done the research and testing, and we’re going to give you a close look at the best satellite TV providers—DISH Network and DIRECTV—to find which is best for you.  

DIRECTV is one of the only providers you can get ESPN College Extra, every college sports fans 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.

DIRECTV reigns supreme when it comes to available channels, but DISH offers a consistent monthly price throughout your 2-year contract. With DISH, you won’t have to deal with your prices hiking up by nearly double your monthly rate after the first year.

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.

If you're interested in bundling DISH TV with internet, check out our best DISH bundles piece. Bundling is convenient so you only have to worry about one bill, and we'll guide you through finding the best bundle for you and your family's needs.

DIRECTV offers the most channels between these two satellite TV providers. So if you need more than 340 channels, DIRECTV is at your service.

DIRECTV requires you to sign a two-year contract, but DISH has a no-contract option or a two-year contract option.

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

DISH and DIRECTV both charge some DVR and equipment fees.

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. 

Good news: you’ll get most of your favorite channels with both satellite TV providers, like CNN, Disney Channel, Comedy Central, and NFL Network.

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. DIRECTV used to offer NFL SUNDAY TICKET that gave you all out-of-market NFL football games. But for the 2023 NFL season, NFL SUNDAY TICKET will officially be moving to YouTube TV.

DIRECTV is one of the only providers outside of Verizon Fios TV that offers ESPN College Extra though, so if you're a college sports fan, this is a big win.

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.

DISH and DIRECTV offer roughly the same premium channels. You can catch up on The White Lotus on HBO Max or City of God on CINEMAX whether you have DISH or DIRECTV. And both DISH and DIRECTV give you some intro perks.

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.

DIRECTV and DISH have a similar amount of sports coverage, but DIRECTV is one of the only places you'll find access to ESPN College Extra. On the other hand, DISH has 6+ more sports channels. 

Along with ESPN College Extra, DIRECTV also has the following sports channels:

But make sure the package you plan on getting has the sports channels you need. You'll get all of them with the ULTIMATE plan ($109.99 per month) but you'll have to upgrade to the most expensive DIRECTV package if you want ESPN College Extra, which will cost $154.99/mo.

But even though DIRECTV has ESPN College Extra, DISH has 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:

If you’re a huge sports fan, be sure to also check out our roundup of the best sports packages from cable and streaming TV providers.

Both DISH and DIRECTV have some of the best DVRs in the traditional TV industry, but the Hopper and Genie have their ups and downs.

What we like about DISH's Hopper DVR is the storage space. What we don't like is the new confusing pricing.

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.

After comparing price, contracts, overall channel count, sports channel availability, and DVR storage, DISH comes out ahead between these two satellite providers.

DIRECTV does offer ESPN College Extra, and a higher channel count, 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 ESPN College Extra for the college sports fans. (DIRECTV used to be home to NFL SUNDAY TICKET, but this service will be moving to YouTube TV for the 2023 NFL season).
• 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 TV ranges from $79.99–$109.99 per month and offers 190–290+ channels.