Best Satellite TV Service Providers 2018

OVERVIEW

There are only two main satellite TV providers on the market—DISH and DIRECTV. There are a few other niche choices, but for the most part, DISH and DIRECTV are your satellite options. And we’re here to give you the inside scoop and tell you which provider is better. Or, at least, which one’s better for you.

^{Data effective 9/14/2018. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year contract and eAutoPay.
**For 12 months with a 2-year contract, paperless bill, and autopay. Price increases for months 13–24.}

We love DISH’s Hopper DVR, and the fact that, unlike DIRECTV, DISH doesn’t jack up its prices in the middle of your contract. But if you love football and never want to miss a game, then DIRECTV’s NFL SUNDAY TICKET package is hard to beat.

DISH vs. DIRECTV price comparison

DISH might seem pricey at first, but only until you notice DIRECTV’s sky-high price hikes.

If you take a quick look at DISH and DIRECTV’s pricing and channels, then DISH tends to look a bit spendy at first.

^{Data effective 9/14/2018. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year contract and eAutoPay.}

You’ll pay around 31¢ per channel with DISH vs. 22¢ with DIRECTV. So DIRECTV is cheaper, right?

Not quite.

DISH’s prices might start out higher, but DIRECTV’s catch up pretty fast. See, while DISH keeps your price the same for the whole length of your contract, DIRECTV has a little surprise in store for you at the one-year mark.

^{Data effective 9/14/2018. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year contract and eAutoPay.}

After your first year with DIRECTV, your prices shoot up—usually more than double what you were paying before. Your price per channel doubles too, and suddenly DISH looks downright affordable.

Even with DIRECTV’s price jump, it evens out to be roughly the same price as DISH. But we hate surprise price hikes and we give DISH bonus points for keeping its pricing steady.

DISH vs. DIRECTV contracts

Unless you want to cut the cord, you’ll usually have a contract with your TV provider. Both DISH and DIRECTV make you sign on for two years at a time. And don’t forget, DIRECTV raises your plan’s price after year one.

If you back out in the middle of your agreement with either DISH or DIRECTV, you could end up paying a ton of money in early termination fees. So don’t sign on unless you plan on keeping your service for the full two years.

DISH early termination fee:

• Up to $480

DIRECTV early termination fee:

• Up to $480

DISH vs. DIRECTV hidden fees

DISH and DIRECTV both charge some DVR fees. DIRECTV includes a first receiver with your plan but charges $5–$10 for each additional receiver. DISH includes a Hopper Duo with your package, but charges $3 if you want to upgrade to the Hopper 3.  You’ll also pay $7 per month for each additional DISH receiver.

^{Data effective 9/14/2018. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*Applicable for CHOICE package and above in some markets.}

DIRECTV has one more fee up its sleeve: a regional sports fee. Depending on where you live, you might pay $7.49 per month if you choose the CHOICE package or above.

DISH vs. DIRECTV channels

Both DISH and DIRECTV will give you all the top channels, but DIRECTV has the most channels overall.  

You’ll get most of your favorite channels with either DISH or DIRECTV. You can tune into NBC News or watch Chopped Junior with either provider. But bad news for telenovela lovers—DISH and Univision couldn’t make it work and DISH recently dropped Univision from its lineup.

If you love channel surfing (and Univison) and just want the most channels possible, then DIRECTV is your friend. It has more channels overall than DISH.

DISH vs. DIRECTV premium channels

Both DISH and DIRECTV offer premium channels as add-ons, but DIRECTV charges more for them. (Plus, it doesn’t offer EPIX.) On the flip side, DISH’s premium add-ons are a bit cheaper.

^{Data effective 9/14/2018. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.}

You do get premium channels included for three months with most DIRECTV packages. Just keep in mind that after those three months are up, you’ll have to pay the regular monthly price for each premium channel you keep unless you cancel.

But beware, one former DIRECTV customer told us that he had to call DIRECTV each month for three months to correct billing issues regarding the premium channels promo.

DISH vs. DIRECTV sports channels

DIRECTV takes the sports channel prize because of one big feature: NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

NFL SUNDAY TICKET lets you watch every out-of-market NFL game, which includes any Sunday games your local broadcasting stations don’t carry. And NFL SUNDAY TICKET comes included in the top four DIRECTV packages (DIRECTV CHOICE™ and above) for your first year, so you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg in extra subscription fees.

DISH is no rookie when it comes to sports, either. You can get a Multi-Sports pack for $13 per month that will still give you access to some football games, as well as non-football channels, like NHL Network and MLB Network.

For the hardcore football fan, we definitely recommend DIRECTV over DISH. But if you just want the highlights and a few games, then you’ll be fine with DISH.

DISH vs. DIRECTV DVR

Here’s where we have to give DISH the clear win—its Hopper 3 DVR is easily one of our favorites. With two terabytes of storage, you can essentially record endless shows without even thinking about your storage space. Even for HD recordings, the Hopper gives 500 hours of storage. Wowza.

DIRECTV’s Genie DVR isn’t bad either—you still get 200 hours of HD recording. Plus, DIRECTV includes the cost of the first receiver in your plan price, whereas DISH makes you pay extra.

But we think if you mostly use your TV service to record shows and watch them later, then the Hopper 3 DVR is worth it.

DISH vs. DIRECTV customer service

As of 2018, DISH gets a better ACSI rating than DIRECTV.  

No cable or satellite TV provider gets glowing customer service reviews. But at least for 2018, DISH gets a better score from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)¹ than DIRECTV.

2018 ACSI rating:
DISH: 67/100
DIRECTV: 64/100

Despite the scoring difference, the customers we talked to about DIRECTV customer service didn’t have too many complaints.

One person said she’s “never had any problem with calling DIRECTV.” Another said when she called to change out her DVR, DIRECTV’s representatives were “easy to work with, helpful and quick. Not frustrating at all.”

For us, we like that both DISH and DIRECTV have a live online chat option. Live chats can be faster and easier than phone calls. We talked to some agents about channels through live chat, and they responded fast and gave helpful answers without making us sit through a sales pitch.

Most live chats also give you an option to print your conversation, which we recommend, so you have a record of it in the event that you have to call (or chat) back more than once regarding the issue.

Recap—DISH vs. DIRECTV

DISH and DIRECTV are both good TV service options, but DISH is the best service for most people (especially non-football fans).

As traditional TV providers go, DISH and DIRECTV are both good services with a wide range of channels and add-on packages. We have to give DISH the edge for its lower long-term pricing and its DVR, but DIRECTV is definitely the top pick for gridiron aficionados who want to catch every out-of-market NFL game.

• Pricing: DISH looks more expensive up-front, but DIRECTV has a surprise price hike after the first year that evens it out to roughly the same price as DISH.
• Contracts: Both DISH and DIRECTV require two-year contracts, and both providers charge the same early termination fees.
• Channels: DIRECTV has a higher channel count than DISH, but you’ll pay more per channel after the one-year price increase. DIRECTV also has NFL SUNDAY TICKET, which is the best option for football lovers.
• Customer service: The ACSI ranks DISH as higher than DIRECTV, but not by much. And we’ve had positive customer service experiences with both providers.

Want to explore other TV service providers?

Check out our other reviews:

• Xfinity
• Cox
• Spectrum
• Verizon Fios
• Best TV Service Providers

Sources

^{1. American Customer Satisfaction Index, ACSI Telecommunications Report 2018}