DISH vs. DIRECTV: Satellite TV Review 2020

When it comes to satellite TV providers, you really only have two choices: DISH and DIRECTV. Although they are similar at a quick glance, we lay out the details to help you find the best provider for your television.

We think DISH has the best price and the Hopper 3 DVR option—which sets the standard for DVRs everywhere. But honestly, DIRECTV isn’t far behind DISH—and it’s a pro choice for sports lovers, thanks to the much-coveted NFL SUNDAY TICKET channel.

Those differences aside, here’s how DISH compares with DIRECTV.

DISH vs. DIRECTV package prices

DISH blasts past DIRECTV, thanks to transparent pricing and no price hikes.

At first glance, both DISH and DIRECTV seem to be neck and neck in terms of pricing. But things quickly get out of hand when DIRECTV’s package prices increase during the second year of your two-year contract.

With that in mind, pricing is one of DISH’s biggest advantages. It’s not only cheaper in the long run, but you also tend to get more for your money.

DISH scores major points for having the clearest pricing, but do its packages add up?

We think so. We’ll dive into DISH channel selection in a bit, but we think it’s pretty great that each package comes with ESPN, the Disney Channel, HGTV, and Food Network. Seriously, that hits all of our binge-watching needs—and our family’s too.

Not to mention you get 290+ channels with DISH’s America’s Top 250 package—but just 250+ channels with DIRECTV’s ULTIMATE package. Plus, DIRECTV ULTIMATE will cost you about $50 more per month once you hit that second year of your contract.

But depending on which DIRECTV package you choose, it’s a sports lover’s dream.

It’s not obvious what the difference is between each DIRECTV package (something that frustrates us with most TV providers). We’ll save you some time—XTRA gets you a few extra sports channels, and ULTIMATE adds more movie channels.

And if you’re in search of the holy grail of all football channels, NFL SUNDAY TICKET, get ready to do your touchdown dance. DIRECTV includes a season of NFL SUNDAY TICKET starting with its CHOICE package and with every higher-tier package after that.

The price of NFL SUNDAY TICKET tends to change every season, but it’s a value of several hundred dollars. So if you’re signing up specifically for the sports packages, it’s a nice bonus.

Contracts

Both DISH and DIRECTV make you sign a two-year contract, but that’s where the similarities end.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we really dislike DIRECTV’s price hike when the second year of your contract hits. To top it off, your autopay and paperless billing discounts (a total of $5 off per month) also disappear.

That price hike means your DIRECTV bill almost doubles. Let’s say you’ve subscribed to the PREMIER package—your bill will spike up by about $50 more a month.

So if you don’t mind dropping some exceptional sports coverage for a more straightforward monthly bill, we highly recommend DISH. (And if you’re looking for a no-contract option, there’s always AT&T TV NOW.)

Equipment, installation, and early termination fees

Sadly, most every service you sign up for comes with additional fees. DISH and DIRECTV are no exception, so make sure you budget for these costs.

DISH additional fees

• Installation fee: Free (for a limited time)
• Early termination fee: Prorated based on how much time is left on your contract
• Equipment fee: Hopper Duo included (125-hour DVR), $15/mo. for Hopper 3 (500-hour DVR)
• Joey DVR equipment fee: $5–$7/mo.

DIRECTV additional fees

• Installation fee: Free for your first HD DVR receiver; additional receivers cost $99 each
• Activation fee: $19.95 one-time fee
• Early termination fee: $20 for every month remaining on your contract
• Additional receivers: $7/mo. per receiver

DISH vs. DIRECTV channel lineup

DISH features channels for every interest under the sun, but DIRECTV trumps all when it comes to sports channels.

When it comes down to it, DISH has a more well-rounded channel selection than DIRECTV.

But it still goes without saying that DIRECTV’s sports channels are its secret weapon. (Although we think DISH has better college sports coverage with SEC, Pac-12, Longhorn, and ESPNU.)

Curious to see if DISH or DIRECTV has more of your favorite channels? Check out the full channel lists here:

• DISH channels
• DIRECTV channels

Premium channels

For the most part, DISH’s prices for premium channels are much easier on your wallet. They cap out at a maximum of $10 a month, which is up to $4 cheaper than DIRECTV’s price for the same channel. (Except EPIX, which is $1 per month cheaper with DIRECTV.)

But we have to give it to DIRECTV for offering more premium channel options than DISH. And DIRECTV is where you’ll need to go to find epic HBO shows like Chernobyl or The Wire.

You can also grab premium channel packs from both DISH and DIRECTV. This might save you some cash if you can’t get enough of all those premium channels and movies.

• DISH Movie Pack: $10/mo.
• DIRECTV Movies Extra Pack: $4.99/mo.

Sports channels

If you’re anticipating the next season more than an 8-year-old anticipates their birthday, it’s worth making sure you can view your games on DISH or DIRECTV.

Both satellite TV providers offer a pretty beefy sports channel lineup if you’re willing to pay for higher-tier packages—DISH even has NFL RedZone if that’s your jam. But like we’ve mentioned before, DIRECTV is the only place you’ll find NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

Here’s a quick look at how DISH and DIRECTV compare when it comes to sports.

DISH vs. DIRECTV DVR and equipment

If we could choose only one DVR, it’d be the DISH Hopper 3.

When it comes to DVRs, we look at HD storage capacity, the number of simultaneous recordings it can handle, and the price. Unfortunately for DIRECTV, DISH’s Hopper 3 DVR stomps the Genie DVR in all three categories.

Both providers also include the main box in the cost of service, which is nice. A lot of providers charge a fee for the primary receiver, even though it’s basically necessary to use the service.

The DVR service fee, which feels like a great way for service providers to nickel-and-dime you, is fairly low for DISH. DIRECTV’s service fee is included in the monthly price. Nice.

Now those are some crazy good specs. There are some notable differences in hardware, though.

With 500 HD recording hours, the Hopper 3 can store more than twice the amount of HD content as the Genie—that’s nearly three straight weeks of continuous watching. As for the simultaneous recordings, the Hopper 3 can handle a whopping 16 at once, whereas the Genie is limited to just five.

You may think you’ll never need to record 16 shows at one time, and you’re probably right.

That’s the point, though—with the Hopper 3, you basically never have to worry about recording conflicts, whereas with the Genie, there’s a very real possibility that you may run into them. Recording conflicts are something you only think about when they crop up, and they can be very frustrating.

(Who wants to decide between the big game and the latest episode of This Is Us? Not us.)

The Hopper 3 also skips commercials automatically, which is the icing on top for us. It really is no wonder it was named best DVR again in 2019 by CableTV.com.¹ That said, the Genie is still an outstanding DVR, so if you choose DIRECTV, you won’t be too far behind.

For a more in-depth comparison of these DVRs, check out our complete review of the Hopper vs. the Genie.

DISH vs. DIRECTV customer service

DISH barely edges into the lead for customer service—but both satellite TV providers need improvement.

Both DIRECTV and DISH rank above the average score of 62 out of 100, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).² But above average in the TV service provider world still isn’t that great, to tell the truth.

Still, you could do worse than DISH’s or DIRECTV’s customer service, since those scores still put both providers in the top five for subscription television services. And while DISH is our choice here, we’d love to see both services improve their customer service.

Recap: Which is better, DISH or DIRECTV?

We think DISH is best for most, especially if you’re on a budget and want to avoid mid-contract price hikes. But when it comes to pro sports, DIRECTV is hard to beat. Here’s why:

• Pricing: DISH, hands down. While DIRECTV’s prices start out cheaper, they’ll go up during the second year of your contract. That means you’ll likely save money overall if you choose DISH.
• Packages and channels: We think DISH has a good assortment of channels, and it offers more when it comes to college sports. But DIRECTV is pretty much the only way you can get NFL SUNDAY TICKET. Yes, please.
• DVR: DISH’s Hopper 3 is the most powerful DVR on the market—and as a result, DISH takes this category by a landslide. DIRECTV’s Genie is still great, though.
• Customer support: Both services could benefit from improving their customer service, but DISH edges slightly into the lead based on ACSI ratings.

Want to dig into the details? Check out our in-depth DISH and DIRECTV reviews.

FAQ

Where is DISH service available?

DISH service is available nearly everywhere in the United States. In fact, if you can’t get DISH, we’re surprised.

This is because the satellite TV signal is routed from space. All you need is a receiver rather than complex cable infrastructure that other providers need.

Where is DIRECTV service available?

DIRECTV should be available basically anywhere in the United States thanks to its satellite technology.

Are satellite signals reliable?

Generally, yes, satellite TV signals are reliable.

There’s a popular notion that satellite is unreliable, but while weather-related interference is technically possible, you’ll only see issues during particularly heavy rain, snow, or hail.

Both DISH and DIRECTV advertise “99% signal reliability,” and in our experience, that’s about what you can expect. That said, if you happen to live in an area that gets a lot of rain or thunderstorms, you might be better off with a cable TV provider rather than satellite TV.

Do I need to worry about weather interference with satellite TV?

Weather interference with satellite services is technically possible, but you’ll only have issues in extremely heavy precipitation. For the most part, your satellite signal will come in loud and clear.

Sources

1. CableTV.com, “Top 5 DVRs of 2019”
2. American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), “ACSI Telecommunications Report 2018–2019”

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^{Catherine McNally}