DirecTV Stream review: Expensive, but the best option for streaming NBA and NHL

The service recently , which is good news for households with lots of people who want to watch at once. The out-of-home concurrent streaming limit is three, which should still be plenty.

What’s it like to use?

My favorite feature of DirecTV Stream is the ability to click (or swipe) left or right to quickly change channels, much like channel flipping on a cable box. Unfortunately the «flip» to a new channel isn’t instantaneous, and how long it takes varies according to which device you’re using. For instance, I found that changing channels via a web browser or an took about 3 seconds, while a took 6 seconds. However, even though there is a lag before you can see video, the channel and current program do display immediately on a loading screen.

When using DirecTV Stream with a remote, the controls center around the direction buttons and the Enter/OK button. This makes it quick to pick up and use, and also means you don’t need a complicated remote control to make it work, making the minimalist Apple TV clicker a great companion. If you want the full «surfing» experience on a universal remote, you could even program left and right arrows into your Channel up and down buttons.

The service loads straight into the last channel watched — further enhancing its cable credentials — and pressing down brings up the interface with a choice of the 14-day guide, Watch Now, My Library recordings and a Discover option. Navigation is intuitive and quick, unlike the painfully slow YouTube TV.

One of the major upgrades recently has been to the live pause feature. Previously only Apple TV could pause the action for up to 2 minutes. But now you can pause both Apple TV and Roku broadcasts seemingly indefinitely, just as with YouTube TV.       

Depending on the tier you choose, DirecTV’s cloud DVR offers between 20 hours and an unlimited number, while YouTube TV offers unlimited storage by default. YouTube TV lets you keep recordings for up to nine months, while you’re limited to 30 days on DirecTV. 

Some programs do give you the option to restart, and pressing down on the Apple TV remote will bring up show info, a recording option and Restart (if available). Pressing the Select button will pause the program. In contrast, pressing the middle button on Roku brings up a different menu with similar functionality and the ability to restart. 

I briefly used a and found the experience closer to Apple TV than Roku. If you don’t have an Apple TV, the Fire TV is my next choice for using the service. Using an iPhone also offered a smooth experience with quick channel changes.

Is it worth your $70 (or $90) a month?

The cable experience is what DirecTV Stream is all about — the swipe left and right functionality is quite inspired. While the service has really bulked up on its content since 2019 — when it had fewer than 50 of the most popular channels — the service still lags behind every other rival in terms of breadth. The real reason to get it is if you’re an avid sports fan — the $90 Choice package with its numerous RSNs is unmatched by the competition.

If you don’t need your local sports network, however, almost any other service offers a better value than this, and many cable packages will be cheaper too, and usually include your local RSNs. 

Channel comparison

Below you’ll find a chart that’s a smaller version of . It contains the top 100 channels from each service. Some notes:

• Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier.
• No = The channel isn’t available at all on that service. 

• $ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on. 

• Not every channel a service carries is listed, just the «top 100» as determined by CNET’s editors. Minor channels such as AXS TV, CNBC World, Discovery Life, GSN, POP and Universal Kids didn’t make the cut.
•  — channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams — are not listed.