DIRECTV Pricing: Are You Paying Too Much?

DIRECTV’s last price increase was in late 2025

DIRECTV raised its prices for both satellite and streaming customers in October 2025—its second price change in just over a year. I say “change” rather than “increase” because DIRECTV has been known to slightly fluctuate its prices—both up and down—at a whim.

Regardless of whether you’re a satellite die-hard or a streaming cord-cutter, DIRECTV’s plans for both services sit on the higher end of average. As part of our annual TV Customer Satisfaction Survey, we asked hundreds of real customers across the nation what they think about their DIRECTV bills and whether they believe the service justifies the high cost.

We’ve also spent years keeping a close eye on DIRECTV’s cost fluctuations to determine if DIRECTV remains a good investment for sports fans and beyond.

How much does DIRECTV cost?

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See full disclaimer for details.

Has DIRECTV increased its prices?

DIRECTV is no stranger to price increases, with its most recent hike being in October 2025 for both its streaming and satellite services. With continued declines in satellite TV customers and streaming service price increases across the board, I wouldn’t be surprised to see these prices continue to rise.

Going forward into 2026 and beyond, the two price increase tables below will hopefully merge into one. Ever since April 2025, when DIRECTV announced the consolidation of its two products (satellite and streaming), DIRECTV has fluctuated between matching pricing and pricing that differs slightly between the two. I hope they get their act together soon and pick a single price for each plan across both services.

As of early 2026, DIRECTV is already offering discounts on its streaming plans but not its satellite offerings. That gives me an inkling that we may see some differentiation in pricing in the near future. Fingers crossed that’s not the case, as it’s so much easier when DIRECTV pricing is identical across the board. But when have TV providers ever been simple?

What do real customers think of DIRECTV’s prices?

As part of our annual traditional TV and live TV customer satisfaction surveys, we interviewed hundreds of DIRECTV customers to understand how they feel about their service.

DIRECTV’s satellite service had a solid year in our traditional survey, jumping five percentage points in overall satisfaction from 2025. DIRECTV’s streaming service did exceptionally well in the live TV version of the survey, coming in on top with an 82% (!) satisfaction ranking.

For pricing, DIRECTV’s satellite service fell in the fair-to-middling area. Although higher than fellow satellite provider DISH, DIRECTV still fell a few points behind cable providers like Xfinity and Cox.

There’s no shying away from it—DIRECTV is a pricy service. But, for sports lovers, those high prices can be worth it, since we think its streaming iteration is the best TV provider for sports currently on the market. Fans agree—a whopping 97% of DIRECTV streaming customers are completely or very satisfied with the service’s live sports experience.

DIRECTV’s prices typically beat inflation—until this year

While internet plan pricing has generally trended downward over the past decade, TV prices have pretty consistently veered upward. DIRECTV is no exception.

In the past, DIRECTV’s satellite plans have beaten inflation by up to eight bucks. While I wish DIRECTV had stuck to this trend—and its 2024 $10 satellite price decrease—the subsequent 2025 hike unfortunately brought the plan closer to the expected market value (while still beating inflation by some change).

The biggest negative I’ve taken from this data comes from DIRECTV’s streaming price increases. Live TV streaming services have typically remained a bit cheaper than traditional TV providers. DIRECTV streaming has always been an outlier in this regard, and as you can see in the table in the section above, DIRECTV’s price jumped quite a bit between 2025 and 2026. Adjusted for inflation, the streaming CHOICE plan should cost $81.90 today—instead, it costs $94.99. Bummer.

That price increase follows closely the inflation rate for its satellite plans, but not for streaming. Like I’ve said, I’m glad DIRECTV has streamlined its pricing across its plans, but I wish it had stayed in line with the slightly lower-cost streaming plans instead of hiking both services up to the satellite plan costs.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide if DIRECTV’s packed channel lineup and sports perks are worth its premium price tag.

Why you can trust us

At CableTV.com, we’ve been tracking TV and streaming service prices for years. You can count on our writers and editors to put accuracy above all else, putting in the hours to find the most accurate information about your favorite services. For more information on our research process, head over to How We Rank.

Disclaimer

Satellite:
ENTERTAINMENT: ($99.99/mo. w/req’d $10/mo. TV Access Fee) w/24-mo. agmt. Autopay and paperless bill req’d. One-time $49.95 activation fee is extra and applies. CHOICE: ($124.98/mo. w/req’d $10/mo. TV Access Fee & Regional Sports Fee of up to $19.99/mo.) w/ 24-mo.agmt. Autopay and paperless bill req’d. One-time $49.95 activation fee is extra and applies. ULTIMATE: ($154.98/mo. w/req’d $10/mo. TV Access Fee & Regional Sports Fee of up to $19.99/mo.) w/ 24-mo.agmt. Autopay and paperless bill req’d. One-time $49.95 activation fee is extra and applies. PREMIER™: ($199.98/mo. w/req’d $10/mo. TV Access Fee & Regional Sports Fee of up to $19.99/mo.) w/ 24-mo. agmt. Autopay and paperless bill req’d. One-time $49.95 activation fee is extra and applies.

Streaming:
ENTERTAINMENT: + Taxes. Cancel anytime. CHOICE: ($104.98/mo. w/ req’d fees). Price reflects $10 off for 3 mos. Cancel anytime. ULTIMATE: ($134.98/mo. w/ req’d fees). Price reflects $10 off for 3 mos. Cancel anytime. PREMIER™: for 24 months + taxes & fees. Cancel anytime. OPTIMO MÁS: for 24 months + taxes & fees. Cancel anytime.