My DIRECTV Stream Sub Ends In 10 Days – What Will I Do Next?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

TV Answer Man, I remember you saying you had DIRECTV Stream. So do I. But with the Disney mess, I’m not sure what to do with it. Should I cancel and switch now? Or do you think the fight will end soon? What would you do? — Joannie, New Haven, Connecticut.

Joannie, I predicted at the outset that the DIRECTV-Disney blackout would last at a minimum of two weeks and perhaps as long as a month. Over the last week, I have seen nothing that would change that forecast. The two sides still seem far apart in their positions. The blackout is now nine days old.

But the Disney dispute aside, I actually cancelled my DIRECTV Stream subscription prior to it beginning. While I thought (and predicted) there would be a blackout, that wasn’t why I cancelled. The biggest reason was the high cost of subscribing to DIRECTV Stream’s Choice plan, its cheapest package that includes regional sports networks.

The second reason was that DIRECTV Stream is only one of two live streaming services (Fubo is the other) that carries MASN, the regional TV home of the Washington Nationals. However, Nats’ season is almost over so my need for DIRECTV Stream is almost over, too.

Since DIRECTV Stream requires you to pay for the remainder of your subscription’s last month, my sub will not end until September 20. So I am reviewing my options with 10 days to go. I know I won’t be renewing DIRECTV Stream even though I suspect the Disney dispute will be resolved by then. The cost will soon be even higher since I wrote my article about canceling.

But what will I do?

At this point, if I subscribe to another pay TV service, it will likely be YouTube TV. While it doesn’t have many regional sports networks, as a baseball fan, that will soon become unimportant. What it does have, however, is the best interface in the industry. YouTube TV makes it easy to navigate your channel lineup and provides interesting supplemental information such as Stats for Nerds, a data-filled rundown of your picture quality.

I might also try Fubo for a while. It’s heavy on sports (although it doesn’t have MASN).

However, there’s a good chance that I won’t subscribe to any pay TV service when my DIRECTV Stream sub ends. I can probably do without one since I have CBS on the Paramount with Showtime plan and NBC sporting events on Peacock. I would miss Fox’s football games (but not its primetime lineup) and the same goes for ABC (good sports, poor primetime lineup.) But it might be worth it to save a few dollars. (I live in an area where an antenna isn’t an option.)

We’ll see. One of the benefits of live streaming is that it’s easy to cancel and sign up. This provides a great opportunity to carefully review my needs before making my next move, something I encourage everyone reading this to do if possible.

I’ll update this story when I decide what my next step is and whether it might work for you.

Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

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