Updated – Has DIRECTV Reinvented TV With Genre Packs?

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, DIRECTV says it has reinvented television by offering the genre packs that are less expensive. What say you? Do you think they have succeeded in changing the way we watch TV now?

DIRECTV earlier this year launched four ‘genre packs’ for sports, entertainment, news and Spanish-speaking customers. The packages include fewer channels than the traditional pay TV bundle so they cost less. For example, the ‘My Entertainment’ genre plan offers more than 40 lifestyle and entertainment channels for $34.99 a month. The ‘My Sports’ plan has more than 20 national sports and news channels for $69.99 a month. See this article for more details and channel lineups.

The launch of the genre packs was enabled by DIRECTV’s new carriage agreement last fall with Disney which gave the TV provider more flexibility in which channels it offered and in which packages. DIRECTV, which has lost at least 14 million subscribers over the last decade, wanted the new agreement terms so it could offer genre packs to attract cord cutters.

What Does DIRECTV Say?

“At DIRECTV, we’re breaking up with the one-size-fits-all bloated cable bundles of the past by delivering new ways for consumers to enjoy the content they love at the best value,” stated Vince Torres, DIRECTV’s chief marketing officer, in a statement released in February when the genre packs were introduced. “Our new Genre Packs and Mini-Packs provide lower-priced options, allowing customers to pick and choose what they want to watch and when they want to watch it.”

So, nearly three months later, has DIRECTV reinvented the pay TV model and put the company on the path to success for years to come?

DIRECTV’s Genre Packs Have Missing Channels

It’s too early to say and we don’t know how many people have subscribed to the genre packs; DIRECTV is no longer a public traded company so it doesn’t release subscriber numbers. However, from this reporter’s viewpoint, it’s difficult to believe that the genre packs have been a huge success. Unfortunately, the most interesting plan, MySports, doesn’t include CBS, which airs numerous major sporting events. That’s a major omission.

In addition, the sports genre package doesn’t include regional sports networks unless you pay another $19.99 a month. That is, if your RSN is available via MySports; several are not. But assuming it is, and the RSN is important to you, you would have to pay roughly $90 a month for MySports and you still wouldn’t get CBS. At that price, you might as well subscribe to DIRECTV streaming’s Choice plan which costs from $103 to $107 a month. The difference in price isn’t that great or represent any reinvention of the pay TV model.

DIRECTV also offers a MyNews plan for $39.99 a month, but it has just 13 channels. Will people really want that?

The best deal on a genre pack is the MyEntertainment plan which has more than 40 channels, ads-included Max, and Hulu and Disney Plus, for $34.99 a month. That’s a good deal and I suspect some consumers have taken advantage.

Bottom line, you have to give DIRECTV credit for trying something different and the genre packs do have some nice features. But overall, the lack of certain channels in some plans plus the cost of the MySports plan hardly makes this a reinvention of television.

Update – The research firm, Antenna, estimates that DIRECTV might be getting a slight boost from genre packs, but nothing earthshattering. See this article for more details.

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Phillip Swann

Who Is The TV Answer Man?
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television 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 TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.