What We Think Is What Concerns People Most when considering between DIRECTV vs Dish?
One of the most frequent questions when comparing satellite TV providers is, of course, ‘DIRECTV or Dish Network which is cheaper?’ The truth is the answer is not so simple because even the prices and special offers may differ greatly. In this blog, we will be analyzing various packages offered by both DIRECTV and Dish so that you can determine which one may be on the cheaper side.
Monthly Subscription Fees
DIRECTV and Dish base prices are crucial as both services offer very similar entry-level packages to customers. DIRECTV’s basic package, known as CHOICE, costs $85 monthly, whereas Dish’s package called America’s Top 120 goes at $80 monthly. However, Dish’s price is lower because it has a $10/month DVR service fee that customers must pay separately and is already included in DIRECTV packages. The only difference is in equipment costs, which overall bring the monthly expenses to parity between the two solutions.
The differences can be more significant between the tiers of the higher packages of mobile networks. For instance, the Extra pack of DIRECTV, which offers 235 plus channels, is available at $95 per month, while an equivalent Dish package such as America’s Top 200 will cost $110 per month. However, Dish sometimes can have special introductory offers of its better packages that will be at DIRECTV price.
They are often more expensive than DISH Network but when it comes to the number of channels per package offer, DIRECT TV appears to offer the customer a better deal. However, Dish subscribers are offered more diverse programming choices in the international segment without additional fees.
Premium Add-Ons
If you fancy going for the option of having HBO Starz or any other channel that is considered as the premium one, then Dish Network is likely to cost $5-15 less per month for these à la carte premium channels. However, when DIRECTV is signing up new customers, it often includes additional packages, such as premium channels, for between 1 and 3 years free of charge, thereby having a lower effective add-on price at the start.
Number of Receivers
Dish Network’s cost structure is also relatively simple, but it is a per-account flat rate for each additional TV receiver which is $7 per month per receiver. Therefore, for a 3-TV arrangement, the cost would be $14 more per month.
DIRECTV only charges mirroring fees that are equivalent to the monthly rate of each additional receiver if you’re in the lowest tiers. Additional upgrades are DirecTV Genie whole-home DVR as well as three client boxes without incurring any additional receiver costs. Well, this is where Dish vs DIRECTV shows that the latter can be cheaper for a 4-5 TV house because of bundled receiver fees in the costlier tariffs.
Promotions and Bundles
This serves as the basis for comparison of the base pricing which gets a little complicated here. Both DIRECTV and Dish have significant marketing strategies for new customers which may include First year cost reduction by hundreds of dollars through bill credit or gift cards. Track promotional offers since their durations vary; therefore, dollar values are not constant.
However, DIRECTV often gives even deeper upfront discounts for signing for a two-year subscription. For instance, you might be given $450 off during the first year while Dish offers $280 in savings. Just bear in mind that with DIRECTV, these fees can range up to $480 in case you cancel their services before the contract’s duration is over. As for the last two concerns, Dish has no contracts or early cancellation fees for its clients.
It is also possible for you to save money in case you subscribe to TV with Internet or wireless Phone services. DIRECTV affiliates with AT&T services while Dish can affiliate with various telephone and broadband service providers. However, the amount of money you save from the bundled services will vary depending on your geographical region and the current bundle offers in the market.
Equipment and Installation Costs
Equipment-wise, Dish receivers themselves are relatively cheaper initially especially when you must purchase rather than lease. Now their Hopper door is priced at $299 while that of DirecTV Genie HD DVR is $399 of the retail value of the product. Moreover, Dish’s latest voice remote is still available for $79. 99 while to get similar voice remotes one must pay $149-$199 for it in the case of DIRECTV.
And as far as the professional installation was concerned, Dish used to have their tech visit for $199 or more unlike DirecTV’s $99-$149 range. Although Dish has now made many of DirecTV’s installation offers to price match, this means that the initial equipment and installation costs are roughly equal. Free installation and equipment upgrades are some of the main offers that are given by companies and during a particular season, if you meet the requirements set, you can go for the changes without having to pay for the installation of the new equipment.
The Bottom Line
It was determined that because of daily changing promotional offers and varying base costs of programming, it is difficult to determine that either DIRECTV or Dish Network is cheaper than the other in every sense. However, Dish Network does maintain pricing edge cases due to: However, Dish Network does maintain pricing edge cases due to:
- In addition, Koodo does not charge any early termination fees to offer customers even more options.
- Reduced price on purchased movie extras
- Reduced additional receiver charges related to having more than one TV.
However, DIRECTV has more localized offers Internet/wireless service bundling and higher value promotional offers often offset a great deal of the base pricing disparities.
Finally, comparing each provider’s channel packages to your preferred channel list and analyzing their total promotions for two years will provide you with the best estimate of which of the two services will be cheaper for you. It is also important that you carefully go through the small print to ensure that you fully understand what is being offered by your desired TV provider. What advertising as a “price guarantee” may still permit rate increases on other fees beyond year one of a contract. Therefore, it is advised to compare the two in terms of the total cost for both the short and long term to establish which of the two, DIRECTV or Dish is cheaper in the long run.
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