Today it’s all about TV streaming when we watch TV. In fact, streaming is saving cord-cutters a lot of money, but with so many new streaming TV services around, it can be hard to decide which streaming service is right for you. That’s why our DirecTV vs Dish Network article is a must-read. So I’m going to take a look at Youtube TV vs DirecTV Now to see how they compare.
One note. DirecTV is now owned by AT&T and has become AT&T Now or ATT TV. If you aren’t sold on satellite TV and wondering how it differs from cable, you might want to read this.
Youtube TV vs DirecTV Now Channel Packages
As far as plans go these two services are very different. But we have the details.
DirecTV Now has five plans available. These include four English and one that is Spanish/English, with channels from 65+ to 125+.
YouTube TV, on the other hand, has just a single plan, for those who like to keep things simple and easy to manage. With 60+ YouTube TV channels.
Youtube TV vs DirecTV Now Local Channel Line Up
You are going to want local channels and live TV for news and weather at the very least and both of these services offer them.
YouTube TV local stations are being added daily and are available in most areas now. You just have to enter your zip code in the availability form to find out if you can get your local live channels through Youtube TV.
DirecTV Now is generally the better option here with local channels being widely available. There are more than 400 local affiliates across the U.S.
Essential Channels
Both of these choices will give you a wide range of the most popular channels. I’m talking about channels like FX, FXX, CW, TBS, and WE tv to name a few.
DirecTV Now offers HGTV, Disney Channel, Food Network, Cartoon Network, Hallmark Channel, Fox News, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. YouTube TV does not offer any of these.
Now let’s look at Youtube TV. This service gives you Nat Geo Wild (National Geographic), Smithsonian Channel, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and Oxygen.
Prices Compared
The prices for both of these platforms start out the same, but if you want to go beyond DirecTV’s basic package, prices rise steadily until you get to the top package. This is almost twice the price of YouTube TV at this point.
Premiums And Extras
As you might expect there are some vast differences between these two when it comes to premiums. Here they are:
With DirecTV you can get Showtime, Cinemax, HBO, FOX Deportes, STARZ, and TV from Korea, Brazil, Vietnam and Español. That’s not a bad set of premiums at all.
The premiums that YouTube offers are Fox Soccer Plus, NBA League Pass, Curiosity Stream, AMC Premiere, Sundance Now, Shudder, STARZ and Showtime. These are also a decent set of premiums. It’s going to come down to preference here.
Sports Plans
Those who love sports will want to go with Youtube since you get a better value. Youtube TV delivers a decent variety of regional sports and major network offerings.
With the DIRECTV Now Live a Little package you get ESPN, ESPN2, NBC Sports Network and Fox Sports 1.
However, YouTube TV gives you all of that plus the NBA TV, Golf Channel, Big Ten Network, Fox Sports 2, ESPNews, ESPNU, MLB Network, Olympic Channel, SEC Network, and the Tennis Channel. Clearly Youtube rules in the sports arena. DirecTV just doesn’t stack up here vs Youtube TV for sports channels.
Bottom Line
When you choose a streaming service, much of your decision is based on personal preferences and viewing habits. I mean, you can even get DirecTV for RVs. The bottom line between Youtube TV vs DirecTV Now is that DIRECTV Now is better for casual TV watchers while YouTube TV is a great home for sports fans.
Both are solid service with their own pros and cons. In the end, the choice is yours. You may also want to read about DirecTV vs Dish Picture Quality.
