In the age of cord-cutting, you want to make sure you get the best possible TV streaming service. Do you go for the one with the broadest array of channels or the one with a clean and lean line-up? Do you want live TV and sports channels, or are you more of a cable and prestige show kind of person?
DirecTV Stream and Spectrum TV Choice are great streaming options, but they're also for very different people. Below, we talk about who each service is for. This will depend on a number of factors, namely: popularity, price, device availability, channel availability, specialties, and trial options. Read on to find out which among the two is the best choice for you.
Summary
| Comparaison | DirecTV Stream | Spectrum TV Choice |
|---|---|---|
| In a nutshell | World-class image quality & channel lineup | Pay only for the channels you watch |
| Price | $79.99/month | $53.19/month |
| Trial | 5 days | 7 days | Our rating | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Number of channels | 80 | 61 |
| Unlimited DVR | Yes | No |
| Parental controls | Yes | No |
| 4K | Yes | No |
| Disney Channel | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | Yes | Yes |
| History | No | Yes |
| Lifetime | No | Yes |
| NBC | Yes | Yes |
| Paramount Network | Yes | Yes |
| TNT | Yes | Yes |
Channels on DirecTV Stream and not Spectrum TV Choice
The channels that DirecTV Stream has and which are not available on Spectrum TV Choice:
- AccuWeather
- Alien Nation
- Anger Management
- Are We There Yet?
- AXS TV
- Baby First
- BabyTV
- Bloomberg Television
- Boomerang
- C-SPAN
- C-SPAN2
- CBS local channels
- Cleo TV
- CMT
- CNNi
- Comedy Dynamics
- Court TV
- Daystar HD
- Disney Jr
- Disney XD
- E! Entertainment
- EarthxTV
- Ebony TV
- El Rey Rebel
- ESPN3
- FMC
- FOX
- FOX SOUL
- Fox Weather
- Freeform
- FUEL TV
- Fuse Music
- FXX
- HerSphere
- Home Shopping Network
- HSN
- IFC
- ion Television
- Jewelry Television
- MotorTrend
- MovieSphere
- MTV Classic
- MTV2
- NBA TV
- NBC local channels
- News Nation
- Nick Jr.
- One America News
- Ovation
- Oxygen True Crime
- PBS Kids
- PBS local channels
- Poker GO
- Pursuit Channel
- QVC
- QVC2
- QVC3
- Racing America
- REELZ
- RFD-TV
- RSNs
- Scientology Network
- Shop LC
- Somos Novelas
- SportsGrid
- SundanceTV
- Tastemade Home
- Tastemade Travel
- TeenNick
- Telemundo local channels
- The First
- theGrio
- Up TV
- WE tv
- Women’s Sports Network
Channels on Spectrum TV Choice and not DirecTV Stream
The channels that Spectrum TV Choice has which are not available on DirecTV Stream:
- A&E
- ASPiRE TV
- BBC World News
- Bein Sports
- Discovery Channel
- ESPN Deportes
- Fox Deportes
- Fox Sports 2
- Golf Channel
- History
- Lifetime
- LMN
- National Geographic
- NFL Network
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- Smithsonian Channel
- The Weather Channel
- Travel Channel
Price: Spectrum TV Choice is cheaper than DirecTV Stream
Spectrum TV Choice's costs $53 whereas DirecTV Stream costs $80. Getting DirecTV Stream instead of Spectrum TV Choice will set you back $27 more every month.
Why get DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or if you choose, you can get a "Gemini Air" box with a custom remote control for the service. But without the box, DirecTV Stream functions like a Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to stream Live TV from anywhere by downloading the app. Within your home, you can stream on up to 20 devices (!), and from outside your home you can stream on up to three devices.
Why get Spectrum TV Choice?
Low price: Priced at $53.19, Spectrum TV is good value for money compared to other internet TV services (like, for example, Youtube TV which starts at $64.99).
Non-live programming: If you love sitcoms, dramas and other pre-recorded programming and are not so interested in live broadcasts, Spectrum TV offers a great array of choices. Note: ESPN is back on Spectrum!
Devices: DirecTV Stream is more widely available than Spectrum TV Choice
DirecTV Stream is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV or Samsung TV.
Whereas Spectrum TV Choice is available on Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV or Xbox. That's 1 less devices than DirecTV Stream.
Channel count: DirecTV Stream has 19 channels more than Spectrum TV Choice
DirecTV Stream's lineup includes 80 channels whereas Spectrum TV Choice has only 61 channels. Getting a subscription to DirecTV Stream will give you access to 19 more channels than Spectrum TV Choice. That's quite a bit of channels.
Trial: DirecTV Stream offers a trial
DirecTV Stream has a trial. The trial duration is 5 days.
Find out more on DirecTV Stream
Trial: Spectrum TV Choice offers a trial
Spectrum TV Choice has a trial. The trial duration is 7 days.
Find out more on Spectrum TV Choice
DirecTV Stream's specialty
The specialties of DirecTV Stream are: Lifestyle, News, RSNs, Soccer, Sports.
Spectrum TV Choice's specialty
The specialties of Spectrum TV Choice are: Lifestyle, News, Sports.
DirecTV Stream's accepted payment methods
DirecTV Stream accepts: Amazon Appstore, credit card, debit card, Paypal, Retailer gift card, Roku Channel Store.
Spectrum TV Choice's accepted payment methods
The payment methods that Spectrum TV Choice accepts are: credit card, debit card, Paypal, Postepay.
Channels on both Spectrum TV Choice and DirecTV Stream
The channels that are available on both Spectrum TV Choice and DirecTV Stream are:
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BET
- Bravo
- Cartoon Network
- CNBC
- CNN
- CNN en Espanol
- Comedy Central
- Discovery
- Disney Channel
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- Food Network
- Fox Business Network
- Fox News Channel
- Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
- FX
- Galavision
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Mystery
- HGTV
- HLN
- Investigation Discovery
- MSNBC
- Paramount Network
- REVOLT
- SYFY
- TBS
- TCM
- TLC
- TNT
- TV Land
- TV One
- Univision
- USA Network
- VH1
If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.