Best Satellite TV
Offers the most transparent prices and flexible plans
Affordable prices with no surprise fees
190-330
Offers the most programming options with a plethora of sports content
Add-ons and sports packages come at an extra cost
160-340
Faith-based programming
A one-time equipment and installation fee with no monthly costs
50
Pay-as-you-go satellite television
Varies, with lowest package starting at $50
50
Ideal choice for those who want to bundle their TV and internet
Pricey, but no more so than if you paid for the two services separately
160-340
Many customers have moved away from cable and satellite television in favor of online streaming in recent years. However, satellite TV service remains the best choice for those who want a more traditional television experience and sharp HD picture quality.
Read on for our review of the best satellite TV options. We'll go over key things like packages, customer satisfaction and the pros and cons of each service. We've also included a guide on the key things you need to know about satellite TV.
Our Top Picks for Best Satellite TV
Best Satellite TV Reviews
- DISH – Best for Affordable Prices
- DirecTV – Best for Sports
- Glorystar – Best Niche Satellite TV Company
- Dish Flex TV – Best No-Contract Option
- AT&T Fiber + DirecTV – Best Internet and Satellite TV Bundle
Why we chose it: DISH offers the overall best deals on satellite TV, with highly competitive prices that land below those of its competitors without sacrificing on quality.
Although DISH's packages are fairly comparable to DirecTV cost-wise, they have fewer hidden fees and monthly surcharges. The company offers subscribers a guaranteed price on their plans for three years and boasts transparent pricing with no surprise fees, which it dubs "unflation." It also offers a signal reliability money-back guarantee, which means DISH will credit your account if you're ever without TV due to an outage.
DISH offers three main packages:
- America's Top 100 – Starting at $79.99 a month, this package includes your basic cable fare, such as ESPN, Disney Channel and E!, in addition to local networks.
- America's Top 200 – Starting at $99.99 a month, this package includes all the channels in America's Top 100. It also offers more sports-related content, such as the NFL Network, the NBA Network and the NHL Network.
- America's Top 250 – Starting at $109.99 a month, this package includes everything offered in America's Top 200, in addition to several other film channels, such as STARZ and Turner Classic Movies.
These packages are customizable, allowing you to add premium channels like HBO or Showtime for an additional monthly fee. Unfortunately, none of the standard DISH packages include the NFL Sunday Ticket.
DISH prides itself on offering excellent customer service, ranking number one in customer service by J.D. Power five years in a row. DISH also has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), although not all of its customer feedback is stellar.
Out of 647 customer reviews, the average customer rating for DISH is a rather dismal 1.11/5. Many BBB reviewers complain that trying to cancel their service was a nightmarish experience, suggesting that DISH customer service is wonderful if you're a paying customer, but not-so-wonderful if you no longer wish to fork over your money each month.
Why we chose it: DirecTV is a must-have for sports fans, offering far more sports-related content than its competitors.
If your main reason for scoping out satellite TV providers is to find the most extensive sports coverage available, DirecTV is hands down your best bet. In fact, DirecTV doesn't just beat its competitor DISH when it comes to sports-related offerings, it beats most cable and streaming companies as well.
DirecTV's sports content is so extensive that it offers a dedicated website to allow you to sort through its programming schedule. It also offers the much-coveted NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives subscribers live access to any NFL football game. This means you aren't limited to the games that your local channels choose to broadcast.
DirecTV offers four basic packages:
- Entertainment – Starting at $64.99 a month, includes your standard basic cable fare, in addition to Genie HD DVR.
- Choice – Starting at $84.99 a month, this is the must-have package for sports lovers. It includes all regional sports coverage, in addition to the NFL Sunday Ticket, ESPN and more.
- Ultimate – Starting at $109.99 a month, comes with all the benefits of the lower-tier packages, in addition to more movie channels and children's fare.
- Premier – Starting at $154.99 a month, this package offers over 340 channels, including HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and STARZ.
DirecTV may be great for customers who like a wide array of choices when it comes to sports and entertainment, but the company is notorious for its hidden fees and surprise surcharges. Unlike DISH, DirecTV doesn't offer a money-back guarantee for outages and can only offer a price-lock guarantee for the first two years of your contract.
As an additional annoyance, the DirecTV website is littered with confusing fine print. Take for example this confusing disclaimer: "All prices include $10 Autopay & Paperless Bill discount, which may take 1-3 bill cycles to begin (pay $10 more per month until discount begins). New approved residential customers only. 24-mo. [Agreement] required. Offers may be discontinued at any time."
Does that mean that DirecTV will offer customers a discount for paying their bills online, but the offer will only be activated randomly at some point after you've already been a customer for three months? BBB reviewers seem similarly confused, as numerous reviews detail nonsensical fees and customers being charged for channels they never signed up for.
Similarly to DISH, DirecTV has an A rating from the BBB, but has a 1.07/5 when it comes to customer reviews.
Why we chose it: Glorystar earns this category by default since it's the only true satellite TV alternative to DirecTV and DISH, who have a monopoly on the industry in the United States.
Glorystar is an affordable option, but there's just one catch: You won't be watching Sunday's big game or HBO's raciest new drama. Instead, you'll be watching the best of the best in Christian programming. Indeed, if your idea of the greatest TV show of all time is a little less Breaking Bad and a lot more Davey and Goliath, Glorystar has you covered.
Glorystar doesn't include any standard satellite fare or even any local channels, for that matter. It offers viewers exclusively Christian content, including the Hope Channel, the Christian Youth Channel and the Trinity Broadcasting Network (arguably the HBO of Christian television).
Some might snicker at Glorystar's aggressively wholesome programming, but you have to give them credit for its pricing. While you'll pay a one-time cost for the equipment and its installation, there are no monthly costs whatsoever, as the programming is all viewer-supported.
While Glorystar probably won't be the right choice for most people, if you happen to be in the market for cheap satellite TV with programming rated "E" for everyone, Glorystar might be the right pick.
Why we chose it: Although the upfront costs are a bit exorbitant, Flex TV is the only pay-as-you-go satellite TV package currently on the market and might be a good choice for those who don't want to enter into a contract.
DirecTV experimented with pay-as-you-go satellite TV, but it couldn't compete with DISH's Flex TV and eventually pulled out of the prepaid market. Flex TV offers a pretty good deal if you're looking for a no-contract, no-commitment satellite TV package. As long as you're a new or a former customer who left DISH in good standing, you can sign up for Flex TV with no credit check or credit card required.
The pay-as-you-go packages are a bit more expensive than what's offered for customers who sign up for a contract. However, the slightly higher cost might be worth it to customers who want the freedom to cancel anytime without any fees or hassle. The current options for customers include:
- Flex Pack – The most basic package offered by DISH, the Flex Pack is a slim 50-channel package for a little over $50 a month. This might be a good choice for someone who wants to be able to watch the news and enjoy a little casual background noise.
- America's Top 120 – Starting at $87.99, this package offers your standard cable fare, such as Comedy Central and CNN.
- America's Top 120+ – Starting at $92.99, you'll get everything offered in the basic Top 120 package, with added sports channels.
- America's Top 200 – Starting at $102.99, you'll get over 240 channels, with additional regional sports content and satellite radio channels.
- America's Top 250 – Starting at $112.99, this package offers all the channels included in the Top 200 package, with additional movie channels like STARZ.
While this might all sound like a pretty great deal, there is a catch. Because Flex TV customers don't have any sort of formal agreement with DISH, they don't have the luxury of borrowing the equipment for the duration of their contract. This means that Flex TV customers must pay for their equipment and its installation. The good news is that once you've paid the upfront costs, you own the equipment for life. The bad news is that this can cost up to $500 altogether.
Why we chose it: The AT&T Fiber + DirecTV package is convenient and comprehensive, allowing you to enjoy the best of DirecTV programming along with AT&T's high-speed fiber internet.
The most popular choice for customers who want to enjoy high-speed internet and satellite TV in one convenient package, AT&T Fiber + DirecTV offers both the lightning-quick speeds of fiber internet and the vast programming options of satellite television.
AT&T's fiber internet has been rated number one in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index for four years in a row, with fiber customers reporting faster connection times than what's reported by those with cable internet.
AT&T is currently offering the following packages:
- AT&T Fiber – If you just wanted internet without the addition of DirecTV, AT&T offers its high-speed fiber option for $55 a month.
- AT&T Fiber + DirecTV Entertainment Package – Starting at $119.99 a month, includes fiber internet and over 165 DirecTV channels.
- AT&T Fiber + DirecTV Choice Package – Starting at $139.99 a month, you'll get fiber internet and over 200 DirecTV channels, including regional sports content.
It's worth noting that you don't get a discount on the DirecTV packages by bundling. However, you do get to enjoy the convenience of having your satellite TV and internet lumped into one bill.
Although it's not the best option on the market, it's fair to give DISH an honorable mention when it comes to TV and internet packages. If you're wondering whether satellite internet exists, the answer is yes, but it's not the right choice for most customers. DISH offers a package in conjunction with HughesNet, a satellite internet provider that services very remote and rural communities.
Satellite internet is much slower than its fiber and cable counterparts, which is why it never caught on as a popular method of surfing the web. However, satellite might be your only option if you're in a location that isn't serviced by cable or fiber optic internet providers.
Other Satellite TV Options We Considered
Aside from niche faith-based satellite provider Glorystar, there aren't any meaningful satellite options available in the United States outside of DirecTV and DISH. Hence, our options were limited when we set out to find the best satellite TV services. However, as technology has progressed considerably, satellite and cable television are no longer the only games in town.
Here are some of the best live TV streaming services to consider as alternatives to satellite TV.
DirecTV Stream
It's now possible to enjoy satellite television without an actual satellite. Much like its traditional satellite options, DirecTV Stream presents customers with a plethora of sports content. It offers a receiver box that allows you to connect the service to your television, but you can also access the content on your internet browser or on the DirecTV app on your mobile device. DirecTV Stream is also available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
Unlimited Cloud DVR allows you to watch your favorite shows on your schedule and on the go. Stream customers have access to the same packages as regular satellite customers, although the pricing structure is a tad off. While the higher tier Ultimate and Premier packages cost the same for both satellite and streaming plans, the more basic Entertainment and Choice packages are slightly more expensive for streaming customers than they are for satellite customers.
The option to enjoy satellite television as a streaming service might feel like having your cake and eating it too, but DirecTV Stream is only available with a contract, which is fairly unheard of in the streaming television world. This may render it undesirable to those who'd prefer to be able to cancel whenever they want.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu was one of the first streaming services to jump into the live TV game. If you've used their streaming platform but haven't taken advantage of its television option, you might be missing out. Hulu's live TV package is comparable to any satellite or cable package, offering customers local channels in addition to cable offerings like FX, Comedy Central, CNN and much more.
Unfortunately, much like traditional television, the basic live TV package comes with a lot of ads. But unlike traditional television, there are no fees or contracts, which means you can cancel at any time for no additional cost.
In addition to their standard streaming platform, live TV customers have access to Cloud DVR, which means you'll never miss your favorite show again. The basic plan starts at $69.99 a month, and customers have the option to add HBO Max, Showtime, STARZ and additional sports packages for an added fee.
While Hulu limits the number of televisions that can simultaneously use the service to two, customers can upgrade to unlimited screens within the same household.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a completely free live TV streaming service. You don't even need to create a login; simply open its app or website and start watching immediately. So what's the catch? Pluto doesn't offer the same live TV as paid services, but rather a wide array of dedicated channels that play movies that have long made their way out of theaters and reruns of classic TV shows.
However, don't assume that the selections must be total dreck. The movies are a bit older, but a recent Pluto "channel surf" showed quality flicks like Shutter Island and Capote. Channels like Comedy Central Animation play cult classics like Daria, and there are channels dedicated to endless marathons of guilty pleasures like Judge Judy. Plus, there are multiple up-to-the-minute live news options from networks like CBS and NBC.
One drawback seems to be that the loading times when changing channels is a bit high, although not to the point where Pluto feels unusable. Ultimately, this is the perfect option for any diehard cord-cutters who refuse to pay for live TV but secretly miss the experience of putting a random show or movie on in the background while they fold the laundry.
Satellite TV Guide
While you might know how to surf channels or DVR your favorite show, you might not understand exactly what satellite TV is or why it's different from cable or streaming. Here's what you should know about satellite TV services.
What is satellite TV?
Satellite TV is a method of watching live television that offers programming similar to cable and streaming services. Satellite technology was first rolled out in the 1960s, but it wasn't until the 1980s that satellite television was introduced to consumers by the first provider in the industry, Satellite Television Corporation (STC).
Today's satellite television has improved dramatically since its inception. While slight drizzles used to knock out the signal, improvements in satellite technology and the invention of digital satellite television have made it a much more resilient and reliable source of entertainment.
How does satellite TV work?
When you watch satellite television, you're literally enjoying something that's been from earth to space and back to earth again. A signal is transmitted from a broadcasting station to a satellite in space, which then beams it back down to satellite dishes on the ground. The signal is captured and sent to your receiver, which decodes the signal and turns it into the pictures and sounds on your television.
As you sit back to watch your favorite TV show or movie, it's startling to think that you're watching millions of signals being beamed down from space. There might be an ongoing debate as to whether satellite or cable is better, but it's probably fair to say that the former is much cooler.
How to choose a satellite TV provider
DISH and DirecTV are the only big players in the United States satellite television game, so your options are somewhat limited. However, both companies offer multiple different packages and options to fit the needs of various customers.
Pricing
DISH tends to be a much cheaper option than DirecTV. However, it doesn't offer as many options for sports packages and premium add-ons. If you're on a budget, DISH might be the better option. Plus, DISH contracts tend to have fewer hidden fees and surcharges than DirecTV contracts.
Signal reliability
There doesn't seem to be any meaningful difference between DISH and DirecTV when it comes to signal reliability. DISH has more satellites in space than DirecTV, leading some to believe that it must offer more reliable broadcasts, but that has more to do with how the company has set up its own systems.
While satellite TV services 20 years ago were notorious for cutting out during inclement weather, modern satellite television is pretty good at withstanding the elements. With that being said, if you live in an area with extreme winds or frequent thunderstorms, cable might be a better choice.
Channel packages
DirecTV is the clear winner when it comes to channel packages. DISH's sports offerings simply can't compete. Furthermore, it offers additional HD options and customizations, ensuring that you can enjoy the entertainment you actually like.
Installation services
Both DISH and DirecTV offer complimentary installation. They also advertise next-day installation, which means you can sign up for a package one day and start enjoying your satellite TV service the next.
Commitment length
Both DISH and DirecTV require a 24-month commitment when you sign up. Both companies also charge early termination fees should you choose to end your contract before the agreed-upon date at signing.
While DirecTV guarantees that you'll be locked into the same price for the duration of those 24 months, many customer complaints say that fees and surcharges caused their bills to increase before this period had ended. Contrastingly, DISH offers a three-year price guarantee and has fewer complaints when it comes to surprise fees.
Customer service
DISH ranks highly in customer service, although some customers have complained that they didn't enjoy quality service when they were trying to cancel their accounts. DirecTV seems to have average reviews when it comes to its quality of customer service. However, many Better Business Bureau reviews state that the customer service representatives for the AT&T Fiber + DirecTV bundle are polite but incompetent, making such blunders as sending technicians to the wrong address or failing to fix what should be a simple issue.
Satellite TV FAQ
How We Chose the Best Satellite TV
- We read the providers' websites extensively, comparing the costs of different packages and the channels offered
- We read customer reviews from sites like the BBB to gain insight into how real customers felt about these services
- We looked at industry publications to see if providers had won any awards or accolades
- In critiquing the streaming options mentioned in this piece, we channel surfed to get a sense of load times and how many ads were shown during commercial breaks
Summary of Digg's Best Satellite TV
- DISH – Best for Affordable Prices
- DirecTV – Best for Sports
- Glorystar – Best Niche Satellite TV Company
- Dish Flex TV – Best No-Contract Option
- AT&T Fiber + DirecTV – Best Internet and Satellite TV Bundle
