Which is cheaper, dish or DIRECTV?
In the satellite TV internet service, Dish Network and DIRECTV are two prominent companies that are in the business currently. A usual query customers have is - which of the two is cheaper in terms of satellite TV service? There are a few key factors to consider when comparing costs between Dish and DIRECTV.
Monthly Subscription Fees
When comparing Dish and DIRECTV at their most basic package offerings, both companies offer their programming for roughly the same price. The most affordable tier in Dish’s package is $64.99 monthly with 190+ television stations. Analogously, the basic Entertainment package offered by DIRECTV costs $69.99 per month, which includes 155+ television channels.
Nevertheless, Dish has been known to offer numerous specials in which a customer can pay little or no charge for the first month of service. This means that you often have the chance to pay as little as 49.99$ for the Dish’s basic package if you subscribe to it for the first time. DIRECTV usually does not provide a very low tier of heavily discounted rates.
Y, if we consider the mid-level channel packages and the premiums to that, then Dish and DIRECTV have almost similar prices in terms of monthly charges. However, Dish often stands a cut above it with lower standard rates or introductory offers most often for newcomers.
Equipment and Installation Costs
Like any other satellite TV provider, both Dish and DIRECTV require their clients to incur upfront costs for items such as satellite dishes and receivers. Dish tends to have lower initial hardware costs for the electronics, which can range between $0-$50 per TV. The equipment cost is normally between $99 and $300 per television and this goes to DIRECTV.
However, DIRECTV does sometimes provide these bundles at a cheaper rate than their cost with the only requirement being that the customer has to sign a 2-year commitment. Thus, as a practical matter, customers of both services frequently can obtain equipment without a down payment.
It is usually free for both providers since installation is an extra step that attracts them to join the platform. The total expense of equipment and installation is also almost at par with each other, in the long run.
Based on contractual terms, the following are the major factors that may be used to explain the cancellation fees; Contract commitments
When a customer subscribes to DIRECTV for the first time he is bound to the agreement of a minimum of two years usage. During service termination, the customer will be charged a pro-rated amount which ranges from $5 – $10 for each remaining month in the contract.
Therefore, Dish does not lock its clients into long-term contracts, and the company continues to innovate. This offers less control over changing or canceling a service while avoiding termination fees.
Therefore in the issue of steering clear of contracts and valuing freedom, Dish takes the upper hand with compensation for early cancellation compared to DIRECTV.
Premium Add-Ons and Bundles
Dish and DirecTV have several similar packages which include options for add-ons such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. These premium channels are normally equally priced between the two providers even though some may be slightly cheaper on one provider than the other.
As an example, one can mention that DIRECTV is an exclusive provider of the NFL Sunday Ticket package for professional football. Thus, football fans may find that they would rather choose DIRECTV for this additional service.
While the main package is similar, Dish has some special additional channel packages available for more international programs. Some of the foreign language packages offered by DishLATINO include Chinese, Filipino, Russian Arabic, etc. Hence, if you are seeking more specific international programming, options on Dish are much superior.
The providers also allow one to combine their television service with the internet or phone connections and this comes at a cheaper price for the bundle services. However, Dish has the advantage here through its sister brand, DishNET satellite internet, which allows for the provision of internet service to rural areas. The promotions where you get Dish TV and DishNET combined are often cheaper than when you subscribe to the internet or phone from another provider. DIRECTV’s product is only a television service and cannot include bundled prices which they need to get from other providers such as AT&T.
Regional Sports Fees
Another charge that has been known to be on both Dish and DIRECTV but not clearly stated is the regional sports fees. These additional monthly fees add $5-15 to your bill in certain cities to finance rights to broadcast local professional sports. Extra fees for regional sports could be rather steep if you are thinking of them in the long term.
Currently, Dish pays less for regional sports than DIRECTV in certain markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago, and other cities. But these vary from one year to the next depending on the local channel broadcasting rights. Therefore it will help the sports fans to find out which of the providers currently operates with lesser fees for the service.
Overall, Dish is known to be cheaper in all aspects than DIRECTV. Dish has lower initial offers, larger bundle packages, lower equipment costs, a better policy of cancellation, and fewer undisclosed costs such as regional fees for sports. However, CHANNEL LINEUPS and additional facilities like NFL Sunday Ticket can be an added advantage that makes DIRECTV more desirable based on your consumption pattern. This is because there are usually always additional hidden costs that should be scrutinized before subscribing.
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