How to use DIRECTV to maximize your sports viewing
How to use DIRECTV to maximize your sports viewing
Fall is just around the corner, and that means football season is coming fast. The NFL will be back in action before fans know it, as will college football programs across the United States. And once October rolls around, the NBA and NHL regular seasons will begin!
The MLB regular season is still going strong, but the playoffs will begin in just a few weeks. Sports fans who want to stream this wealth of programming all on the same app probably already know that DIRECTV offers a huge amount of sports coverage, but how does one get the most sports possible out of a DIRECTV subscription? Find out how to use DIRECTV to maximize your fandom here.
How to use DIRECTV to maximize your sports viewing
Watch it all with DIRECTV Signature packages
DIRECTV’s Signature channel packages will be familiar to anyone who has subscribed to a traditional pay-TV plan. Signature packages come with 90+ channels and offer a combined experience of sports, news, and entertainment in one place.
The ENTERTAINMENT package, starting at $90 per month, has local broadcast channels including ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, and NBC, as well as mainstream cable sports channels like ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, TNT, and USA Network. Upgrading to the CHOICE plan unlocks NFL Network and regional sports networks in applicable markets. Upgrading to the Ultimate or Premier plans will also bring specialty channels like Golf Channel and Tennis Channel into the mix.
Streamline your sports fandom with DIRECTV’s MySports
If sports viewing is your true passion, and you don’t need a channel package that includes news or entertainment networks, you can narrow your focus to sports-only channels with the DIRECTV MySports Genre Pack. This plan has 20+ sports channels, including ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC in most markets, for only $65 per month.
The MySports Genre Pack includes both mainstream and specialty sports channels, including ESPN and Fox Sports, TNT Sports channels, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network, and pro sports channels NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, and NHL Network.
Grab an add-on pack for even more sports
Viewers who opt for a DIRECTV Signature channel plan can purchase the service’s Sports add-on pack for $15 per month. Customers who add the Sports pack to an ENTERTAINMENT package get NFL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, CBS Sports Network, Willow TV, and other channels that would otherwise only be available in higher-priced packages. DIRECTV CHOICE subscribers and above who add the Sports pack get access to out-of-market regional sports networks, as well. The Sports add-on pack is included at no extra cost with the PREMIER plan.
Customers who choose the MySports Genre Pack can add the MyHome Team mini-pack for an additional $20 per month. With this add-on, viewers get to stream their area’s RSN in addition to the channels in the MySports Genre Pack. The MySports Extra pack for $14 per month unlocks NFL RedZone, MLB Strike Zone, and Willow TV
Viewers can also add platforms like MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, and more to a DIRECTV subscription for an additional monthly fee. Watch out-of-market baseball, basketball, and hockey games with these add-ons, all billed through DIRECTV.
Make sure you use your included ESPN Unlimited subscription
ESPN Unlimited access through the ESPN app comes included with all DIRECTV Signature channel packages, as well as the MySports Genre Pack. Viewers who want this subscription outside of DIRECTV have to pay at least $30 per month to subscribe directly, and that price is going up in September 2026.
With ESPN Unlimited, fans can watch any live sports on the ESPN family of channels, including ACC Network and SEC Network, and on The CW. Since The CW isn’t included in the MySports Genre Pack, using the included ESPN Unlimited subscription lets viewers watch the sports from that channel without having to turn to an antenna or other streamer.
ESPN Unlimited also has exclusive content, including all matches of top tennis tournaments like the U.S. Open, WWE premium live events, and more. It also includes on-demand titles, everything found in an ESPN Select subscription, and more. If you subscribe to DIRECTV Signature plans or the MySports Genre Pack, make sure you utilize your ESPN Unlimited subscription to get the most out of your account.
Use features like live scoreboards and multiview
There’s a huge amount of sports programming on DIRECTV, but the fun doesn’t stop there for fans. The company also employs a ton of great features to help immerse fans in the games they love, starting with the Sports Central hub. Available to all DIRECTV customers, Sports Central is a place to see live games, view schedules across multiple sports, and set recordings for their favorite teams so viewers never worry about missing out on a game.
Sports Central allows viewers to optimize their viewing experience even further by allowing fans to browse by league, team, or matchup. It makes tracking down a specific game or team a matter of just a few remote clicks with your DIRECTV subscription.
Viewers get even more out of the Sports Central hub on Gemini devices. Sports Central on Gemini shows viewers where to find every pro football game, even if that game is appearing on a streamer like Peacock or Prime Video. If you subscribe to those streamers, you’ll be able to jump right into their apps to watch live with a Gemini device.
In 2026, DIRECTV launched a new multiview feature that allows viewers to watch up to four games at once. The service also offers a feature called Mix Channels that provides continuous streams of channels pre-selected by DIRECTV; the service offers sports Mix Channels in addition to news and entertainment mixes.
Watch select sports in 4K at no extra cost
Some streaming services charge an additional fee to watch sports in Ultra-High-Definition 4K. Watching a key football or basketball game in 4K gives viewers the smoothest, most detailed picture possible — critical for watching game-changing plays in real time.
DIRECTV offers dedicated channels for 4K sports programming. Any events broadcast in 4K from channels like ESPN or Fox that are included with a subscriber’s package can be watched in 4K with DIRECTV at no extra cost — either with a Signature package or the MySports Genre Pack.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.