Another ad-supported service joins the streaming fray
(Image credit: DirecTV)
With Amazon slowly phasing out Freevee, another TV provider is entering the free ad-supported TV realm. This week, DirecTV announced the launch of MyFree DirectTV.
In its announcement, DirecTV says its free service will offer access to more than 70 curated channels coupled with an on-demand library. The new service will be available on Apple, Amazon Fire, Android, Roku and the DirecTV app, as well as mobile devices.
The full list of channels is available here, but highlights include options like Live Tennis, Court TV, Fail Army, Fox Weather, El Rebel Rey and more. Expansion is expected as DirecTV says it's working on gaining content from companies like A&E, Fox, Lionsgate and Scripps. Additionally, the service intends to add Fremantle channels to offer more international content before the end of the year.
While MyFree will be, well, free, DirecTV announced that it will offer paid "personalized" genre-based channels as a companion to the ad-supported offering. That service will be at a lower cost, though the actual price ranges was not announced.
"DirecTV is excited to bring a successful history of premium content aggregation and an elevated user experience to free TV for the first time," general manager of MyFree DirectTV Kent Rees said in a press release. "The availability of MyFree DirecTV is the building block of the future for us as we tap into an entirely new audience through this new freemium experience going beyond the traditional pay TV customer."
You do not need to be a DirecTV subscriber to gain access to the free TV channels. You will need to register with MyFree DirecTV using an email address and download the DirecTV app on your preferred TV, phone or tablet.
According to Forbes, the MyFree DirecTV service is entering a crowded ad-supported streaming TV market, with more than 650 services on offer in the U.S., since at least 2022. Forbes noted that nearly 5% of streaming is done via free platforms like Tubi, the Roku Channel and Paramount's Pluto service.
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DirecTV has had a busy 2024 as the company has already launched the Your TV service, which integrates your favorite content with most watched shows. The firm also announced plans to merge with EchoStar, which owns Dish TV and Sling TV, though that deal may be in trouble according to Reuters.
The company has also been in several carriage fee battles with other companies like Disney, which settled with DirecTV after two weeks in September.
Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.
