Someone please prove to me DIRECTV On Demand isn’t a sham

This article was published in 2011. It is now 2018 and I can tell you with full confidence that DirecTV Now (the new “DirecTV On Demand” is a decent service. It’s nice to be able to reflect on how time has healed this sore spot. However, it’s still not the most preferred streaming option among consumers, rivaled by Hulu, PlayStation, and other Streaming Services.

DirecTV Now is a cloud-based streaming service that allows you to watch any of the shows and networks you subscribe to live, and later. You can watch with any DirecTV NOW supported devices, such as your apple tv, Amazon Firestick, Roku, browser, or smart device.

It is important to note that the DirecTV Now is not DirecTV – a satellite service that brings shows to your home with DVR capabilities. DirecTV is just a streaming service.

Users have different package options. Essentially, the more you pay, the more channels you have access to. See which package is right for you here. This information was pulled April, 2018.

Below is the original article for reference, and again, I’d like to applaud DirecTV Now for their improved options and service!


I have had DIRECTV On Demand for a little over 2 weeks now and guess what? I never use it. In fact, I think it’s a total sham.

Now, exactly what is DIRECTV On Demand? Before I explain, let me back up a minute. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a wireless connection kit from DIRECTV that, once connected, allowed me to do two new things.

The first was to watch and control shows on my iPad. Admittedly, this is pretty cool but not what I want to talk about today. What I do want to talk about is the second feature, DIRECTV On Demand.

7,000 shows and movies at no extra charge

DIRECTV On Demand is supposed to allow me to get over 7,000 shows and movies On Demand on your TV, at no extra charge. I say horse hockey.

DIRECTV On Demand

When I first fired up DIRECTV On Demand, I was overwhelmed at the number of movies available on demand. That part they got right. What they didn’t get right is how many of these are free to watch.

Almost every single movie I looked at on the list cost money to watch. And the ones that were actually free were movies I had little to no interest in watching.

Worse yet, there is no filter available to show only the movies that are free. Instead, you have to painstakingly go through the entire list of movies, one screen at a time to see which ones don’t have dollar signs next to them.

It gets even worse with the TV shows

As for the shows, it seems like DIRECTV just aggregated a list of television shows I already get on the normal channels and now told me I could get them on demand (by recording them when they air and then watching them later). No wonder they can claim 7,000 movies and shows at no extra charge. Duh.

And when I did finally decide to bite the bullet and pay for a movie, I was informed I couldn’t buy the movie because it was on the STARZ channel and I didn’t subscribe to that channel.

What?!?! How on earth is this video on demand?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

So, let me get this straight. I used to use my channel guide to figure out what shows and movies were playing on channels I pay for. And if I wanted to buy a movie on pay-per-view I would look at the pay-per-view channels (the 100s on DIRECTV), find a movie I want to watch and buy it. Now, I have every show, every movie, every premium movie and every pay-per-view movie all aggregated into one ginormous list that I may or may not be able to access and/or pay for.

Am I missing something here? Any other DIRECTV On Demand users out there want to tell me where I’m wrong? How about you, DIRECTV? What’s your response?


Editors note – this article has been updated on April 11th, 2018 for accuracy and relevancy.