One of the great things about satellite service is the low price. Sure there are a few obstacles in getting satellite TV setup, mainly the dish that has to be places somewhere on your house facing the southern sky. Switching providers if you are with the cable television company right now can also take a little time. But there is a good reason to at least investigate your options, as satellite TV prices continue to be extremely competitive, and in most areas lower than cable TV rates.
So what can you expect to pay if you are looking at the satellite service option? Both Dish Network and DIRECTV have deals running that will save you a significant amount of money during the first year of your contract. These incentives of course are designed to attract you to the company as a new subscriber, but smart satellite TV shoppers should be aware of what they are getting into.
The satellite television prices offered by Dish Network and DIRECTV are lower than normal in hopes you will subscribe and then remain a longtime customer. Both companies require you stay with them for two years as part of the initial agreement, so they know up front that they will be able to get at least one year of regular subscription rates from their customers. Of course if you are satisfied with the service, you will potentially stay for ten years or more, meaning that initial discount they give on the satellite price is well worth it.
Dish Network prices start at $24.99 a month for two of their basic packages, the Dish Family and America’s Top 120 options. The Dish Family package is very limited, and this is the normal price, while the America’s Top 120 will go up $15 to the regular price after one year. The America’s Top 200 starts off at $37.99 a month, then goes up to $52.99 after 12 months. The Top 250 package has an introductory price of $47.99 before jumping up to $62.99 a month. Finally, the all you can watch package from Dish Network is the America’s Everything package, which is $84.99 a month for a year before going up to $99.99.
Now with DIRECTV, you will notice a similar pattern with their satellite TV pricing structure. There is an introductory package called the DIRECTV Family bundle, which has straight pricing of $29.99 a month with no discount to start off with. The Choice package kicks off the discounted offerings, with a $29.99 a month offer. With DIRECTV, the introductory discount is $29 a month, which results in higher prices than Dish Network after the one year promotion is over.
The Choice Xtra package is probably the most popular DIRECTV bundle, and starts off at $34.99 a month until the regular price of $63.99 kicks in. The new Choice Ultimate package offers you a few commercial free movie channels and is priced at $39.99 per month, then goes to $68.99 after one year. The final DIRECTV package is the Premier bundle, which is $114.99 a month normally, but discounted to $85.99 for the new DIRECTV subscriber.
What else should you review when looking at satellite TV prices? The prices considered include one receiver, but these days most homes have more than one television set, so you will have extra charges of around $7 per receiver for the additional satellite boxes. DVR service is also billed separately, and is $6 a month with Dish Network or $7 a month with DIRECTV. High definition channels are also not included in the package prices, so if this is important to you expect another $10 a month to get the available HD channels.
While these numbers can add up, usually they are still lower than the typical cable TV package. Bundling may save you some money if you are a cable TV customer with high speed internet and home phone service. But for straight video service satellite TV prices are usually going to be the cheapest route.
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