DirecTV is teaming up with programmers including A&E, Fox, Lionsgate and Scripps on its lineup of more than 70 free, ad-supported streaming channels for the launch of its new FAST service.
MyFree DirecTV, which went live Tuesday, will offer MovieSphere, Court TV, Fox Weather, El Rebel Rey, Dog Whisperer, Women’s Sports Network and more across sports, food, travel, news, entertainment and comedy. Additionally, multiple channels from Freemantle are expected to join the lineup before the end of 2024. The full list of channels are available here.
In addition to the channels, MyFree DirecTV will offer a video on demand library that includes such titles as “Duck Dynasty,” “Power,” “Pawn Stars” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol.” The service will also integrate the satellite TV giant’s Your TV content aggregation carousel to offer a curated and personalized experience.
The launch of MyFree DirecTV comes as the pay TV giant looks to capitalize on the FAST space, which is set to generate nearly $8 billion in the U.S. alone this year according to Statista, as it continues to bleed subscribers from the linear TV ecosystem due to cord-cutting.
“We are excited about the new audiences that MyFree DIRECTV unlocks for our advertising clients,” DirecTV chief advertising sales officer Amy Leifer said in a statement. “Reaching viewers and delivering positive outcomes are what we do best. This launch marks another way that we are delivering innovative solutions that help move the needle for them.”
It also serves as a “starting point” for consumers as DirecTV prepares to launch genre-specific bundles around sports, entertainment and kids & family following its recent carriage deal with Disney.
“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 Kent Rees added. “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.”
MyFree DirecTV accounts can be created on Roku today. New customers will also be able to sign up and watch across Amazon Fire, Android and Apple devices this week, as well as via the DIRECTV app.
DirecTV, which is a private company owned by AT&T and private equity firm TPG, has a total of around 10 million pay TV subscribers.
In an effort to stem the bleeding from cord-cutting, the satellite TV giant plans to join forces with rival Dish Network to create a combined company that would have around 18 million subscribers. Since 2016, DirecTV and Dish have collectively lost 63% of their satellite customers. The deal for $1 and $9.75 billion in debt is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approval, consent from Dish’s bondholders, and other customary closing conditions.
AT&T will also sell its 70% stake in the company to TPG, giving it full ownership of the combined company in a deal that will close in the second half of 2025.
Following the merger announcement, DirecTV was placed on a negative credit watch by ratings agencies Fitch and S&P Global, who warned that while the merger will offer increased scale and significant synergies, it won’t be enough to stop the decline of subscribers and revenue in the pay TV space.
