DirecTV has introduced the first of several genre-based services with MySports, a sports package offering access to 40 sports and broadcast channels. Entertainment and family-oriented packages will follow. The announcement comes just days after Venu Sports, an online video sports service planned by ESPN, FOX, and Warner Bros Discovery, was abandoned before launch.
“The introduction of MySports from DirecTV delivers consumers greater choice, flexibility, and control to select the type of content they want to watch at the right value,” said Bill Morrow, the chief executive DirecTV. “This is the first of several genre-based options we plan to launch over the coming months on our path towards a brighter TV future for consumers.”
My Sports will initially be available in 24 metro areas in the United States, with more to come. They include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. It includes national and local channels in certain markets, as well as news channels.
National sports channels include those from DirecTV, EPSN, Fox, MLB, NBA, NFL, and others, with ESPN+ to be available in the future. Local channels will initially include any stations owned and operated by ABC, FOX, and NBC, with others to follow. Discussions are ongoing with CBS, which is owned by Paramount.
That means that DirecTV has secured distribution rights with media companies including Disney, Fox, and WBD, that had planned their own sports bundle.
The MySports bundle does not include sports coverage that is available on other online services, like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or Peacock.
MySports is available through the DirecTV app on mobile or on platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV. It includes live coverage and unlimited network recording.
The package is available without a long-term contract with a five-day free trial and at $49.99 for the first three months, which is $20 less than the full price after that.
MySports will compete with other online video services, including YouTube TV and Fubo, which do not have the MLB or NHL networks. The Hulu Live TV offering is more expensive and does not include the NHL network or NBA TV.
DirecTV claims that MySports changes the game by offering a skinny bundle of sports services. It offers a comprehensive but inevitably incomplete package.