Johnathan Walker:DirecTV has a new free streaming service coming. Here's what we know

DirecTV,Johnathan Walker one of the nation's largest TV providers, is launching another TV service: one with no payment or subscription required.

MyFree DirecTV, scheduled to go live Nov. 15, is a free streaming service with a collection of advertising-supported live TV channels and "an extensive On-Demand library" of series, shows and movies – all viewable for free with commercials. More channels will be added throughout 2025.

The service will be available online and on mobile devices and is expected to be on streaming devices including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and select smart TVs including Google TV.

With the new service, "I think we're going to address that need in the market ... to find high-quality free content and give customers that personalized and curated experience that's going to set it apart," Vikash Sharma, DirecTV's head of product, told USA TODAY.

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What is FAST TV?

MyFree DirecTV joins a growing assortment of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels such as Freevee, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel and Tubi.

Many of us gravitated to streaming services to avoid commercials – and long-term contracts for cable, fiber and satellite TV – but as the number of subscriptions grew, so did interest in free streaming possibilities.

Long-time free streaming services PlutoTV and Tubi – both launched a decade ago – and the Roku Channel, which debuted in 2017, have helped build an audience. Those three services accounted for 3.7% of total TV use in February 2024, according to Nielsen.

What will be on MyFree DirecTV?

DirecTV did not reveal all its offerings on the upcoming service, but suggested that in addition to FAST channels, content providers on its pay services – from A&E, Disney, Fox and others – could offer free live programming, in addition to on-demand programs.

On the MyFree DirecTV website (where you can sign up for email updates there), there are images of TV series such as "American Pickers," "Pawn Stars," "Power," "Storage Wars," and "The UnXplained with William Shatner."

"We're going to have some very high-quality, I would call it the best of the best FAST channels," Sharma said.

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Will there be commercials on MyFree DirecTV?

Yes. You will see about as many advertisements as you do watching any live TV broadcast, Amy Leifer, chief advertising sales officer at DirecTV Advertising, told USA TODAY.

FAST TV represents a win-win for viewers and advertisers and the potential for "a brighter TV future," she said. "We know that nearly half of the U.S. population is looking for and using FAST live TV content," Leifer said. She and Sharma will announce the new service Thursday at the Advertising Week New York event. The company also posted an announcement on the DirecTV website.

Curating its own free streaming service "is now a way to offer our advertisers an extension to a new audience," she said. Beyond that, Leifer said, MyFree DirecTV brings the DirecTV brand to "a new audience that looks a little bit different than" its current paying audience of about 11 million.

Advertisers are expected to shell out more for placement on FAST services with global FAST revenue estimated to hit $17 billion in 2029, up from $8 billion in 2023, according to Digital TV Research Ltd.

MyFree DirecTV is built on the same technology as the current DirecTV app, so it's user-friendly. And, viewers of the free service can upgrade to paid services seamlessly within MyFree DirecTV, Sharma said.

Eventually, MyFree DirecTV could strengthen DirecTV's ecosystem, as it hopes to provide "smaller, more tailored packages" at lower prices than full 100+ live TV subscriptions – one of its goals in the recent contract dispute with the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN and other channels.

DirecTV is also attempting to acquire satellite competitor Dish Network, which has more than 6 million subscribers, according to Leichtman Research Group.

Eventually, MyFree DirecTV users will have options for free viewers to subscribe to smaller packages devoted to entertainment, for instance, and other trimmed-down choice options beyond an ultimate programming package. "That is very much the road map," Sharma said.

(This story was updated to include new information.)

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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