A new option is available to those shopping satellite TV services, as the DIRECTV Entertainment package is now available.  Offered at the $29.99 price point for new subscribers, this bundle will appeal to the budget minded, and to those who don’t need a every channel when they turn on the TV.

So why is DIRECTV introducing a new package in 2012?  The Choice package has long been advertised as the $29.99 a month bundle for new customers.  But last year the discount offered on the package to new customers was $31 a month, more than 50% of the overall price.  The 2012 DIRECTV price hike moves this package up to $63.99 when looking at the normal price, so creating a new package with a lower price makes sense for those looking to keep costs down, and for the satellite company as they no doubt want to advertise a low priced option at around $30 a month.  So how does the Entertainment package differ from the Choice package?

The channel selection is still there with this new DIRECTV bundle.  The Entertainment package will offer around 140 channels, with several sports channels being eliminated when compared to the Choice option.   If you go for the lower price option, you will not find the following channels:

ESPNEWS

ESPNU

Big Ten Network

MLB Channel

NFL Network

Cooking Channel

Independent Film Channel (IFC)

Fuse

TV One

Regional Sports  Networks (YES Network, Altitude, Fox Sports Net, etc. -depends on your local market)

There aren’t a whole lot of channels eliminated, but the regular price on the package is $9 less per month compared to Choice.  The main hit comes to those looking for sports action, especially NFL and MLB action.  By eliminating the MLB Channel, the NFL Network, and the regional sports network option, DIRECTV can pass along the savings to the customer.

The DIRECTV Entertainment package will be discounted by $25 a month for new subscribers, from $54.99 to the previously mentioned $29.99 monthly price.  This includes one receiver, and additional boxes and DVR service will cost extra.  A two year agreement is also required for new customers.

Higher priced packages will receive greater discounts.   The Choice and Choice Xtra packages will offer $29 discounts during year one, and the Choice Ultimate and Premier bundles will be discounted $30 a month.  DIRECTV is also now offering a second year discount on all packages in 2012, which will give customers a $10 break, or $120 total during months 13 through 24 of their satellite contract.

The Versus channel is now gone, re-branded as the NBC Sports Channel on DIRECTV.   What will the name change from Versus to NBC sports mean for sports fans?   Following years of domination by ESPN/ABC, is NBC finally on the comeback trail when it comes to sports coverage?

Initially, Versus subscribers won’t see many changes as the NBC Sports Network is rolled out nationally.   Comcast, the new parent of NBC and the owner of Versus for many years is looking to increase the value of the network.  Re-branding the network under a much friendlier brand name is a no-brainer.  But what about the actual content on the NBC Sports Channel?

NHL games will continue to be the big draw in major sports markets.  The Winter Classic featuring the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers kicks of the party today.  After that the NBC Sports Channel will still be battling against ESPN which features plenty of NBA, college football, and NFL action with their Monday Night Football contract locked up for at least another eight years.

The NBC Sports Channel will rely on some star power, bringing in Bob Costas to host Costas Tonight.  The show will feature live guests and a studio audience, with Costas interacting with both.  The downside?   The show will only be shot once a month!  A monthly show isn’t going to build a large and loyal audience on the new NBC Sports channel.

Still, the network does have the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic games, as well as plenty of NHL playoff action on the slate.  Additionally, live Tour de France coverage will continue this year, along with a new Major League Soccer (MLS) contract which will bring 38 live games to viewers this year.

The network is currently found on DIRECTV channel 603, and should be there for the foreseeable future.  Comcast, the parent company of Versus – and DIRECTV settled a  nasty carriage dispute in March of 2010.  The seven month blackout of the Versus channel on DIRECTV cost  the network 14 million viewers at the time.  NBC Sports Network is available to customers subscribing to the Choice Xtra package or higher.

Another DIRECTV rate hike will greet customers in the new year, as the nation’s largest satellite television company will hike prices on packages and their DVR service in about a month.

The 2012 DIRECTV price increase will take effect on February 9th, and notification began today, as many received e-mail notice of the action.  Customers will also see inserts in their January bill stating the exact details of the price hike.  So if you are a current DIRECTV customer, how much more can you expect to pay in 2012?

Most DIRECTV packages will go up increase by $3 to $5 each month.  Additionally, those with a DIRECTV DVR  will pay an extra buck a month, as the monthly rate will go up from $7 to $8.   Those who subscribe to premiums like HBO and Showtime will breath a sigh of relief, as movie channel pricing will stay the same in 2012.

Here are a few of the pricing details for next year:

DIRECTV Choice package goes from $60.99 to $63.99, a $3 price increase.

DIRECTV Choice Ultimate goes from $70.99 to $74.99, $4 higher.  This package does include a few Encore movie channels.

The DIRECTV Premier package goes from $114.99 to $119.99.  The $5 hike here is the highest of any package, but makes sense considering the package includes the most programming and more than 30 commercial free premium channels.

HD access will remain $10 a month, though many newer customers who utilize Auto Bill pay have this fee waived.  Whole Home DVR service will remain at $3, which is billed out separately from the DVR charge which will now be $8 monthly.

Legacy packages from DIRECTV like the Plus DVR, Plus HD DVR, Total Choice, and Total Choice Plus will all increase in price from $3 to $4 a month, but the most interesting development surrounds the Choice Xtra package.  Heavily promoted in most DIRECTV advertisements over the last several years, existing customers will have the package renamed the Choice Xtra Classic and will see the price rise from $65.99 to $68.99 a month.   DIRECTV is then going to roll out a new “Choice Xtra” package in the next month or so, offering it at the same $68.99 price point.   While the channel details are not yet available, expect the new “Choice Xtra” package to offer less than the current channel lineup, saving DIRECTV some money in programming costs.

In the DIRECTV notice to subscribers, reference was made to the increasing cost paid to content providers – those that own the stations like ESPN, CNN, and Fox.   From the rate hike notice:

This year, the programming costs we pay to owners of TV channels will increase about 10%, but we have chosen to adjust the prices our customers pay by an average of only 4%.

While programming costs are a large expense for DIRECTV, they do not constitute anywhere near the full operational expense incurred by the company.   The argument that “We are being nice to the customer by only raising rates by 4%, when only a portion of our business costs will rise 10%” comes off as condescending, especially with millions struggling to make ends meet in a down economy.

DIRECTV’s main competitor, DISH Network, promised to leave package pricing unchanged until 2013 in an announcement earlier this year.   Rates were hiked 9 and 12% respectively on low end packages, leaving room to leave rates unchanged until early 2013.

The new DIRECTV Home Media Center DVR (model HR34) is now being offered to new customers, with existing DIRECTV customers gaining access in early 2012.  This new DIRECTV DVR offers incredible flexibility when it comes to recording content and watching it throughout your home.  Here are a few of the features and benefits of the new DIRECTV HR-34 digital video recorder.

The main feature of this new DVR from DIRECTV is the elimination of recording conflicts.  The HR-34 is a five tuner model, meaning you will be able to record 5 shows at once on a central DVR device.  This will pretty much eliminate any problems when it comes to recording all of your favorite shows.  While AT&T has offered a DVR that records four shows at once, DIRECTV has taken it to another level with their five tuner model, which by the way also will handle all of the shows in HD as well.

The new digital video recorder also sports a massive 1 TB hard drive, which will hold up to 1,600 half hour shows if they are in standard definition.  Overall, DIRECTV customers with the HR34 will be able to hold up to 200 hours of HD content, or 800 hours of SD content.  Note that these totals are for HD or SD, not both combined.  Compared to prior models, and similar cable TV DVRs, you will notice a huge difference in the amount of content that can be stored.  Basically, with 200 hours of HD content you could theoretically keep about 100 HD feature length films on the device.

The Home Media Center will also serve as a centralized hub for DIRECTV’s Whole Home DVR service.  Available for $10 a month, the setup is just $3 more than regular DVR service.  Customers who take advantage of this type of setup will be able to watch content throughout their home as long as they have compatible TVs or the H25 high definition receiver.  With this setup, customers can access recorded  content through the home, allowing playlist sharing without the need for additional DVR devices.

The new HMC will also be compatible with RVU (pronounced R-view) technology.  This new standard connects customers to the central “server DVR” without additional receivers, saving the additional “receiver box” fee charged to the customer.  Expect this client/server approach to explode in the next few years, as customers will enjoy the flexibility of watching content through one central DVR, as long as the HDTV sets connected support the RVU standard.  At this time, the Samsung 6000, 6400 and 6420 models are RVU compatible, allowing DIRECTV subscribers full access to the Home Media Center DVR without the need to order another receiver box.

Another feature of the HR-34 is picture-in-picture access, though it will work only on the set connected to the HMC.  While up to eight additional TVs can be connected to a single Home Media Center, only three can be used at any given time.  So subscribers will be able to use up to four sets (the main plus three connected sets), with the ability to watch either live or recorded DVR content at any given time.

The cost of the new DIRECTV DVR is currently rumored to be $399, though new customers will be the big winners.  A $300 discount will bring the cost down to $99 if you are taking advantage of the expected DIRECTV deals that will be offered in conjunction with the DIRECTV HMC.  Existing customers will be paying the full price.  Existing customers also have the option of shopping online retailers, with the device being available in February, 2012.

When people are shopping for an entertainment provider, they generally look at similar companies and decide which works best.  For example, Comcast and DIRECTV are two of the largest companies operating as video distributors today.   Most would simply compare DIRECTV vs Comcast and figure out which one meets their needs, hopefully at a good price.  But with millions of Americans now unemployed, some are looking for alternatives to traditional cable and satellite TV service.  Options like Netflix can fill the void in some cases, depending on your viewing habits.  In this article we will compare DIRECTV  vs Netflix, weighing some of the pros and cons of each service.

DIRECTV is of course the largest satellite TV company in America today, with more than 18 million subscribers from coast to coast.  Netflix is the leading DVD by mail service, and has introduced video streaming service to America in the last two years.  Though they have stumbled recently with a hefty price increase that outraged millions of subscribers, things have calmed down in recent weeks, as Netflix announced that they would not be separating their DVD by mail and streaming services as originally planned.  So which service meets your needs?

When comparing DIRECTV vs Netflix, its a good idea to thing about how you watch TV right now.  Do you enjoy watching pre-recorded content like movies and TV shows on your DVR?  Do you rent movies from Blockbuster or a kiosk like Redbox frequently?  Or do you love to channel surf?   Is there a sports fan in the home, someone who always loves to watch live action every weekend?  Evaluating your viewing habits beforehand will help you make the right decision when it comes to these two companies.

The monthly price is a top priority for many right now, as money continues to be tight for some Americans.  If saving money is your top priority, then Netflix is going to be a better option than DIRECTV.  Netflix offers a streaming only plan for $7.99 a month, which allows you to pick from thousands of movies at any time, all you need is compatible streaming device like a Blu ray player and a good high speed internet connection. The downside of this plan is the selection of movies.  While thousands of movies and shows are in the Netflix library, there have been barriers between major movie studios and the company which has resulted in poor selection when it comes to new releases.

Most will want to consider adding the Netflix DVD by mail program to the streaming product.  With this option, you get either one DVD by mail for $7.99 a month, or two DVDs at a time for $11.99 a month.  This is added to your $7.99 streaming price.  If you want even more DVDs by mail, you can get three at a time for $23.98 or four at a time for $29.98 a month, with streaming service included in these prices.  If you prefer Blu Ray movies rather than the standard DVD, you can add that for $2.00 a month to any plan.

A Netflix subscription is going to be very affordable when compared to DIRECTV satellite service, but it is only going to work for you if you have fairly specific viewing habits.  Those who love movies and TV shows in their seasonal formats can enjoy plenty of content without commercial interruptions.  But if you are someone who loves to channel surf, or needs to keep up on live events like sporting events or news, then DIRECTV is going to be the option for you.

DIRECTV satellite service requires a two year agreement from the outset, something you won’t worry about at all with Netflix.   Obviously you will want to be sure that you can fulfill your end of the deal before signing up with DIRECTV for the two year term.  If you are planning on moving in the next few years, you will want to be sure that your new location is satellite dish friendly, as the installer will need a clear view of the southern sky for your service to work properly.  If you aren’t sure that a two-year commitment will work for you right now, then Netflix or cable TV service will probably be your best alternative.

Once you know that you want to go with DIRECTV over Netflix, then its time to look at the package pricing.  The two most popular DIRECTV packages are the Choice and the Choice Xtra bundles, which are priced at $29.99 and $34.99 for the first year respectively.  The Choice package offers around 150 video and music channels, which the Choice Xtra bundle offers around 200 total.  Reviewing the DIRECTV channel lineup beforehand will give you an idea on which bundle works best for you.

These prices are promotional DIRECTV offers, and are heavily discounted for the first twelve months.  After the deal expires, you will have one year of regular pricing before your contract expires, so don’t be surprised at the higher bill in year number two.   Current pricing on the Choice Xtra package is $65.99 a month, so as you can tell you will be paying quite a bit more with DIRECTV compared to Netflix.

Who should go with DIRECTV instead of Netflix?  Sports fans are at the top of the list, as DIRECTV carries all of the major live sporting events on ESPN and local channels like FOX, CBS, and NBC.  Those who enjoy a live news will also benefit from cable channels like FOX News and CNN.  DIRECTV also is the home of the NFL Sunday Ticket, so if you love football then you will enjoy the action on satellite TV, provided you are willing to pay extra for it.

Movie fans will have to weigh DIRECTV carefully against Netflix.  You will be able to watch plenty of edited movie content on TBS, TNT and FX through DIRECTV.  But if you want uncut and unedited movies, you will pay extra for premium channels.  HBO, Starz, and Showtime are all options, but your monthly subscription cost will be from $10 to $15 depending on the number of premiums selected.

With so many video choices today, most can find something that will satisfy their entertainment needs at the right price.  For some, a combination of both DIRECTV and Netflix service might be the right solution to keep everyone satisfied with the right amount of content.

Two corporations worth billions are fighting over money once again, and this time its the customer that may be the big loser.  The DIRECTV and FOX dispute is over the carriage of several channels including FX, National Geographic, Speed, Fuel TV and 19 regional sports network under the Fox Sports name.   Sports fans should also not that the Fox Soccer channel and Fox Soccer Plus are also part of the dispute.  What does the dispute mean for current and potential new DIRECTV customers?

The channels in question will be removed from the DIRECTV channel lineup on November 1st if an agreement or temporary extension is not made by then.  DIRECTV is claiming that FOX wants a 40% increase in the amount paid for the right to carry the channels.   A video on ourpromisetoyou.com from CEO Mike White explains the stand DIRECTV is taking in the negotiations.  News Corp, the parent of FOX disputes the 40% figure publicly, but has not publicly stated what they are seeking from DIRECTV as far as “fair compensation” for the right to carry the channels.   FOX offers up their argument on their recently launched site keepmynets.com.

This isn’t the first time that FOX/News Corp has played hardball with a large pay television provider.  DISH Network and FOX battled in October 2010, resulting in the loss of FX, National Geographic, and regional sports networks for most of the month.  A deal was finally struck in late October, as a deadline for the removal of FOX local channels approached.   Cablevision and Fox also fought publicly last year, with the companies finally reaching a settlement before the start of the World Series.

Both DIRECTV and FOX have taken their positions to the public, accusing the other of failing to negotiate in good faith.  DIRECTV plead its case to the FCC, sending a letter on October 27th which accused FOX of using scare tactics.   The charge revolves around the claim being made by FOX that some customers may soon lose their local FOX station, which is partially true.  A separate agreement covering carriage of local FOX stations lasts through December 31st, another two months.  While the claim being made by FOX is factually correct, 60 days is still plenty of time for the parties to negotiate a deal for the local FOX channel agreement.

With heels dug in on both sides, it almost looks inevitable that the 25 Fox cable channels will go dark for at least a few days, if not weeks.  The major losers will be NHL fans who rely on their FOX Sports affiliate for live action, and fans of Sons of Anarchy, broadcast on FX weekly.  The last five episodes of the season could be missed by DIRECTV customers if an agreement isn’t reached in the days ahead.

The YES Network is the most-watched regional sports network in America today.  With live New York Yankee games in HD the main attraction, fans across the northeast demand a cable or satellite company that has the YES Network.  Fortunately, there are several options available, and the leading satellite television company-DIRECTV.  Here are a few facts on finding and watching the YES Network on DIRECTV.

DIRECTV has carried the YES Network for several years, and continues to do so on DIRECTV channel 631.  Customers who have DIRECTV high definition receivers or DVRs can enjoy the channel in HD.  Other companies broadcasting the YES Network in the New York and surrounding states include AT&T Uverse, Cablevision (Optmimum), Verizon FiOS and Time Warner digital cable.  Blue Ridge cable also carries the network in select areas of Pennsylvania.  You might have already noticed, but DISH Network remains the lone major carrier not on board with the YES Network.

Like most disputes involving DISH Network, this one revolves around money.  While all of the other major cable and satellite providers have carried the channel for more than eight years now, DISH Network continues to balk at the subscription rate being asked by the YES Network.  Most DISH subscribers who are Yankee fans have switched away over the past few years, giving up on any hope that they two parties will ever reach an agreement.

Each year, the YES Network broadcasts about 130 live regular season Yankee games, and several spring training games as well.  Games not on the station can usually be found on national TV, either ESPN or FOX in most cases.  The channel also is the home of New Jersey Nets basketball.  The team will be moving to Brooklyn for the 2012-2013 season, and will adopt the name “Brooklyn Nets” according to minority owner Jay-Z.  Currently, around 75 live Nets games are broadcast in HD on the YES channel.

As a regional sports network, the YES channel brings live games to customers living primarily in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  If you are curious as to whether DIRECTV carries YES Network in your area, simply head over to their website and enter your home zip code here.   This will determine which regional sports networks that you will get with your DIRECTV subscription, and the live games you will be able to watch.

New York Yankee fans live all over the United States, begging the question can they get the YES Network in other parts of the country?  The answer to that question is yes, but with a qualifier that probably won’t make you happy.  Because Major League Baseball has an out of market sports package (MLB Extra Innings), they protect the package by not allowing live games to be shown outside of the regional sports area.    For example, a Yankee fan living in California could subscribe to the DIRECTV Sports Pack, which provides more than 30 regional sports channels.   But because they league blackout restrictions, YES will not show live game action to this customer living outside of the local viewing area.

If you want to see live New York Yankee or New Jersey Nets games outside of the local area, the Extra Innings package or the NBA League Pass would be your best option.  Each is priced at around $200 a season, and will bring you virtually every game from around the league on your DIRECTV satellite system.

Many Americans today prefer the lower cost that comes with a satellite TV package.  Both DISH Network and DIRECTV offer about five different packages, with dozens of channels that are usually priced lower than the local cable TV company.  But what if you want a high speed internet line in addition to your satellite package.  While satellite companies do not offer their own internet service, they have forged alliances with various providers across the country.  In this article we will take a look at DIRECTV packages with internet access provided by your local phone carrier.

DIRECTV offers packages priced from $29.99 a month all the way up to $114.95 a month for the Premier bundle.  This pricing carries over to the three major DIRECTV partners- AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink.  You may however, receive an additional bundle discount from these carriers if you have internet and/or home phone service.  Here are the options with each company if you are interested in bundling a DIRECTV package with internet service.

AT&T – The largest phone company in America is in the middle of their own cable television deployment.  Their U-verse internet product is available to more than 15 million homes and businesses in the AT&T footprint, but many customers will not ever have access to the product if the company decides not to deploy service to rural areas.  In this case, you can get a DIRECTV package combined with AT&T internet, though it will probably be their traditional DSL type of line and not their newer Uverse internet option.  This AT&T-DIRECTV offer gives you the same discounts on the video product, $31 a month for one year as long as you sign up for e-mail alerts.  Customers who order right now also get 2011 Sunday Ticket for free.

Verizon – The dominant phone company in the Northeast, Verizon is also in the process of signing up their own cable TV customers via their FiOS service.  Like AT&T, they will first check to see if their own TV service is in your neighborhood before offering you a DIRECTV package with internet and phone.   Here you can also get all of the available DIRECTV deals, including free installation and a reduced monthly rate during the first year.

If you have a strong preference for DIRECTV or Uverse, you can usually get the satellite option.  Be aware that both companies would rather have you sign up for their TV service before offering you DIRECTV, so you may have to tell them several times that you want satellite TV instead of their in-house product.  If you are going with a traditional DSL line from either Verizon or AT&T, you may be limited on speed, as regular digital subscriber lines usually top out anywhere from 5 to 10 Mbps.

CenturyLink – The dominant phone provider out west is behind in offering TV service through their phone network, so you will most likely be offering a triple play package including DIRECTV from their sales team.  Many CenturyLink internet locations are in the former Qwest territory, where faster speeds up to 40 Mbps may be available.  Century Prism TV is their answer to cable competitors like Comcast, but it has only been deployed to around 10 small markets as of October, 2011.  CenturyLink also partners with Verizon Wireless if you are interested in a cell phone package with combined billing.

Are you served by another local exchange carrier?  ILECs like Windstream, Frontier, and Cincinnati Bell also partner with DIRECTV to offer various internet packages along with a satellite television connection.  A final option if very rural areas where DSL is not available is to get a second dish setup with WildBlue which would be dedicated to providing a satellite internet connection along with your DIRECTV satellite TV.

The Big Ten Network celebrated its fourth anniversary recently, and fans of the schools that make up the conference continue to enjoy hundreds of hours of sports programming from the channel every month.  If you have DIRECTV, or are considering a switch to the satellite provider, you might be wondering if the Big Ten Network is offered as part of their programming lineup.  Or maybe you went to school at one of the Big Ten schools, but now live somewhere else in the United States – What options are available to you when it comes to the Big Ten Network?

The Big Ten Network or BTN as it is often called launched on August 30, 2007.  At the time of launch, DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse were the only major carriers to broadcast the network, but DISH Network joined the party shortly thereafter.  The major holdout in the Midwest was Time Warner cable, and this continued for a year or so before a deal was reached in 2008.  Time Warner now carries BTN in the eight states where Big 10 schools operate.  Other major cable companies that also have the Big Ten Network include Comcast/Xfinity, Cablevision, Cox Communications, and Charter cable.

So why consider DIRECTV for the Big Ten Network compared to other providers?  It all comes down to whether you will get the channel at no extra charge in your particular area.  The big advantage DIRECTV offers is full access to BTN through all of their packages with the exception of the Family package.  If you subscribe to the Choice package or higher you can watch the Big Ten Network anywhere in the country on DIRECTV channel 610.  The channel is also available nationally if added to a DISH Network package, but if you are outside of one of the “home states” where Big Ten colleges are located you will have to subscribe to the Multi Sports package which is an extra $7 a month.

If you live outside of the home area, you may also be shut out from the Big Ten Network if you have cable.  While most cable providers carry the BTN within the home geographic area at no extra cost, the story may be different if you live out of the region.  Different agreements are in place with different providers, so you may want to head to your specific cable company website to see if the Big Ten channel is available, either at no cost or as part of a Sports Tier.  Generally, these premium sports tier packages run between $5 and $10 a month and include several secondary sports channels like the Tennis Channel and the Fox Soccer Channel.

If you are looking for the Big Ten Network on DIRECTV, it can be found on channel 610, and it is also available in HD.  Live games that conflict with each other can be found on an overflow setup, which on DIRECTV can be found on channels 609, 611, 612, and 615.  A new BTN2Go service is also available to fans, allowing viewers to watch BTN from through devices like Smartphones, iPads, iPhones and computers with a high speed internet connection.

One of the perks of becoming a DIRECTV customer is the discounted rate that you receive for the first year.   Right now, current DIRECTV deals for new customers reduce your monthly bill by $31, but only if you claim your DIRECTV rebate.  How do you get this reduced rate on your DIRECTV subscription?

Like most companies, DIRECTV wants your e-mail address to market products and services.  They also want you to manage your bill online, as well as sign up for products this way as it reduces their costs.  So to create an incentive for the customer, they give you a $26 discount for one year if you submit your DIRECTV rebate via phone, but an extra $5 if you do it online.  For most DIRECTV users, permitting DIRECTV to market them via e-mail is worth the extra $5 a month, or $60 over the course of a year.

If you do not want DIRECTV to have your e-mail address for marketing purposes, you can submit your rebate by calling 1-866-678-9465 prior to your installation date, or 1-877-286-4808 after your installation has taken place.  The better option is to get it done beforehand, as you will start getting your rebate from the first bill cycle.  If you do it after your DIRECTV installation, then you may have a delay of 6 to 8 weeks before the bill credits start.

If you don’t mind signing up online with to get your DIRECTV rebate, simply click here and you will be able to register your account and start getting your discounted rate for the first year.  Taking advantage of the rebate will reduce the price on the Choice Xtra package from $65.99 a month down to $34.99, and the Premier package goes from $114.99 a month to $83.99 for one year.

The only other rebate offered currently is the DIRECTV referral program, which give you $100 off as a new customer, and $100 to the person that refers you to the service.  Here you have to follow the plan exactly as it is set out, otherwise both you and your friend will miss out on the $100 in bill credits which are applied in $10 increments for one year.