Does DirecTV ever do free previews of their higher end packages?

[Marcingak]

I currently have the Preferred Choice package but this past weekend somehow I was able to receive/watch all the channels except for the premium channels (HBO, Starz, etc). Seemed like a free preview of the Ultimate package unless it was some kind of glitch. I'm sad that I no longer have those channels but now I know what I'm missing and I'm considering upgrading lol.

 

[Jimbo]

Sometimes they will do a higher package for a weekend, don't think they have ever done the Top Premiere package though.

 

[Zashel]

they have the movie channels open usually once a quarter for a 3 day weekend. maybe more often, havent really kept track.

 

[Marcingak]

Ah ok thanks guys! So it wasn't a glitch.

 

[jcrandall]

There was a preview of choice xtra all last week, and they included the ultimate channels despite promoting it as xtra.

When the premium networks have a promo we try to post them here as a sticky. HBO has one coming in a few weeks that we'll post then.

 

[Marcingak]

There was a preview of choice xtra all last week, and they included the ultimate channels despite promoting it as xtra.

When the premium networks have a promo we try to post them here as a sticky. HBO has one coming in a few weeks that we'll post then.

Aww I wish I found out about it sooner. I actually stumbled across it by accident because I was searching for Family Feud episodes in the guide and GSN came up even though I don't have that channel on my current package. How many times a year do they usually do these previews?

 

[ChadT41]

Aww I wish I found out about it sooner. I actually stumbled across it by accident because I was searching for Family Feud episodes in the guide and GSN came up even though I don't have that channel on my current package. How many times a year do they usually do these previews?

When it makes sense to have someone want to buy it.

 

[pattykay]

There was a preview of choice xtra all last week, and they included the ultimate channels despite promoting it as xtra.

When the premium networks have a promo we try to post them here as a sticky. HBO has one coming in a few weeks that we'll post then.

So that is what happened. I thought the timing of the free preview was funny, because I had just downgraded from Select to Family, and I found that I was actually getting a lot more channels than I had been getting with Select. Eventually the additional channels went away, and I assumed it had been some kind of glitch, since I didn't see anything on the Directv website or this site promoting the free preview. I even called Directv customer service to ask if there was a free preview going on, and the CSR had no clue.

 

[DS0816]

DirecTV hasn't done a Sports Pack preview in a long time. This is the one with the regional and multiregional sports programmers, Outdoor Channel, and Universal Sports, etc. regularly in the package.

 

[pattykay]

DirecTV hasn't done a Sports Pack preview in a long time. This is the one with the regional and multiregional sports programmers, Outdoor Channel, and Universal Sports, etc. regularly in the package.

Yes, Directv normally leaves the sports channels (even ESPN and ESPN2) out of the free previews of the upper-level packages. That is probably because they would be too expensive to deliver to every customer for free. Many markets across the country now have a regional sports fee for the packages that include RSNs, so Directv does not want to deliver those channels to subscribers who are not paying that fee.