DirecTV is launching a new free streaming service. We know that

DirecTV, one of the country’s largest TV providers, is launching another TV service: one that doesn’t require any payment or subscription.

MyFree DirecTV, scheduled to launch on November 15, is a free streaming service with a collection of ad-supported live TV channels and an “extensive on-demand library” of series, shows and movies – all available for free with ads . More channels will be added throughout 2025.

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

“With the new service, I think we’re going to meet that market need… to find quality free content and give customers the personalized and curated experience that will set it apart,” Vikash Sharma, DirecTV’s head of product, said USA TODAY.

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What is FAST TV?

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

Many of us turned to streaming services to avoid ads – and to sign long-term contracts for cable, fiber and satellite TV – but as subscriptions grew, so did interest in free streaming options.

Longstanding free streaming services Pluto TV and Tubi — both launched a decade ago — and the Roku Channel, which launched in 2017, have helped build an audience. According to Nielsen, these three services accounted for 3.7% of total TV usage in February 2024.

What will be on MyFree DirecTV?

DirecTV didn’t reveal its full lineup for the upcoming service, but hinted that in addition to the FAST channels, content providers to its pay services — from A&E, Disney, Fox and others — could also offer free live programming in addition to on-demand programming.

The MyFree DirecTV website (where you can sign up for email updates) features images of television series such as “American Pickers,” “Pawn Stars,” “Power,” “Storage Wars” and “The UnXplained with William.” “. Shatner.

“We will have some very high quality, I would call it the best of the best FAST channels,” said Sharma.

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Will there be advertising on MyFree DirecTV?

Yes. You’ll see about as many ads as you would on a live television broadcast, Amy Leifer, chief advertising sales officer at DirecTV Advertising, told USA TODAY.

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

Curating its own free streaming service “is now a way to give our advertisers the opportunity to reach new audiences,” she said. Additionally, Leifer said, MyFree DirecTV brings the DirecTV brand “to a new audience that looks a little different than” the current paying audience of about 11 million.

According to Digital TV Research Ltd. Advertisers are expected to spend more on placement on FAST services, with global FAST revenue estimated to reach $17 billion in 2029, up from $8 billion in 2023.

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

Ultimately, MyFree DirecTV could strengthen DirecTV’s ecosystem as the company hopes to offer “smaller, 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, the Owned by ESPN and other channels.

According to Leichtman Research Group, DirecTV is also trying to acquire satellite rival Dish Network, which has more than 6 million subscribers.

Eventually, MyFree DirecTV users will give free viewers the option to subscribe to smaller packages dedicated to entertainment, for example, and other scaled-down choices that go beyond an ultimate programming package. “That’s broadly the roadmap,” Sharma said.

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DirecTV is offering a new free streaming TV service in November