Sports Pack with Preferred Xtra?

[cpalmer2k]

Has anyone out there ever added the Sports Pack to Preferred Xtra, and if so what happened with your channels, etc? I know typically Preferred Xtra avoids the RSN fees but what happens if you add the Sports Pack? Do you get all the RSNs that are part of it except the ones you would ordinarily have to pay a fee for?

 

[Darrell S]

I have Preferred Xtra. I just added Sports Pack for college football season. I get my 2 local RSN channels without the RSN fee plus all the other channels included in Sports pack.

 

[zidanetribal17]

You can add the Sports Pack to any base package even Family and Preferred Xtra and will get all the Sports Pack channels without the RSN fee including your in market RSN channels.

On a side note, my mother has had Preferred Xtra since she signed on with D* in 2015 because she didn't want sports. Ironically D* billing system has given her the following as complimentary services over the years:

207 ESPNews
208 ESPNU
212 NFL Network
218 Golf Channel
221 CBS Sports Network
602 TVG
610 Big Ten Network
618 FS2
660 Fox Sports Ohio (1 of 4 RSNs)
662 Sports Time Ohio (2 of 4 RSNs)

The system has never given her the following sports channels as complimentary services:
213 MLB Network
215 NHL Network
216 NBA TV
217 Tennis Channel
611 SEC Network
659 AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh (3 of 4 RSNs)
661 Fox Sports Cincinnati (4 of 4 RSNs)

When she called Loyalty one year they gave her a discount and a 6 month trial of the Sports Pack it temporary removed the complimentary services but she got al the channels in the Sports Pack. However within 4 weeks after the Sports Pack was added the billing system gave her all the complimentary service back (that was in 2016). For some reason in the legacy D* system any change resulted in a temporary loss in complimentary services with Preferred Xtra.

After she transitioned in 2018 to AT&T's billing systems apparently making changes to her account (adding a discount, removing a premium service like Epix) doesn't cause the complimentary services to drop off anymore they stay intact.

 

[jamieh1]

Same for me. Have all those complementary channels also. Recently added Eleven sports also.

 

[cpalmer2k]

You can add the Sports Pack to any base package even Family and Preferred Xtra and will get all the Sports Pack channels without the RSN fee including your in market RSN channels.
After she transitioned in 2018 to AT&T's billing systems apparently making changes to her account (adding a discount, removing a premium service like Epix) doesn't cause the complimentary services to drop off anymore they stay intact.

Thanks guys, looks like I'll be doing a chat to add it tomorrow. $13.99 for the Sports Pack vs. paying almost $10 in RSN fees seems like a no brainer to me! I never thought about the possibility of it backfiring though and me losing my "complimentary" channels. That would stink. I'm in about the same boat.. I've gotten ESPNU, ESPNNews and NFL Network back. Probably some of the others too that I never thought to check. I really want ACC Network now though, and since I never got SEC Network the likelihood of getting ACC is slim as well. I'd like some of the smaller market college football on the ESPN Xtra channels too. Not sure how DirecTV's system determines who gets the complimentary channels, or which ones, but I've been lucky on that. When I opted into keeping Nick Jr back in May I somehow ended up with CNN International too, even though it wasn't supposed to go to Preferred Xtra.

 

[TheRatPatrol]

I really wish one of the providers out there would offer a sports only package with all of the national sports networks without having to pay for all of the other junk channels.

 

[Don in CT]

I really wish one of the providers out there would offer a sports only package with all of the national sports networks without having to pay for all of the other junk channels.

What are the other junk channels?

 

[TheRatPatrol]

What are the other junk channels?

Take a look at your guide, you’ll see them, too many to list here.

 

[cpalmer2k]

So I did a chat yesterday and they offered me the three months free promo for the Sports Pack. Ironically it didn't accomplish everything I'd hoped though. ACC Network does work now, which is good. But SEC Network still doesn't. I also can't watch any of the Sports Pack RSN's via the TV Everywhere apps. Apparently the DirecTV system only authorizes you for those if they are included in your BASE package. So, to watch ACCN or Longhorn from the ESPN app I'd have to change from Preferred Xtra to Xtra I guess.