Between the two satellite TV providers — DISH Network and DIRECTV — you can get more than 256 different channels of TV programming, pay-per-view movies and events, your local channels, and commercial-free music channels.

Satellite TV channels are bundled into various packages. Here’s a rundown on what satellite TV packages are available:

Dish Network Satellite TV Packages

Dish Family Pak — 40 program channels for $19.99 per month.

America’s Top 60 — 85 program channels for $29.99 per month.

America’s Top 120 — 175 program channels including 60 Sirius satellite radio channels for $39.99 per month.

America’s Top 180 — 232 program channels including 60 Sirius satellite radio channels for $39.99 per month.

America’s “Everything” Pak — 375 program channels including 60 channels of Sirius satellite radio, premium movie channels from Showtime, Starz!, HBO and Cinemax, and DISH Network HDTV programming for $74.99 per month.

DISH Network Movie Channel Packages

10 Showtime Channels, 8 Starz Channels, 8 HBO Channels, 5 Cinemax Channels, Showtime Unlimited/Starz Super Pak, HBO The Works/MultiMAX from Cinemax, HBO The Works/Showtime Unlimited, HBO The Works/Starz Super Pak.

DISH Network Sports Packages

Multi-Regional Sport, The Outdoor Channel, MLB Extra Innings, ESPN College Grand Slam, NBA League Pass, ESPN Full Court, ESPN Game Plan, NHL Center Ice, MLS Direct Kick, English Premier League.

DISH Network International Programming Packages

Dish Latino, Dish Latino Dos, Dish Latino Max, Chinese Great Wall Package, African, Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Tagalog, and Urdu.

DISH Network Adult Channels

Playboy, Spice Ultimate, TENClips, TENXtsy, Private Fantasy (note: all DISH Network satellite TV systems include parental locks.

Note: For more information on current DISH Network programming and subscription fees, or to order satellite TV service with a free satellite TV system, click on the links below.

DIRECTV Satellite TV Packages

Total Choice — 155 program channels, including 50 XM radio channels for $41,99 per month.

Total Choice Plus — 185 program channels, including 50 XM radio channels for $46.88 per month.

Total Choice Premier — 250 program channels, including 67 XM radio channels for $96 .99 per month.

DIRECTV Premium Services Packages

HBO7 HBO channels (including HBO HD), STARZ (4 STARZ channels, 2 Encore channels, and 6 EncoreSM Theme channels), Showtime Unlimited (5 Showtime channels, 2 channels of The Movie Channel, 1 FLIX channel, and 1 Sundance channel), Cinemax (3 Cinemax channels),

Sports Pack (more than 25 specialty and regional sports networks, plus NBA.com, Fox Sports World, and The Golf Channel).

DIRECTV Sports Subscriptions

NFL Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass, ESPN Game Plan, MLB Extra Innings, NHL Center Ice, ESPN Full Court, MLS Direct Kick, Barclays English Premier League, Mega March Madness, Cricket Ticket

Additional Programming Packages

HD Package (ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, HDNet Movies, TNT HD, Universal HD, and Pay-Per-View.

International Program Packages

Para Todos, Phoenix TV, Jade World, Filipino, South Asian, Vietnamese, and Italian programming.

DIRECTV Adult Programming

A Taste of Spice, Playboy TV, Spice Platinum, The Hot Network, The Hot Zone, and Spice HD.

Note: For more information on current DIRECTV programming and subscription fees, or to order satellite TV service with a free satellite TV system, click on the links below.

Click on the following link for more information on free satellite TV systems and service, or these links for ordering information, plus the latest satellite TV packages information and free offers from DISH Network satellite TV or DIRECTV satellite TV.

Brian Stevens is the senior editor for www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com. and has written extensively on satellite TV packages.

Written By: Brian Stevens

Satellite Radio is the future of broadcasting

Satellite Radio, in short, can be described as commercial-free music, news, sports and talk shows. Many of the biggest players and events are now available from Sirius radio and XM radio like Howard Stern, Fred Schneider (the B52s), NFL, English Soccer, NBA, NASCAR, NHL, Major League Baseball, INDY, and the PGA.

Satellite radio began in 1992, when the S spectrum was allocated by the FCC to four companies. The two main ones, Sirius and XM paid a pretty penny (in fact almost $80 million dollars worth) to buy a license. Satellite-based radio began on May 15th, 2001 when XM Radio completed their satellite system. Sirius followed shortly when they launched in July, 2001. Since then, expanded products and competition has changed the radio landscape.

While automobile manufacturers started installing satellite radio in 2001 and 2002, most new vehicles come equipped with one now. XM has two satellites (called Rock and Roll) in parallel orbits to cover the mainland US market, while Sirius has three. Both have recently been awarded licenses for the Canadian market.

So what are the differences between the two providers?

XM has a flat $9.99 a month fee with no contracts to sign. They have the latest portable equipment. XM offers some of the best varieties of programming available today. They offer 68 commercial-free music channels; 32 channels of News, Sports, Talk & Entertainment; and 21 channels of instant Traffic & Weather in major metro areas. Here’s the latest information of channels:

15 channels of Rock music

11 News channels (Fox, CNN, ABC, CNBC, MSNBC, BBC, C-SPAN, Bloomberg)

11 Talk & Variety channels (Discovery, E!, Experts & advice, African American Talk, Christian Talk)

10 channels of Pop music & Top Hits

7 Country music choices

7 channels of Blues & Jazz music

7 Hip Hop and Urban music choices

6 different channels of music by the Decades (40’s through 90’s)

5 Sports channels (ESPN, Fox, Sporting News, NASCAR)

4 Dance music channels

4 World music choices

3 Christian music choices

3 Comedy entertainment channels (adult comedy, family comedy)

3 Classical music channels

2 Kids entertainment channels (Disney)

2 Latin music choices

Sirius offers a $12.95 per month fee and you can pre-pay for a full year for a discount (works out to $9.99 per month). They offer better sports coverage with play-by-play of the NBA, NHL, and NFL. Sirius has signed some great talent of celebrity DJs. Sirius offers 60 channels of music with no commercials, 50 channels of News, Sports, Talk and Entertainment; and 20 channels of 24/7 Traffic & Weather in major cities. Here’s how Sirius stack up with their channel line up:

16 Talk & Variety channels (Discovery, E!, Talk for Women, CourtTV, Air America, Gay/Lesbian, Body/Mind/Spirit Talk)

14 channels of Rock music

12 channels of Pop music & Top Hits

10 News channels (CNN, CNBC, Fox, NPR, PRI, C-SPAN, BCC, World Radio, Bloomberg)

9 Hip Hop and Urban music choices

7 Sports channels (ESPN, play-by-play channels)

6 Country music choices

6 Jazz music channels

5 Dance music channels

4 different channels of music by the Decades (50’s through 80’s)

3 Classical music channels

2 Christian music choices (Catholic)

2 channels of Blues & Reggae

2 Latin music choices

2 Comedy entertainment channels (regular and uncensored)

2 World music choices

1 Kids entertainment channels (Disney)

To read more on Satellite TV and Radio, please visit my site: Satellite TV and Radio :: Your #1 Source for Satellite Television and Satellite Radio.

About the Author

Satellite TV and Radio :: Bringing a New World of Digital to You
Satellite TV and Radio :: Your #1 Source for Satellite Television and Satellite Radio.

Written By: Dale L

If you’ve watched any television in the last 24 hours you’ve probably seen an ad for a satellite television company. Often times these commercials promise many things to entice you into making a purchase. Free months of service, free equipment, and free installation are often mentioned as reasons why you should go with a particular service. These days it is extremely confusing when trying to make an informed buying decision.

There are two main companies that are currently selling satellite television service. Both DISH Network and DirecTV offer excellent programming, a clear signal, and a quality customer service experience. So, you might be asking yourself, which one is better? Good question. Let me provide a few of the differences and similarities so that you may make a decision.

Channel Selection – Both satellite companies offer similar channel selections. From my experience DirecTV offers a wider range of programming. You’ll have to decide for yourself which channels are most important and then check each provider to see whether they’re carried. If your a sports fan, both providers offer all of the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL packages for your viewing pleasure.

Music Channels – I’m a huge fan of this optional service. If you enjoy satellite television or are just interested in commercial-free radio you might be interested in learning that both satellite tv providers have teamed up with satellite radio providers to offer you a great additional service. DISH Network is working with Sirius satellite radio to bring you music channels on your television while DirecTV has partnered with XM satellite radio. Both bring excellent sound and musical choice to the television.

Price – The price of service varies greatly depending upon the package of service you select. Since price changes so frequently my best advice is to compare both and see which provides the better deal.

Free Equipment – Both DISH Network and DirecTV now offer HDTV and DVR service. If you have an HDTV television you may be able to get a free receiver that will allow you to receive transmissions in HDTV. Both satellite tv providers now offer this option.

In conclusion, you really can’t go wrong with whichever choice you make. Whether you go with DirecTV or DISH Network is dependent upon your personal preferences.

About The Author

Michael Hizer is a successful internet marketer and expert in satellite television and online shopping. You can find the best deals in satellite television at http://www.bestdishdealonline.com.

bestdishdealonline@yahoo.com

Written By: Michael Hizer