What Channel Is ESPN On DirecTV?

by Daniel Smith | Updated 11/8/23

directv espn channel

There are over 20 channels where you can watch ESPN on DirecTV.  Some of the most popular channels include ESPN, ESPNU, and ESPN Deportes.

Thankfully, all ESPN channels on DirecTV are on the same channel number throughout the country.  This makes things a lot easier compared to cable companies like Spectrum or Xfinity.

In this guide, we’ll show you where all the channels are located and where you can watch your favorite teams and leagues play.

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DirecTV ESPN Channel Guide

MLB Network

Location		ChannelLocationChannel
ESPN206, 209-1, 1206ESPN Deportes466, 1432
ESPN2209, 209-2ESPN Classic614
ESPN News207ESPN College Extra788-798
ESPNU208, 1208

The Main ESPN Channel On Directv

ESPN On Directv

Location		ChannelLocationChannel
Birmingham206, 209-1, 1206Baltimore206, 209-1, 1206
Little Rock206, 209-1, 1206Detroit206, 209-1, 1206
Phoenix206, 209-1, 1206Minneapolis206, 209-1, 1206
Yuma206, 209-1, 1206St. Louis206, 209-1, 1206
Los Angeles206, 209-1, 1206Charlotte206, 209-1, 1206
San Francisco206, 209-1, 1206Omaha206, 209-1, 1206
Bakersfield206, 209-1, 1206Albuquerque206, 209-1, 1206
San Diego206, 209-1, 1206Las Vegas206, 209-1, 1206
Fresno206, 209-1, 1206New York206, 209-1, 1206
Sacramento206, 209-1, 1206Columbus206, 209-1, 1206
Colorado Springs206, 209-1, 1206Oklahoma City206, 209-1, 1206
Denver206, 209-1, 1206Portland206, 209-1, 1206
Washington DC206, 209-1, 1206Philadelphia206, 209-1, 1206
Jacksonville206, 209-1, 1206Nashville206, 209-1, 1206
Fort Worth206, 209-1, 1206Memphis206, 209-1, 1206
Miami206, 209-1, 1206El Paso206, 209-1, 1206
Orlando206, 209-1, 1206Houston206, 209-1, 1206
Tampa206, 209-1, 1206Brownsville206, 209-1, 1206
Atlanta206, 209-1, 1206Dallas206, 209-1, 1206
Honolulu206, 209-1, 1206San Antonio206, 209-1, 1206
Chicago206, 209-1, 1206Austin206, 209-1, 1206
Kansas City206, 209-1, 1206Norfolk206, 209-1, 1206
Louisville206, 209-1, 1206Seattle206, 209-1, 1206
New Orleans206, 209-1, 1206Boston206, 209-1, 1206

ESPN On DirecTV

The main ESPN Channel is on Channel 206 on DirecTV.

Besides Channel 206, there are separate broadcasts on channels 209-1 and 1206.

209-1 is a secondary broadcast when the main ESPN channel has more games to air and 1206 is for ESPN on Demand.

ESPN is the most popular sports channel in the world. It has the rights to the biggest leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB.

Some of the key games that ESPN airs include Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball, and Wednesday and Friday Night NBA doubleheaders.

They also have slightly less popular sports like the Masters and PGA Tournament, 37 NHL games, and Formula One.

There are also documentaries and sports commentary shows that air on ESPN.  Some of our favorites are Sports Center, 30 For 30, and Around the Horn.

When there’s not a live game or replay on, there’s generally a talk show on.

espn2 channel on directv

ESPNU DirecTV Channel

ESPNU is also the home for college sports for DirecTV customers with channels like ESPNU and the ESPN College Extra Package.

To start watching ESPNU, go to Channel 209.  There’s also ESPNU channels on 209-2 and 1208 but those are for secondary broadcasts and ESPNU on Demand.

ESPNU has the rights to many popular college sports tournaments.  Here’s a brief list of some of the games that air on the channel:

  • ACC
  • Big 12
  • Big Ten
  • Ivy League
  • Pac 12
  • SEC (Southeastern Conference)

They also have nonsports shows like SportsCenterU, College Football Live, and Inside the Big East.

ESPN College Extra is on channels 788 to 798.  It’s where you want to go if you want to watch live college sports.

They have football, basketball, and baseball.

The reason why there are so many channels is that there are even more college teams than professional league teams and they needed at least ten channels so fans can watch their favorite teams live.

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ESPN2 On DirecTV

Want to watch ESPN 2 on DirecTV?  Your options are channels 209 and 209-2.

209 is the main channel and 209-2 is the channel for simulcast and overflow games.

DIRECTV ESPN Deportes

Hablo Español?  ESPN has you and other DirecTV customers covered with the ESPN Deportes channel.

The right channels to go to watch ESPN Deportes are 466 and 1432.

Go to channel 1432 if you want to watch ESPN Deportes on Demand.

The rights for ESPN and ESPN Deportes are a tad different.  ESPN Deportes is more than just ESPN content with Spanish subtitles.

Here are some of the sports ESPN Deportes currently has rights for: Liga MX, NFL, college football, MLB, NBA, the Master Tournament, and the NHL.

While ESPN Deportes has shows like Sportscenter and NFL Live, they’re with completely different hosts who speak entirely Spanish.

Some of the popular shows on the channel are SportsCenter, Fútbol Picante, and Cronómetro.

ESPN News/ESPN Classic

DirecTV subscribers can watch ESPN News on Channel 207 and ESPN Classic on Channel 614.

ESPN News was supposed to be ESPN 3 but they made it ESPN News instead.  As its namesake suggests, the channel plays mostly sports news.

The most popular shows on the channel are SportsCenter, First Take, and NFL Live.

ESPN News isn’t just for news.  It’s also used as an overflow network if there are multiple live sporting events going on and the other overflow channels are full.

Sometimes big games are on the channel like the NBA playoffs or Nascar.

ESPN Classic focused on sports history and aired famous games from previous years and specials such as Hall of Fame inductions.

Unfortunately, ESPN Classic shut down at the end of the year in 2021.

The channel is still available on DirecTV but just shows local programming which is mostly infomercials.

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It’s way too complicated to find the games and channels that you want on ESPN.  There are just too many rights and too many channels that the game you want to watch could be on.

We hope this guide made it a bit easier to find what you were looking for.  It’s the best guide on the internet for finding ESPN channels on Directv.

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About the author

Daniel Smith is the CTO of BillSmart. A graduate of UC Berkeley, he's worked for top tech companies like Adobe and Palantir. In his free time, he enjoys messing around in crypto and playing strategy games.