Skip to main content

DirecTV Kids will babysit your tots with age-appropriate videos and movies

Kid-friendly video apps seem to be all the rage these days — Google has YouTube Kids, Netflix has Just for Kids, and Sky has a new Kids video-on-demand section. It was pretty much inevitable, then, that more pay-TV providers would hop on the bandwagon, and today another has. DirecTV released the eponymous DirecTV Kids for iOS, an app that filters and repackages its existing on-demand library in a format ostensibly friendlier for youngsters.

It definitely delivers on aesthetic — it’s colorful and inviting, with changeable backgrounds and bubble-shaped category buttons for simple searches. But the wrapping is arguably less important than the content, and little ones can expect plenty of the latter. Cartoons, shows, and movies from Viacom’s Nickelodeon, Turner’s Cartoon Network, HBO, and a handful of other networks have made their way into the first release, and DirecTV says it’s adding Disney programming soon. To ensure age-appropriateness, the satellite provider’s partnering with Common Sense Media, a parental reviews website, for ratings. You needn’t worry if junior doesn’t heed the warnings, though — all programming in the app is rated at TV-Y7 or lower.

DirecTV Kids app shot 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The intention behind DirecTV Kids was to “take the worry away from watching TV and give kids a simple and safe viewing environment without the need for complicated parental-control setup on multiple devices,” said Tony Goncalves, senior VP of DirecTV’s digital entertainment product group. It’s by all accounts successful, which is an accomplishment worth noting — YouTube Kids, by contrast, has been lambasted by critics for including highly targeted advertising and videos containing sex, drug use, and other adult themes.

Recommended Videos

DirecTV Kids is live in the App Store for iPhones and iPads running iOS 7 and higher. It requires an active subscription, and isn’t yet available for subscribers outside the U.S.

Available at:

Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
3 TV comedies on Prime Video you need to watch in September
Michael Sheen sitting with a cup of tea and David Tennant sitting on the back of the chair behind him in a scene from Good Omens.

There’s no shortage of TV comedies streaming and on linear TV. But with the writer’s strike still looming, you might be looking to check out something from a streaming service library you haven’t watched yet. It’s the perfect time to watch that series you never got around to but always meant to watch, or the one so many people have told you is worth checking out.

Amazon Prime Video is a good place to start. Among the best shows on Amazon Prime are many TV comedies that you can watch with a base Amazon Prime subscription, new and old. Here, we highlight three in particular that are good to watch in September.
Spin City (1996-2001)

Read more
DirecTV Stream will have NFL RedZone, for what it’s worth
DirecTV Stream app icon on Apple TV.

One of the most exciting things about the 2023 NFL season is that NFL Sunday Ticket is going to be available to a lot more people — basically, everyone, since it'll be streaming on YouTube TV and YouTube proper. This raises a good question: Does DirecTV have anything left for football fans?

Today, the NFL answered that question: NFL Network and NFL RedZone will be available on the legacy satellite service, on the DirecTV Stream streaming service, and on the old U-verse DSL service, keeping the dream alive after two decades. NFL RedZone is a channel that shows scoring opportunities as they're about to happen, hoping from game to game in the process. And NFL Network has the occasional game and plenty of news and features beyond that.

Read more
The best kids movies on Amazon Prime Video right now
Griffin, Frankenstein, Johnny, Murray, and Wayne from Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Amazon Prime Video doesn’t have the largest library of family-friendly films, but if you know where to look, you can find a modest collection of movies that are perfect for your young ones. To help you sift through the collection and find the right film for the children (or kids at heart) in your family, we've assembled this list of the best kids movies on Amazon Prime Video.

We’ve also rounded up the best kids movies on Hulu, the best kids movies on Netflix, and the best kids movies on Disney+ if you don't find what you’re looking for on Prime Video.

Read more