The two-hour 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship premieres on ION Thursday, May 29 beginning at 8/7c.

The championship coverage is available for streaming through ION on DirecTV. The popular streaming service currently offers a 5-day free trial for new users to enjoy before committing to a paid subscription.

What is the Scripps National Spelling Bee?

The annual event begins each year when students from all walks of life have the opportunity to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program. They begin in classrooms and cafeterias and progress to auditoriums and civic centers, just as millions of other students before them.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee first began in 1925, and a century later, millions of students have participated in the annual event.

Who are the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee finalists?

• Esha Marupudi: a 13-year-old seventh grader from Phoenix, Arizona
• Oliver Halkett: a 13-year-old seventh grader from Los Angeles, California
• Sarvadnya Kadam: a 14-year-old eighth grader from Visalia, California
• Sarv Dharavane: an 11-year-old fifth grader from Tucker, Georgia
• Harini Murali: a 13-year-old eighth grader from Edison, New Jersey
• Brian Liu: a 13-year-old eighth grader from Great Neck, New York
• Aishwarya Kallakuri: a 14-year-old eighth grader from Charlotte, North Carolina
• Akshaj Somisetty: a 13-year-old eighth grader from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Faizan Zaki: a 13-year-old seventh grader from Dallas, Texas

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a top streaming service perfect for those looking to access a plethora of live TV channels and enjoy helpful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

Two other DirecTV packages are the Choice package (original price $114.99) and the Ultimate package (original price $129.99), both of which are part of an ongoing promotion that offers new subscribers $10 off the original price for the first three months of their subscription.

DirecTV has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allows subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. With genre packs, users can get the channels and content they want without filler channel overload. Packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages and the new genre packs can check them out here.