AT&T Launching New Streaming Version of DirecTV

DooKey

DooKey

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AT&T is getting ready to launch yet another TV streaming service to go with their DirecTV Now and AT&T Watch. The new service is basically DirecTV without the satellite dish. You get an AT&T streaming box, hook it to your internet and then you get the DirecTV lineup. They expect to be able to offer the DirecTV streaming service at a lower cost than their satellite service. This might be the way to go so that they can get more subscriptions for folks that want NFL Sunday Ticket but didn't want the satellite service it required. Also of note is the fact that AT&T plans to have five different streaming service operating by the end of next year.

AT&T is desperately trying to get out ahead of the cord cutting phenomenon before these departing users all flee to competing services. Unlike many traditional pay TV operators, AT&T is at least trying to get out ahead of the curve by attempting to give frustrated users what they want: namely lower prices with more channel lineup flexibility.
 
They could give it away for free and I would still not use them. They could be the last service on the planet, and I still would not use them.

The concept of 'burning bridges' is very foreign to that company. They seem to go at it with great abandon and skill.
 
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PigLover said:
I'd really prefer a version that runs as an Android app so I can run it on an Amazon FireTV or similar box.
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Maybe that's eventually going to be an option but for the majority of people a dedicated box is what people want.
 
IIRC if you have an ATT cell phone subscrition youll get the basic streaming for free. Should be able to stream on devices/conmputers.
 
I wonder what would happen if you purchase the box in Chicago but use it in Dallas? Would I get all of the Chicago sports? That might be worth it.
 
there is one interesting side effect that has happened, for me at least, since we cut the cord, per se, years ago. I have stopped caring about a LOT of what is on TV now.. at all.

The wife watches a variety of new shows, and i simply dont care for any of them really. its pure crap, over and over again.
 
I would cut the cord and do something like this if my ISP, who is not ATT but a local small town company, didn't have caps and overage charges. My question is for those that have cut the cord and use these types of streaming services how much data are you using with your ISP? Do you have issues hitting your cap? I have no other reasonable choice for broadband access despite what the FCC says.
 
directTV already allowed you to stream direcTV, although I think it was just via web browsers
 
I don't understand the point of direct tv now... Is basically cable over the internet... Oh goodie i can watch ads in my tablet .yeah!/ S
 
I signed up for DirectTV NOW when they did the initial 35/m for 100 channels. I couldn't recommend it for the current price for 60/m for the same tier.
 
katanaD said:
there is one interesting side effect that has happened, for me at least, since we cut the cord, per se, years ago. I have stopped caring about a LOT of what is on TV now.. at all.

The wife watches a variety of new shows, and i simply dont care for any of them really. its pure crap, over and over again.
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When you stop and realize it there is A LOT of shovel shit on TV. It just is not good and I do not see how people have time to watch more then 1-2 shows a week. I have too much other things I want to do with my time. Of course those people would probably question how much a play video games. To each their own.

Uvaman2 said:
I don't understand the point of direct tv now... Is basically cable over the internet... Oh goodie i can watch ads in my tablet .yeah!/ S
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I went to DTV to eliminate boxes and reduce the cost I was paying for the content (~$120 down to $35). I also liked that I could integrate it into my Apple TV and get all of my content via one device.

It seems that even though I still have the content I watch much less since switching to streaming.

Lastly, I always laugh when people "cut the cord" and then promptly sign up for a TV streaming service.
 
goodrob said:
I would cut the cord and do something like this if my ISP, who is not ATT but a local small town company, didn't have caps and overage charges. My question is for those that have cut the cord and use these types of streaming services how much data are you using with your ISP? Do you have issues hitting your cap? I have no other reasonable choice for broadband access despite what the FCC says.
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We do not have a cap, but I monitor our usage anyway, just out of curiousity. We seem to be pretty steady at about 6GB/month. I do not know how that ranks in usage to anyone else.
 
The fail here: you need a box. It should be an app. I have a box: NVIDIA Shield Pro. Other people have boxes :Roku and Apple TV.

This is just super lame, because on top of the box it will be nodef compressed up the ass DirecTV garbage video.
 
goodrob said:
I would cut the cord and do something like this if my ISP, who is not ATT but a local small town company, didn't have caps and overage charges. My question is for those that have cut the cord and use these types of streaming services how much data are you using with your ISP? Do you have issues hitting your cap? I have no other reasonable choice for broadband access despite what the FCC says.
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I watch all TV over my internet connection, and I watch plenty. I have DirecTV Now for local channel sports and to use as a login so I can access apps on my Apple TV. Everything goes over my Cox internet connection in AZ, which typically comes with a 1TB data cap. I blew through it the first few months when I moved here in 2017. "Luckily" for me, Cox offers unlimited data for $50 more per month, or 500GB additional for $30/month.

I can keep it under 1TB and still watch a ton of TV, about half of which I'm not even actually watching. I don't know how anyone with kids could keep it under 1TB. 4K netflix just blows through bandwidth left and right. I binged a few shows that were in 4K and I think I was at almost 2TB in December.

I had CenturyLink fiber in Denver previously. 1Gb up and down, unlimited data. It was amazing. Unfortunately here there is only one real provider and they keep a short leash.
 
I thought the internet was congested and couldn't handle everyone using it? How is putting more on it a good or smart thing?

Edit: I asked how it's "good" and "smart"...something I forgot none of the ISP's know anything about.
 
How many competing services do they need to create? All the more proof they are too big. You have different companies that exist under AT&T all working on the same stuff. You have uverse (which they are trying to replace), DirecTV, DirecTV now, streaming directv and AT&T watch.

if they truly want to get ahead if cord cutters and stop losing money they should have all tv services companies work as one and create a streamlined offering.
 
Wow, I really can see the day when broadcast over the air television will be a thing of the past. That bandwidth is valuable and with the ease of getting TV programming via the internet I think OTA days are numbered.
 
Exavior said:
How many competing services do they need to create? All the more proof they are too big. You have different companies that exist under AT&T all working on the same stuff. You have uverse (which they are trying to replace), DirecTV, DirecTV now, streaming directv and AT&T watch.

if they truly want to get ahead if cord cutters and stop losing money they should have all tv services companies work as one and create a streamlined offering.
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I'm assuming you mean all the tv services under AT&T, all tv services in existence would just be stupid.

I suspect the hodge podge you are seeing is the result of multi-year contracts post merger and needing new contracts to get different rates.

I suspect that you will have direct TV satellite, because rural and mobile. Unless 5G rollout really changes the situation, a lot of customers can't switch to broadband streaming.

I suspect you will have direct TV streaming to proprietary hardware. This will likely permit them to offer some services that can't be offered with direct TV now via features in the set top box.

Direct TV NOW may or may not make it.

AT&T watch is a BYOD streaming service without the ESPN tax. We'll see if it gets you access to teh streaming content from the included channels either.
 
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