AT&T will Launch it's own Streaming Service

[13Gigatons]

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/01/media/att-cable-tv-internet/index.html

AT&T is going "over the top" with television.

In the fourth quarter of this year, AT&T will start selling cable-like bundles of TV to people across the country through a new app. Subscribers won't need an AT&T wireless phone or an AT&T broadband connection at home.
It'll be like Netflix -- download the app, sign up, type in a credit card number, and start streaming a TV show.



The "DirecTV Now" bundle will be oriented toward live scheduled programming, the same way existing TV on-screen guides work.



But one of the other bundles, "DirecTV Mobile," will be oriented toward on-demand programming, more like Netflix and Hulu, which is a big shift for the industry. This lower-cost plan will be just for smart phones, while "DirecTV Now" will work on big-screen TVs too.

A third offering, "DirecTV Preview," won't require a monthly subscription at all. It will be a free app with a smaller selection of shows, perhaps intended to persuade people to pay for the bigger bundles.

UPDATE: Will cost $35 a month and have 100 channels. Launches this month.

 

[ElFenix]

First Comcast and now AT&T, this seems like a HUGE conflict of interest. D:

what's the plan, run netflix, amazon prime, slingtv etc. out of the market, then raise the price on service until we're paying more for less stuff?

 

[13Gigatons]

what's the plan, run netflix, amazon prime, slingtv etc. out of the market, then raise the price on service until we're paying more for less stuff?

Wonder if you get a discount if your already a AT&T customer?

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Well, AT&T's plan to stop deploying U-verse television was to buy DirecTV. Now they are looking to remove the DVR from people's homes by selling streaming services.

But don't go thinking there is a way to timeshift, or expect a heavy discount over traditional content delivery platforms.

 

[Midwayman]

Big conflict of interest, but I think its super cool that its starting. This is the beginning of IPTV in a real way.

 

[JSt0rm]

I have sony vue and you have dvr like capabilities. I'm sure all of these streaming services will have them. The cool thing about it is making sure commercials have keyframes that pop up in the fast forwarding of adverts.

 

[TwiceOver]

Until there is specifics it's nothing more than talk.

On-Demand? Back Catalog? Commercials? This is all I care about. If you want me to appointment watch shows with commercials and pay for it, piss off. :glaring at SlingTV:

 

[poofyhairguy]

This lower-cost plan will be just for smart phones, while "DirecTV Now" will work on big-screen TVs too.

Ouch. That proves they haven't learned the lesson yet, dividing up costs by consumption device is a losing game. I don't know how they plan to keep it off of TVs if it is on smart phones. It's like someone has never showed them a MHL cable.

 

[JSt0rm]

Ouch. That proves they haven't learned the lesson yet, dividing up costs by consumption device is a losing game. I don't know how they plan to keep it off of TVs if it is on smart phones. It's like someone has never showed them a MHL cable.

Whats the problem? some 22 year old who has no tv can buy a cheaper service for the phone/ipad and you can buy the service for the tv.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Whats the problem?

They think they can charge more for TV when:

A. Mobile devices hook to TVs, so that is a pointless barrier. There is no way to restrict usage of something MHL cable, so I am sure the plan is if you use an official app on something like an AppleTV or Roku that costs more.

B. Many set top boxes run mobile OSes, so it would be easy to sideload the "cheaper" app

C. Making TV consumption artificially more expensive just pushes consumer away from TV consumption in general, which is damaging longterm because TV as a platform has less competition.

I get why they are doing it, they feel it is a way to create price discrimination by generation- they are assuming older people are willing to pay more and are less savvy about hooking a mobile device to a Tv. The problem with that is that older people who are savvy enough to leave cable behind are probably savvy enough to format shift. They are barking up the wrong tree unless they have a marketing plan to convince grandma to cut the cord.

What they need is a flat price for all platforms (maybe two- one commercials one not) and find a way to make that work.

 

[lupi]

Looks like they're planning on killing satellite portion of directv with this.


http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/b...meline-to-phase-out.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

 

[chimaxi83]

what's the plan, run netflix, amazon prime, slingtv etc. out of the market, then raise the price on service until we're paying more for less stuff?

Well yeah, how else are they going to pay me and my union brothers our soon to increase wages?

 

[Spacehead]

Under the timeline, set-top boxes and satellite dishes could be obsolete in three to five years.

Yeah great, lets remove the only option rural customers have for watching premium TV.

The company has, however, said it has much to gain from a move toward streaming as it integrates its mobile and broadband businesses with its entertainment wing.

Seems like everyone is all about streaming these days. It would be nice if someone offered faster internet so we could stream something more than the lowest quality.

 

[JSt0rm]

you cant expect us city folk to subsidize those who choose to live in the rural parts.

 

[ElFenix]

Bye bye net neutrality

 

[shortylickens]

they promised us streaming over 20 years ago and never did it.

 

[gorcorps]

All I care about is how this affects me being able to get Sunday Ticket... because right now I'm not able to if I don't have DirecTV

 

[Imported]

All I care about is how this affects me being able to get Sunday Ticket... because right now I'm not able to if I don't have DirecTV

You can't get it through https://nflst.directv.com/? I've done it the past two years but haven't done it yet for this year cause the schedule hasn't necessitated it yet..

 

[Linflas]

Amazing how quickly they have managed to get people paying for something that generations grew up getting free. Yes there are a ton more channels and great technological advances in picture quality and delivery but in the end it is still just TV.

 

[Ns1]

Amazing how quickly they have managed to get people paying for something that generations grew up getting free. Yes there are a ton more channels and great technological advances in picture quality and delivery but in the end it is still just TV.

it's just TV in the same way that a 1980's pinto and a 2010 mercedes are just cars.

 

[edro]

Amazing how quickly they have managed to get people paying for something that generations grew up getting free. Yes there are a ton more channels and great technological advances in picture quality and delivery but in the end it is still just TV.

It was only "free" because of commercials.

 

[gorcorps]

You can't get it through https://nflst.directv.com/? I've done it the past two years but haven't done it yet for this year cause the schedule hasn't necessitated it yet..

Nope, my address isn't eligible. No idea why. They're happy to force me to get their full blown satellite service to get it, but nothing else. Just as well... I hate the idea of giving DirecTV any more of my money.

actually I just found out why: "Essentially DirecTV will let users buy the Sunday Ticket without a cable subscription only if they live in an area DirecTV isn’t offered, or a home where putting up a Satellite dish isn’t an option."

 

[zinfamous]

Amazing how quickly they have managed to get people paying for something that generations grew up getting free. Yes there are a ton more channels and great technological advances in picture quality and delivery but in the end it is still just TV.

The same TV that those people used to get for free is still free, and it is better PQ and AQ and there are actually more channels available with that same free service.

 

[Imported]

Nope, my address isn't eligible. No idea why. They're happy to force me to get their full blown satellite service to get it, but nothing else. Just as well... I hate the idea of giving DirecTV any more of my money.

actually I just found out why: "Essentially DirecTV will let users buy the Sunday Ticket without a cable subscription only if they live in an area DirecTV isn’t offered, or a home where putting up a Satellite dish isn’t an option."

Wonder if you could just call and get it by giving an excuse to why you can't put up a dish.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

It was only "free" because of commercials.

I remember when 'cable television' first launched. You paid for it because there were no commercials, unlike commercial television. Now everything has commercials whether you pay for it or not. I was about to cancel my DirecTV until my employer gave me a discount, a really really nice discount. Now I feel I cannot complain about the commercials.