directvnow
Latest
AT&T's telecoms chief is retiring amid industry upheaval
As the telecom industry is going through a seismic shift, the head of AT&T Communications is stepping down. John Donovan set his retirement date for October 1st and the company will name a successor soon.
How to watch the Super Bowl: A cord-cutter’s guide
We all know you don't have to be a fan of American football to watch the Super Bowl. The NFL's Big Game, which this year will be played between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, goes beyond the sport. Even if you don't like who's playing (we're looking at you, Tom Brady), the Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to get together with friends and enjoy a day full of seven-layer dip, chicken wings and, of course, booze. Thankfully, in 2019, the NFL is making it easy for everyone in the US to watch Super Bowl LIII, even if you don't have a cable or satellite account.
How to stream New Year's Eve 2019 countdowns
If you'd rather stream New Year's Eve celebrations in North America than venture outside, you'll have plenty of options... including a novelty or two. The most notable example comes from Times Square itself, which will show the New York City ball drop for 2019 in all its glory. However, you can also watch well-known game streamer Ninja play in Times Square using Twitch. You're covered if Fortnite is more to your taste than champagne, in other words.
Hulu and AT&T plan to run ads when you pause videos
Companies have previously dabbled in ads that appear when you pause videos, but they're about to come roaring back in the streaming era. Variety has learned that Hulu and AT&T both expect to introduce pause ads sometime in 2019. The companies suggest that they'll play short videos whenever you stop for a break, hopefully catching you in those fleeting moments before you head to the kitchen for a snack. AT&T's Matt Van Houten likened it to a screensaver that could run in the background in between viewings.
The best ways to stream live sports
If you're a sports fan, there's nothing quite like kicking back on the couch, cracking open a cold one and watching your favorite team rise triumphant over the other guys. For the longest time, it was thought that the only way to have such an experience was via a TV coupled with a cable or satellite subscription. That's because, for the most part, sports are best enjoyed live, and watching live TV hasn't always been the province of cord cutters. Things have changed in the past few years, however. Not only can you now stream most live sports on your computer or your smartphone, but you don't even need a cable or satellite provider to do so, which can potentially save you plenty of money. Yet the process is less easy than you'd think -- it depends a lot on what sport you're into and which teams you support -- and there are occasionally local blackouts to contend with as well. But with the cord-cutting movement gaining momentum recently, it's now a lot easier to watch live sports online than it's ever been, as long as you know what to look for. For the purposes of this guide, we decided to focus on the five major sports that are most often watched live -- American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and domestic and international soccer -- though we also offer information about other sports like tennis and golf where relevant.
AT&T is beta testing its Android-based streaming device
AT&T previously acknowledged the existence of its DirecTV Now-oriented streaming box, but now it's getting close to a proper launch. The telecom used its quarterly earnings to confirm that the Android TV-powered media hub is in beta testing with an aim to trial the hardware in the first half of 2019. The carrier was unsurprisingly coy about details, but it stressed that there would be a "measured" rollout. Don't expect gigantic promotions or aggressive pricing.
DirecTV Now helped AT&T turn around its shrinking video business
It's been clear for a while that DirecTV Now is keeping AT&T's TV subscriber numbers in the black, but it's now apparent just how much it's turning around its once-ailing video services. The telecom has posted second quarter earnings revealing that DirecTV Now added 342,000 subscribers in the spring, turning last year's 199,000-subscriber loss for AT&T's Entertainment Group into an 80,000-user gain. The telecom isn't shy about what that means -- its video customer base was "stable" thanks to internet viewership.
DirecTV Now will raise prices by $5 on August 1st
With Sling TV and YouTube TV raising prices in recent months, you knew it was just a matter of time before DirecTV Now followed suit. AT&T has confirmed a Cordcutters report that DirecTV Now is increasing subscription prices by $5 across the board on August 1st, with basic service starting at $40 per month and a full "Gotta Have It" package costing $75. A spokesperson told Engadget the rate hike would help bring the "best possible streaming experience" by keeping DirecTV Now's rates "in line with the market" -- you can read the full statement below.
AT&T managers encouraged unethical DirecTV Now sales pitches
There's no question that AT&T really, really likes it when customers sign up for DirecTV Now. It regularly touts the subscriber numbers, and it has lately offset troubles with the telecom's conventional TV business. However, its sales staff may have been pushed into selling the service more aggressively than they'd like. A Hawaii News Now investigation asserts that AT&T retail managers pressured staff into using unethical sales tactics for DirecTV Now. Most notably, the higher-ups reportedly encouraged reps to falsely claim that cellphone purchases carried a fee, and then say the fee would disappear if customers signed up for a DirecTV Now trial.
DirecTV Now's cloud DVR comes to Roku devices
It didn't take long for AT&T to fulfill its promise of spreading DirecTV Now's cloud DVR to more devices. The TV provider has launched its reworked app on Roku-based players and smart TVs, including beta access to the cloud DVR feature as well as access to local shows while you're away from home. To recap, you get 20 hours of recordings for 30 days as part of your existing subscription -- you can pay $10 more per month to extend that to a respective 100 hours and 90 days.
Hulu’s live TV service surpasses 800,000 subscribers
During an interview with CNBC today, Hulu CEO Randy Freer said that the company's live TV service had surpassed 800,000 subscribers, with April being the best month yet for gaining new customers. The live service launched just over a year ago and in January, sources familiar with the company's numbers told CNBC that the live offering had around 450,000 subscribers at the time.
DirecTV Now's revamped apps open up access to cloud DVR
AT&T is acting on its promise to roll out next-gen DirecTV Now service in the spring. The telecom giant is launching a revamped experience that not only includes new apps, but an updated beta of its cloud DVR service that's available to everyone. All subscribers get 20 hours of recordings that last for up to 30 days. If you need more, an extra $10 per month gives you 100 hours of video that lasts for up to 90 days.
Sling TV touts 2.2 million subscribers as cord cutting continues
With how popular cord-cutting is, you'd think more services would be keen to share their subscriber stats. Dish pulled back the curtain today and revealed that its Sling TV service has some 2.2 million folks paying for the service. That's compared to just over 11 million Dish satellite customers. Those numbers don't mean a ton on their own, but when you compare them to AT&T's DirecTV Now numbers you can get a sense of where each are at. Last October, the telco reported that its streaming service had 787,000 subscribers. Of course, Sling TV has been around around a year longer, so that's to be expected.
AT&T looks to DirecTV Now as customers ditch satellite
If you were wondering why AT&T is in such a hurry to reshape its TV business, the third quarter earnings report may provide some clarity. In the three months it covers, which are usually strong growth months with the arrival of subscribers seeking out NFL Sunday Ticket, things went in the opposite direction.
AT&T is making an Android-powered DirecTV streaming hub
AT&T might not rely solely on other companies' devices to pipe DirecTV Now and other forms of internet-only video into your home. Variety has unearthed a new FCC filing for an Android TV-powered set-top box dubbed the "AT&T/DirecTV Wireless 4K OTT Client." Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? The hardware isn't much to look at, but the manual talks about a voice-guided remote with touchpad as well as full access to Google Play. In other words, this is really a general-purpose Android media player that happens to be focused on services like DirecTV. You could just as easily use it to watch Hulu or Netflix, if that's your inclination. And no, there's no connectors to plug into DirecTV's satellite services.
AT&T offers free HBO with its cheaper unlimited plan
AT&T's initial offer of free HBO access to wireless subscribers was tempting, but there was a catch: you had to spring for an Unlimited Plus plan, which at $90 or more per month isn't a trivial expense. Now, however, you don't have to be such a big spender. The carrier is extending bonus HBO access to Unlimited Choice customers on September 15th, giving you the same streaming TV if you pay as little as $60 per month for cellphone service. This is one of the few perks of giant mergers, it seems. There are some catches to getting a freebie like this on a low-cost tier, of courser. The Choice plan caps your cellular data at 3Mbps and limits you to a maximum resolution of 480p for video streaming, so you might want to stay on WiFi for that Game of Thrones re-watch.
AT&T's latest tablet is basically a vehicle for DirecTV Now
AT&T would really, really like you to try DirecTV Now. So much so, in fact, that it's releasing a tablet where its streaming video services are the centerpiece. The Primetime is a mostly unremarkable 10-inch LTE slate in terms of hardware (more on that later), but it includes a TV Mode with quick access to favorite video apps from your home or lock screen -- naturally, AT&T hopes this means the preloaded DirecTV and DirecTV Now apps. You can use it to jump to the likes of Netflix or YouTube, of course, but the feature is clearly meant for the live TV crowd.
AT&T offers new DirecTV Now customers a free Apple TV, again
AT&T's offered plenty of goodies to entice customers into subscribing to DirecTV Now in the past. But, if a year's worth of HBO or a free Roku box wasn't enough to lure you in, maybe you'll take a liking to the carrier's latest deal. As of Wednesday, new customers who purchase the streaming service will get an Apple TV set-top box, completely free of charge. Those of you with a good memory (and a fondness for freebies) will recall the offer, which came bundled with DirectTV Now upon its launch last year.
CBS, Showtime and The CW are coming to DirecTV Now
This is a little convoluted, so bear with us: CBS will soon be available on DirecTV Now, the pay-TV provider's streaming service. CBS offers its own streaming service, CBS All Access, the exclusive home for Star Trek: Discovery. If you subscribe to DirecTV Now, you won't be able to watch that unless you pony up $6 a month for a subscription on top of what you're paying for DirecTV Now. You will, however, be able to watch NCIS (above) and its various spin-offs.
AT&T's 'next-gen' TV platform rollout will start on DirecTV Now
Later this year, AT&T's launching an ambitious plan to revamp and unify its disparate video services. In a move that chief marketing officer David Christopher called "going from a hardware-centric model to a software-centric model." Similar to Comcast's X1 platform launch a few years ago, the plan is to have a single base for how its video services -- whether internet-served like DirecTV Now, satellite-provided DirecTV, U-verse IPTV or NFL Sunday Ticket -- look and feel across every device. Where AT&T pushes things further is that it already offers a national internet TV platform, and that's where customers will see the new technology first when beta tests start later this year.
