DirecTV Now Streaming Platform

DIRECTV NOW STREAMING VIDEO PLATFORM FINALIZED

AT&T Hints at New Streaming Platform 

In March, several months before AT&T’s purchase of DirecTV was approved by the FCC, the telecom giant said that its satellite system subsidiary would offer DirecTV Now, a streaming video platform that would not require a cable connection or a satellite dish. Since then, AT&T has revealed more details about the nature of the platform and the channels it would carry. Until Tuesday, though, AT&T was vague about the launch date and the price, saying only that the platform would begin operating in the fourth quarter of the year, and the price would be “aggressively competitive”..

AT&T Breaks Its Silence

Yesterday, AT&T broke its silence on these subjects. At a video conference with the Wall Street Journal, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said that DirecTV Now’s “all in” service, with 100 channels, will sell for $35.00 per month. Streaming will begin by the end of November.

Jeffrey Bewkes, the CEO of Time Warner, Inc., shared the stage with Stephenson. Last Sunday, AT&T announced that it is buying Time Warner. Bewkes said the DirecTV Now platform offers his company greatly improved distribution, and helps put the most advanced video technologies within reach of more consumers. “We’ve done video on demand at HBO”, he said. “We knew people wanted it for every channel… You should be able to get any network you want on demand.”

Stephenson said the price point for DirecTV Now will make streaming video on demand accessible to more consumers. AT&T even wants Time Warner to unbundle its channel packages, offering them a la carte. Such a policy is virtually unheard of in the pay TV industry. If it works for AT&T/Time Warner, though, other content providers will face pressure to do the same.

When DirecTV Now is available to consumers, you can get it through Bundle Deals.

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