AT&T TV is a family of streamingmultichannel television services offered in the United States by AT&T. The brand encompasses three separate services sharing similar infrastructure and software. AT&T TV, launched nationally in March 2020, is the company's main national pay television service, positioned to succeed U-verse TV. It is sold on-contract and optionally bundled in the same manner as traditional television providers, but utilizes Android TV-based set-top boxes rented to subscribers. AT&T TV Now is a direct-to-consumer service launched on November 30, 2016, designed to compete with other over-the-top television services, and sold without a contract. AT&T WatchTV, first offered in June 2018, is a skinny bundle service aimed at cord cutters, featuring no local or sports channels.
History
On July 13, 2017, it was reported that AT&T was preparing to introduce a cloud-based DVRstreaming service as part of its effort to create a unified platform across the DirecTVsatellite television service and DirecTV Now services, with U-verse to be added soon. In March 2019, DirecTV Now instituted a new package structure for new subscribers with fewer channels included, and increased pricing for all subscribers. By the second quarter of 2019, DirecTV Now lost 168,000 subscribers, with AT&T citing "higher prices and less promotional activity" as reasoning. On July 30, 2019, AT&T announced an upcoming streaming television service known as AT&T TV, which would feature an Android TV-based set-top box with a Google Assistant-based voice remote, use the same apps used by DirecTV Now, and offer cloud DVR with 500 hours of storage. Unlike DirecTV Now, this service is sold on a contract basis, and requires the rental or purchase of proprietary set-top boxes. The service allows user self-installation, but activation fees are still charged. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson referred to AT&T TV as a "workhorse" service succeeding DirecTV and AT&T U-verse in its pay television business. The service was initially launched in selected markets in California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas, with additional markets to follow. Concurrently it was announced that DirecTV Now would re-brand as "AT&T TV Now". The similar names between the different services have been noted as possibly causing confusion, with media outlets even citing examples occurring within the company itself. In September 2019, a class action lawsuit was filed against AT&T, alleging that it had falsely inflated its reported number of AT&T TV Now subscribers by engaging in "unrelenting pressure and strong-arm tactics" and giving unwanted subscriptions to the service to customers without their consent, as well as making false claims surrounding risks related to the service in its SEC filings related to the purchase of Time Warner. On March 2, 2020, AT&T TV launched nationally. AT&T president John Stankey stated that AT&T TV would be promoted as the company's main pay television service, with DirecTV being downplayed outside of markets with insufficient broadband quality to use AT&T TV. AT&T TV Now would struggle through 2019, with a loss of 138,000 subscribers in 2020 Q1 according to its quarterly earnings report. The service as a whole was down to 788,000 subscribers, compared to its peak of 1.86 million subscribers, before the large discounts to attract initial subscriber interest were scaled back.
Programming
The service consists of four main bundles, including the base "Entertainment" service, "Choice", "Xtra", and "Ultimate".
Now version
The service's current base package "Plus" includes channels from co-owned division WarnerMedia as well as the four other major television conglomerates: The Walt Disney Company, Fox Corporation, NBCUniversal, and ViacomCBS. The "Max" package adds Cinemax and various additional sports channels. Previous packages also included channels from AMC Networks, Discovery, and A&E Networks. They are not included in the current base package offerings, but are still accessible to existing subscribers.
WatchTV version
AT&T's WatchTV service currently offers linear channels owned by its fellow division WarnerMedia, as well as A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery and ViacomCBS. The service is no longer open to new subscribers.
