AT&T is merging its AT&T TV and TV Now streaming services. Here’s what it means

AT&T TV Now, the telecom and media big’s streaming service, goes away. On Tuesday, AT&T introduced that it will be “merging” TV Now with AT&T TV, its cable and satellite tv for pc various that additionally streams dwell TV over the web however beforehand required having at the very least one in every of AT&T’s devoted streaming packing containers. 

As a part of the merger, AT&T can be eradicating the requirement that AT&T TV clients use at the very least one in every of its streaming packing containers, known as AT&T TV Stream packing containers, and it’s also eliminating AT&T TV’s obligatory contract. 

To any extent further, AT&T TV will likely be month-to-month, identical to AT&T TV Now. AT&T says that present contracts will stay in impact, however as soon as they expire, clients can transfer to a month-to-month fee choice. For those who’re on an AT&T TV trial you may change to a noncontract plan with out paying an early termination price. 

AT&T TV’s noncontract packages begin at $70 per 30 days for a base Leisure bundle that features ESPN, CNN and FX, in addition to native broadcast channels and 20 hours of cloud DVR. A further $10 per 30 days boosts the DVR storage to 500 hours per 30 days. Regional sports activities are included beginning within the Alternative bundle, which runs $85 per 30 days and not using a contract and features a yr of HBO Max and NBA League Move Premium. 

Those that aren’t afraid of dedication can nonetheless join a two-year contract, which lowers the Leisure bundle’s first-year value to $60 per 30 days for the primary yr, earlier than it jumps to $93 per 30 days within the second. Alternative customers would see the worth drop from $85 per 30 days to $65 per 30 days for the primary yr of the two-year contract, however the second yr would jack the worth again as much as $110 per 30 days. These with Alternative on a two-year contract would even be on the hook for paying a further $8.49 per 30 days as a “regional sports activities price” for 2 years. 

Each packages do, nonetheless, embrace 500 hours of DVR as a part of the two-year dedication. 

As for gadgets, should you do not need to use the corporate’s Android TV-powered streaming field (aptly known as the AT&T TV System), you may stream AT&T TV on a number of gadgets. This consists of iOS and Android telephones and tablets, plus TV streamers such because the Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Google Chromecast and Samsung good TVs (2017 or later). 

“We’re bringing extra worth and ease by merging these two streaming companies right into a single AT&T TV expertise,” Vince Torres, AT&T’s senior vp of selling, mentioned in a press release. 

First introduced in November 2016 as DirecTV Now, AT&T TV Now was the service’s first streaming tv service. The corporate expanded to supply a few different streaming options through the years, together with a less expensive (now discontinued) AT&T Watch TV that largely consisted of Turner channels it owned and AT&T TV, the present cable and satellite tv for pc alternative. It additionally launched HBO Max, its Netflix and Disney Plus rival, final yr. 

Though the corporate is not including new subscribers to AT&T TV Now, an organization spokeswoman says that current customers will nonetheless be capable of use the service and “is not going to expertise any disruptions as a part of this modification,” including that the pricing is “not altering presently.”