After seven months of pilot testing, AT&T TV is now accessible nationwide, and I maintain coming again to 1 query: Why?
AT&T TV’s huge concept is to supply a well-known TV expertise, however over the web as an alternative of by way of cable or satellite tv for pc. Customers get a streaming set-top field from AT&T that’s preloaded with the AT&T TV service, and it comes with a distant that borrows numerous concepts from cable bins. Because the AT&T TV field runs on Google’s Android TV working system, it additionally helps different streaming apps, reminiscent of Netflix and Disney+.
Unfortunately, AT&T TV additionally introduced alongside among the causes individuals have been parting methods with cable and satellite tv for pc TV service within the first place, together with long-term contracts, sneaky charges, and drastic value hikes. As a consequence, what might have been a gateway to cord-cutting for hundreds of thousands will as an alternative enchantment to nearly nobody.
AT&T TV defined
To be clear, AT&T TV is not the identical as AT&T TV Now (which was beforehand often known as DirecTV Now). With AT&T TV Now, you convey your personal streaming system—whether or not it’s an Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, or Samsung sensible TV—after which join service with AT&T and pay as you go.
AT&T TV hews nearer to the cable and satellite tv for pc playbook. Instead of bringing your personal {hardware}, AT&T offers a field totally free with service and sells further ones for $120 every, with the choice to pay them off in $10-per-month installments. While you need to use different gadgets like Fire TV and Apple TV with the service, the AT&T TV web site and sign-up circulate don’t make this clear. (The service contains 500 hours of cloud DVR storage, so recordings switch throughout gadgets both approach.)
Unlike with different stay TV streaming providers, AT&T TV contains its personal streaming field.
More importantly, AT&T TV employs the outdated satellite tv for pc TV trick of requiring a two-year contract with a extreme value hike within the center. So whereas marketed pricing begins at $50 per 30 days, that value jumps to $93 per 30 days after the primary yr. Should you resolve to depart in the midst of a contract, you’ll pay $15 for each month that’s left.
You can see the total AT&T TV channel comparison on the corporate’s web site, however right here’s how pricing breaks down:
- Entertainment: $50 per 30 days for one yr, then $93 per 30 days
- Choice: $55 per 30 days for one yr, $110 per 30 days thereafter
- Xtra: $65 per 30 days for one yr, $124 per 30 days after that
- Ultimate: $70 per 30 days for one yr, then $135 per 30 days
AT&T TV’s Choice, Xtra, and Ultimate plans additionally embody regional sports activities charges of as much as $8.50 per 30 days. And whilst you can defray a few of these prices by bundling web service—$10 off per 30 days with AT&T wi-fi, and $20 off with U-Verse gigabit web the place accessible—these invoice credit additionally go away after the primary yr.
By now, you’ll be able to most likely see the issue: Compared to different stay TV streaming providers reminiscent of YouTube TV ($50 per 30 days) and Hulu + Live TV ($55 per 30 days), AT&T TV is way pricier over its contractually obligated two-year service interval. While it does have a bigger choice of channels total, the enchantment of all these further channels is reducing as one of the best exhibits move outside of the TV bundle entirely.
Squandered potential
Despite my naysaying, I do imagine a market exists for some form of all-in-one cord-cutting answer. I’ve heard from loads of readers who’d like to economize by dropping their pay TV service, however don’t need to quit cable’s creature comforts. When they activate the TV, they need the final channel they have been watching to pop up on display. They need remotes with devoted buttons for the TV information, channel recall, and DVR. Some of them even desire a quantity pad, to allow them to enter channel numbers from reminiscence. Most importantly, they need the whole lot to work proper out of the field.
AT&TThe AT&T TV software program tries to roll stay TV and streaming apps into one menu.
AT&T TV claims to supply these issues, which is why its value construction is all of the extra irritating. If AT&T had some backbone and was prepared to cost its service extra aggressively, it’d seize the hundreds of thousands of people that need to slim down from cable with out sacrificing the expertise they already know. AT&T might even use its {hardware} to upsell these clients on the forthcoming HBO Max, which the corporate now believes is the future of its TV business.
Instead, AT&T says it isn’t focusing on cord-cutters in any respect. As a spokesperson told Matthew Keys this week, the true aim is to drag individuals over from cable or satellite tv for pc service.
But if individuals aren’t making plans to cut the cord, it’s most likely as a result of they’re pleased sufficient with the service they’ve and don’t thoughts paying a premium for it. Either that, or they don’t get quick sufficient web service for streaming. Getting these clients to embrace a wholly totally different system that depends on web streaming and doesn’t save a lot cash might be a tricky promote.
I nonetheless assume providers like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV could be sensible to supply their very own streaming gadgets, ones that concentrate on making the swap as easy and cost-effective as potential for folk who’ve spent a long time utilizing cable TV. I additionally assume lots of people will follow cable as a result of it’s simpler than switching to one thing new regardless of the prices.
AT&T TV is caught within the center, providing neither the reliability of cable nor the financial savings and adaptability of cord-cutting. So why does it exist? Maybe it’s only for of us who don’t learn the nice print earlier than signing a two-year contract.
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