Earlier this year, AT&T announced that it’d be taking advantage of its recent DirecTV acquisition to offer a special unlimited data plan to its television subscribers. Now AT&T is utilizing its acquisition to launch video streaming services, too.
AT&T will launch three DirecTV-branded streaming services starting in Q4 2016. The top-end model will be called DirecTV Now, and it’ll offer multiple content packages that include “much of what its available from DirecTV today,” like programming from existing networks and premium add-ons. Customers will be able to watch this service on their mobile devices, among other devices.
Next is DirecTV Mobile, which will offer “premium video and made-for-digital content.” Finally, DirecTV Preview will show ad-supported content from AT&T’s AUDIENCE network, other networks, and video from Otter Media that’s targeted at millennials.
When it comes to pricing, AT&T is largely silent. There’s no word on how much DirecTV Now or DirecTV Mobile will cost, but AT&T does say that the latter service will be “affordable.” The one bit we do know is that DirecTV Preview will be free and supported by ads.
These three services will be available to customers on all wireless carriers and won’t require any satellite dish or set-top box. While details are still light, the main DirecTV Now service sounds like it could be a bit like Sling TV, offering access to traditional cable networks to folks that don’t actually have cable. We’re still a ways out from seeing these services launching, though, so for now we’ll just have to wait and see exactly what AT&T has cooked up.
Do any of AT&T’s DirecTV streaming services pique your interest?
