AT&T Rolls Out New Hybrid OTT Service – AT&T TV – Nationwide

AT&T Monday launched its new over-the-top service AT&T TV nationwide hoping the bundle of live channels, on-demand library and 500 hours of cloud DVR storage will fill a niche with consumers as it combines the feel and features of an OTT platform with the familiarity of a traditional TV subscription experience.

AT&T TV’s live TV packages include sports news and easy access all streaming apps, including WarnerBros. sister service HBO Max when it launches in May, Netflix, Disney+ and others. AT&T TV comes with voice-controlled remote and Google Assistant built in – enabling viewer to “control everything from accessing a show, changing the room temperature, playing your favorite playlist or dimming the lights,” the company said.

The software-based service requires a two-year subscription. Within AT&T’s footprint – across 21 states – the company is offering AT&T TV and ultra-fast 1 gigabit AT&T Internet for $39.99 a month for video and $39.99 month for internet – so a total of $79.98. That fee would increase in the second year depending on the type of package. It’s possible to quickly set up the service at home without requiring an installation appointment, AT&T said,

The company had launched it initially in 13 markets last year.

“Our customers told us what they want from their TV service and we built AT&T TV around that,” said Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Consumer, in the announcement.

These are confusing times. AT&T TV stands alongside another product called AT&T TV Now, which is purely app-based but offers most of the same content. That service was previously called DirecTV Now, after AT&T’s satellite broadcaster. DirecTV still has its traditional subscribers although the number is falling. So does AT&T U-Verse, the telco’s original triple-play offering. A spokesman said the company is no longer attempting to build U-Verse. An integrated platform like AT&T TV offers the same packages and content plus an array of entertainment apps accessible without extra remotes and irritating inputs.