While AT&T is perhaps best known for its dominance in the world of cellphone service providers — which is pegged at 30 percent market share in North America, per a report from Statista — the telecommunications giant also serves as a TV service provider for millions of American customers. These customers may soon find themselves shelling out more money for their TV packages.
As reported by Variety , AT&T is revamping and retooling its DirecTV Now pricing models and packages. Existing customers who currently subscribe to any DirecTV Now base package will see their bill jump up by $10 a month starting on April 12. This marks the second price increase to hit DirecTV Now customers in less than a year, after a $5 price hike came into effect last summer.
Aside from the price increases, AT&T is also offering two new TV packages. DirecTV Now Plus, which comes in at $50 a month for up to 46 channels, and DirecTV Now Max, which offers up to 59 channels for $70 a month. Both packages will include HBO, HBO Family, and HBO Latino (which are owned by AT&T), as well as channels from WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, Fox, and Disney. Variety notes that these packages will omit channels from AMC, Discovery, A+E, and Viacom.
The new DirecTV Now Plus package will include the following channels.
- Local ABC, CBS, Fox, CW and MyNetworkTV stations (in available markets).
- AccuWeather.
- AT&T’s Audience.
- Boomerang.
- Bravo.
- Cartoon Network.
- CNBC.
- CNBC World.
- CNN.
- Disney Channel.
- Disney Junior.
- Disney XD.
- E!.
- ESPN.
- ESPN2.
- Fox Business Network.
- Fox News Channel.
- Fox Sports 1.
- Freeform.
- FX.
- FX Movie Channel.
- FXX.
- Hallmark Channel.
- HBO.
- HBO Family.
- HBO Latino.
- HLN.
- MSNBC.
- Nat Geo Wild.
- National Geographic Channel.
- NBCSN.
- Ovation.
- Oxygen.
- Pop.
- Revolt.
- Syfy.
- TBS.
- TCM.
- TNT.
- TruTV.
- Universal Kids.
- USA Network.
DirecTV Now Prices Going Up by $10 per Month for All Customers, AT&T Rolling Out Two New Reformatted Packages https://t.co/Yc57tt0ywm
— Variety (@Variety) March 11, 2019
Those who purchase the DirecTV Now Max package will receive all the channels listed above, in addition to the following channels (regional sports networks will only be available in select markets).
- BTN.
- CBS Sports Network.
- Cinemax.
- ESPNews.
- ESPNU.
- FS2.
- Golf Channel.
- Longhorn Network.
- MSG.
- MSG+.
- Olympic Channel.
- SEC Network.
- YES Network.
AT&T recently announced the new DirectTV packages, stating that the new changes will provide trimmed-down content at competitive price points.
“Both new packages provide slimmer, quality-driven content lineups at competitive prices and with no annual contract,” the company stated. As Variety notes, AT&T’s WarnerMedia is preparing to launch a handful of subscription video-on-demand platforms, platforms which will be centered around content from HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros. These services are set to release sometime during this year’s fourth quarter.
