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OT-ish: For cord cutters, AT&T/Directv to launch streaming services tomorrow

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FanuSanu52

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Nov 8, 2011
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This is a press release, not a new story, so should be fine to publish here. Introduced yesterday in NYC and will go live tomorrow.

The future of TV is NOW. On Nov. 30, AT&T1 begins offering 3 video streaming services – DIRECTV NOW, FreeVIEW and Fullscreen. It’s your favorite TV networks and made-for-digital video content delivered with more choice and flexibility than ever.

This is rules-free TV for anyone in the U.S. who wants to stream shows and movies anytime, anywhere. For the more than 20 million U.S. households who have dropped cable or are flirting with cutting the cord, we’re now delivering video over a technology platform that will have multiple product capabilities, the first of which we’re unveiling today.

“We’re extending our entertainment portfolio for those who value premium content but also want more TV freedom suited for their lifestyle, whether watching at home or on their mobile devices. This is TV your way,” said John Stankey, CEO, AT&T Entertainment Group.

“Our new customer-centric offers show that mobility and entertainment are better together,” added Stankey.

Sign up online for DIRECTV NOW or Fullscreen. Within minutes, you have the power to stream content over a U.S. internet connection on a variety of devices. No set-top-boxes, satellite dishes, annual contracts or credit checks required.

And, if you’re an AT&T Mobility customer, DIRECTV will pick up the tab for data to help you achieve all your binge-worthy goals. Data Free TV means you won’t use your AT&T mobile data for watching DIRECTV NOW or FreeVIEW in the App. Fullscreen will also cover your data for streaming in the Fullscreen App on the AT&T mobile network.2

DIRECTV NOW

Starting Nov. 30, stream your favorite live sports, on demand, premium channels, popular shows, and hit movies right to your tablet, smartphone or TV. It’s the experience you love, without the limits you don’t.

Experience any of our packages free for 7 days when you sign up at www.directvnow.com and download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. To celebrate our historic launch of DIRECTV NOW, we’re making streams come true by offering our “Go Big” package with more than 100 channels for just $35 per month. This is a limited time offer. Customers who sign up for this offer will continue to enjoy this special price for as long as you keep the package, subject only to future reasonable programming price increases applicable to all packages.

DIRECTV NOW programming packages are seeded from our existing satellite TV service, putting popular channels together for a great entertainment value:

  • Live a Little – $35 / month (60+ channels)
  • Just Right – $50 / month (80+ channels)
  • Go Big – $60 / month (100+ channels)
  • Gotta Have it – $70 / month (120+ channels)

Fans of HBO® and Cinemax® can add these channels for just $5 each per month in addition to your base programming package.

DIRECTV NOW will be available at launch through the following:

  • Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
  • Android mobile devices and tablets
  • iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
  • Chromecast (Android at launch; iOS in 2017)
  • Google Cast-enabled LeEco ecotvs and VIZIO SmartCast Displays
  • Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari web browsers
In 2017, we plan to add more devices to our lineup including Roku® streaming players and Roku TV™ models3, Amazon Fire tablets, and Smart TVs from Samsung and other leading brands.

Customers can get an Apple TV included with 3 months pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. Apple TV features high-performance hardware and an intuitive and fun user interface using voice and the Siri Remote. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/appletv.

Customers can opt for an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote included with 1 month pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/FireStick.

Starting tomorrow, LeEco is also offering DIRECTV NOW service with the purchase of LeEco smartphones and TVs. For more information, visit www.LeMall.com.

  • 3 months: Le S3 and Le Pro3 ecophones or Super4 X43 Pro ecotv
  • 6 months: Super4 X55 or Super4 X65 ecotvs
  • 12 months: uMax8 ecotv
Or for a limited time, you can get 1 month of DIRECTV NOW service when you buy a Lenovo laptop with Intel® Core™i3, i5 or i7 processor. For more information, visit www.lenovo.com.

Fullscreen

Mobilizing entertainment is at the heart of our collaboration with Fullscreen Media, a global leader in social-first entertainment experiences that knows mobile video users best. Tailored for digital natives, Fullscreen SVOD launched earlier this year and is $5.99 per month.

Fullscreen now brings you more than 1,500 hours of ad-free premium scripted and unscripted original series, TV shows and films licensed from studio partners. You’ll also get exclusive content from top online creators. Fullscreen Media has nearly doubled its programming since launch – including more original series and acquired content announced earlier this month.

Now AT&T will introduce an exclusive offer for our Mobility customers. Enjoy Fullscreen at no charge for 1 year included with eligible new and existing wireless plans with messaging service. Starting Nov. 30, sign up for the offer at www.fullscreen.com/att and stream Fullscreen without using your data.2

Get Fullscreen anytime, anywhere in the U.S. at www.fullscreen.com and via iPhone, iPad, select Android Phones, Chromecast and Apple TV.

FreeVIEW

Our FreeVIEW experience lets anyone enjoy unique and exclusive content free of charge. It’s a highly curated, always-fresh, ad-supported video service. It has a sampling of on-demand content from AUDIENCE Network, Otter Media properties and other channels on DIRECTV NOW.

Download the DIRECTV NOW app to access FreeVIEW or visit www.directvnow.com and start streaming free of charge.4

Existing Premium Services

AT&T will continue to provide DIRECTV’s premium satellite TV entertainment service. This includes our most advanced Genie HD DVR and an outstanding lineup of live and on-demand programming, plus add-on features like premium sports packages and the industry’s best picture format: 4K Ultra High Definition. The DIRECTV App also lets satellite customers watch all live and recorded programs virtually anywhere.5 AT&T will continue to offer our U-verse TV and internet service.

1AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

2 DATA FREE TV/FREE STREAMING FOR FULLSCREEN CUSTOMERS: Must stream through DIRECTV NOW or Fullscreen App. Requires eligibility. DIRECTV & AT&T wireless services and devices. Some restrictions apply. For Fullscreen, other in App activities may incur data charges.

3 Roku is a registered trademark and Roku TV is a trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.

4 If you are not an eligible postpaid AT&T Mobility customer, data charges apply.

5Genie HR44 and above required.
 
I just started on the road toward cord-cutting myself (again). Got rid of the sports package that included B1G since no need for it now and plan to get rid of the entire Comcast package after bowl season - still want to keep ESPN around for now to watch bowls. That'll get me through to next fall since don't care much about NBA or other winter sports and always sign up for MLB.TV streaming for baseball season.

Was going to go with PS Vue next fall to get ESPN/B1G, but this looks like it'll be another possible option. I have AT&T so the ability to stream data-free is a nice bonus. Need to find the channel lineups, though.
 
Still cannot get any kind of package for American sports down here. I get a couple of international ESPN channels that get me some games, but it's not reliable. Would happily pay for a serious package. Can't figure out why, with a fair number of Yanks down here, this doesn't happen?
 
Can they offer HBO for only $5 per month when Time Warner charges $15 ? I dropped HBO a while ago because of price.
 
theRU said:
These options end up costing you close to cable... they just don't get it
Click to expand...

I don't know, cable is costing me like $110 per month for just TV and around $60 for Internet. Drop cable, I'll pay about $75 for Internet, plus a ~$40 streaming package and I'm way ahead. But maybe cable will offer me a package deal to stay.

I used to check Comcast's vacation package for Jan-September, then hook back up for football, but then they got rid of that or started charging some big re-hook fee and it wasn't worth it. So now I'll cancel it outright and get a cheaper streaming package in the fall, instead.
 
theRU said:
These options end up costing you close to cable... they just don't get it
Click to expand...
They do get it. They are not creating this package to have customers paying fat bills cancel their current package and take this at half the cost for the same content. They are trying to pick off early adopters, and cord cutters that have already decided to go to Sling, Vue, or other over the top options. Their goal is not to cannibalize their current DirectTV and UVerse high end bases with this service.
 
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I look at DirecTV Now as $50 per month for Verizon Fios subscribers to get the Weather Channel back.
 
SkilletHead2 said:
Still cannot get any kind of package for American sports down here. I get a couple of international ESPN channels that get me some games, but it's not reliable. Would happily pay for a serious package. Can't figure out why, with a fair number of Yanks down here, this doesn't happen?
Click to expand...

Are you blocked by US sites? With ESPN3 (now called WatchESPN) you should be able to get a lot of things including NFL games on Monday (and NBC etc runs games online via their sites). If you are blocked you can get a VPN (virtual private network) service for 30-50 usd per year. Then you can use servers from US and get unblocked. I watched the Brazil Olympics on BBC using a VPN. I would have been blocked without one.

Watch ESPN3 outside US – How to unblock US ESPN with a VPN service?
http://www.start-vpn.com/blog/2012/...to-unblock-us-espn-with-a-vpn-service-632424/
 
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ashokan said:
Are you blocked by US sites? With ESPN3 (now called WatchESPN) you should be able to get a lot of things including NFL games on Monday (and NBC etc runs games online via their sites). If you are blocked you can get a VPN (virtual private network) service for 30-50 usd per year. Then you can use servers from US and get unblocked. I watched the Brazil Olympics on BBC using a VPN. I would have been blocked without one.

Watch ESPN3 outside US – How to unblock US ESPN with a VPN service?
http://www.start-vpn.com/blog/2012/...to-unblock-us-espn-with-a-vpn-service-632424/
Click to expand...
I'll give it a try! Thanks, ashokan!
 
SkilletHead2 said:
I'll give it a try! Thanks, ashokan!
Click to expand...

To do this, you need a really strong internet signal. When I was living in China, the Internet was slow to begin with, and then the VPN slowed it down further. It made it too slow to watch. The VPN is still very useful. It's needed for Netflix (also often too slow to watch), to download SI and Time magazines, and to use Facebook and YouTube in China.
 
ashokan said:
Are you blocked by US sites? With ESPN3 (now called WatchESPN) you should be able to get a lot of things including NFL games on Monday (and NBC etc runs games online via their sites). If you are blocked you can get a VPN (virtual private network) service for 30-50 usd per year. Then you can use servers from US and get unblocked. I watched the Brazil Olympics on BBC using a VPN. I would have been blocked without one.

Watch ESPN3 outside US – How to unblock US ESPN with a VPN service?
http://www.start-vpn.com/blog/2012/...to-unblock-us-espn-with-a-vpn-service-632424/
Click to expand...

Most VPNs cost $10 to $15 per month. I use VyprVPN for $15 / month, and I've also used ExpressVPN which is a little cheaper. Any other good recommended options ? When I am overseas, I need a good one because the Chinese government are always trying to block them and shut them down.
 
ElmiraExpress said:
Most VPNs cost $10 to $15 per month. I use VyprVPN for $15 / month, and I've also used ExpressVPN which is a little cheaper. Any other good recommended options ? When I am overseas, I need a good one because the Chinese government are always trying to block them and shut them down.
Click to expand...

For China Torguard is good. They cost 50 but have half off sales a few times a year

"For best security we advise clients to use OpenVPN connections only and for encryption use AES256 with 2048bit RSA. Additionally, TorGuard VPN offers “Stealth” protection against DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) interference from a nosey ISP so you can access the open web freely even from behind the Great Firewall of China. These options are available on select locations and offer excellent security due to the cryptography techniques used to obfuscate traffic. Our VPN software uses OpenVPN exclusively and features built in DNS leak protection, an App Killswitch, and a connection Killswitch. We have also just released a built in WebRTC leak block feature for Windows Vista/7/8 users."

https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/#disqus_thread
 
ElmiraExpress said:
Most VPNs cost $10 to $15 per month. I use VyprVPN for $15 / month, and I've also used ExpressVPN which is a little cheaper. Any other good recommended options ? When I am overseas, I need a good one because the Chinese government are always trying to block them and shut them down.
Click to expand...

If you have a home base in the US and have a newer router or old computer you can set up your own VPN. I use my router when I travel to Europe for work to watch BTN, ESPN and HBO. Here's one tutorial
http://www.howtogeek.com/221001/how-to-set-up-your-own-home-vpn-server/

You can compare VPNs that you have to pay for here:
https://thatoneprivacysite.net/vpn-comparison-chart/
 
There were reports of some streaming issues related to peak viewing times and huge early service demand - it just launched yesterday with a free trial and Amazon/Apple promo so a few glitches were to be expected. I thought the steaming quality was excellent but didn't try it during peak hours. For $35 per/mo I'll give it a go for a while. Basically the cost of one fill-up at the gas pump. It's an incredible price and plan to keep Netflix and also have Prime.
 
theRU said:
These options end up costing you close to cable... they just don't get it
Click to expand...

Yup. It is because every package includes more channels I don't watch than channels I do. I don't care about the delivery method of the content as much as I care about the price I'm paying. The reason I'm paying for so many channels I don't watch isn't due to limitations in technology.
 
Cut the cord over a year ago now thanks to the wife and my biggest fear was having access to sports, especially football. With all the online streaming channels (vipbox, adhte, etc) and streaming apps from each major network, I can honestly say I do not miss cable AT ALL. You won't always get an HD stream, but who cares? I sure as hell dont miss paying $150/mo for cable either.
Also, get yourself a smart TV and an HDMi cord if you don't already have one. It's almost 2017 for crying out loud. Hook up laptop to TV and the rest is history...
 
Last edited:
Neo-sinister said:
Cut the cord over a year ago now thanks to the wife and my biggest fear was having access to sports, especially football. With all the online streaming channels (vipbox, adhte, etc) and streaming apps from each major network, I can honestly say I do not miss cable AT ALL. You won't always get an HD stream, but who cares? I sure as hell dont miss paying $150/mo for cable either.
Also, get yourself a smart TV and an HDMi cord if you don't already have one. It's almost 2017 for crying out loud. Hook up laptop to TV and the rest is history...
Click to expand...
I am ready to cut the cord if not for the fact that I can't find any other way to get MSG Network besides cable. As a big Devils fan, I need this channel but it doesn't seem to be available on Vue, Sling or any other platforms like it.
 
ElmiraExpress said:
Most VPNs cost $10 to $15 per month. I use VyprVPN for $15 / month, and I've also used ExpressVPN which is a little cheaper. Any other good recommended options ? When I am overseas, I need a good one because the Chinese government are always trying to block them and shut them down.
Click to expand...

I use PIA.....Private Internet Access
 
I do not know about slingTV or the others, but I believe Directv Now will allow 2 simultaneous streams.
 
ashokan said:
Are you blocked by US sites? With ESPN3 (now called WatchESPN) you should be able to get a lot of things including NFL games on Monday (and NBC etc runs games online via their sites). If you are blocked you can get a VPN (virtual private network) service for 30-50 usd per year. Then you can use servers from US and get unblocked. I watched the Brazil Olympics on BBC using a VPN. I would have been blocked without one.

Watch ESPN3 outside US – How to unblock US ESPN with a VPN service?
http://www.start-vpn.com/blog/2012/...to-unblock-us-espn-with-a-vpn-service-632424/
Click to expand...

StackSocial usually has deals on lifetime VPN packages, some better than others.. Had some luck with the VPN Unlimited I bought from them
 
i used psiphon vpn free app to bypass Netflix restriction.It's free and didn't slow down connection much but it didn't work on Netflix anymore, i moved to Expressvpn (paid). Still work well on Netflix but i dont know if you could use it longer
 
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