atttvnow.com
With so many streaming services to choose from, ditching cable has never been easier. The rise of online streaming services has paved the way for telco giants to expand their reach into the television and entertainment sector. AT&T is one of the most popular telecom companies in the United States, which now owns one of the most popular television service networks in DirecTV. To exert its influence and make viewers more synonymous with their ownership, DirecTV Now was rebranded as AT&T TV Now.
While AT&T has not rebranded the entire DirecTV network, they are taking it one step at a time to ensure that the brand does not lose its relevance among the audience. DirecTV for a long time had been the most popular satellite TV provider in the US - with DirecTV Now as its digital extension. By rebranding DirecTV Now, AT&T is slowly making its intentions clear.
History
AT&T TV Now is an online streaming service that branches off from the DirecTV network. It has three services which all use the same infrastructure. It is a D2C service that competes with leading OTT television services.
AT&T TV Now was launched in June 2018 as a skinny bundle without local or sports channels. Just one year later, in August 2019, AT&T began offering a new service with set-top boxes that are Android-based and is replacing AT&T U-Verse TV in the areas it was offered before.
Design
I looked at AT&T TV Now website and found that it doesn't look very appealing with just uniform lists all across the website. It doesn't have the elegant looks that Hulu or Netflix have to offer. In terms of functionality, it is satisfactory. I didn't find any stutter or discrepancies when navigating the website.
When you visit the website, you'll find a top navigation menu comprising of five options: Packages, Extras, Ways to Watch, Us vs Them, and FAQ. Additionally, you'll find Sign-in and start streaming options on the right. If you're already signed in, you'll find a search bar and a gear icon that allows you to enter the account settings menu. The search bar is simple and nothing exceptional.
I don't really love the platform, but I do like the filter feature which helps me filter the content as I need it. But compared to YouTube TV, it's nowhere near as advanced. YouTube TV is much more advanced and enables you to search for multiple terms at the same time.
The homepage has been updated and now looks marginally better than when I first saw it 6 months ago. By clicking on the 'Watch Now' button, you get access to the top content organized in a horizontal scrolling list. This list has options such as Summer of Soccer, Kids, Trending and Premium Services. The Discover tab is also similar and you can use it to browse movies, shows, and networks. The guide section is similar, it allows you to navigate manually through the list and the content type. And finally, the My Library section is where your bookmarks and DVR recordings are stored.
Content
In my opinion, the design and layout of AT&T Now? may not be perfect, but its content library certainly has subscribers running for their money. Thanks to a plethora of channels such as CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, and ?Thursday Night Football?, which feature trending shows such as The Bachelor?, Modern Family?, and This Is Us, viewers tune in. I haven't yet mentioned NFL Sunday and ?Friday Night Football? which attract the biggest viewership.
If you are a fan of sports, there are several dedicated sports channels available on select packages. Additionally, many channels including BTN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Golf Channel, SEC Network and the Tennis channel are available through the ?Add-On? section of the TV App. If that's not enough sports for you, you can add MLB.TV and NBA League Pass. What I love most about this service is that you have the ability to restart if you need to so that you don't miss any action.
Do you have any AT&T TV NOW plans? We have seven different packages to choose from, PLUS and MAX as featured packages and ENTERTAINMENT, CHOICE, XTRA, ULTIMATE, OPTIMA MAS as other packages options. Each of these plans comes with a different number of channels - some have more than others. Our current plan costs $80 per month and includes 60+ channels. It has premium networks like STARZ, HBO, SHOWTIME, EPIX and CINEMAX.
Desktop/Mobile experience
Before I even review my desktop and mobile experience, I would like to share that the AT&T TV Now App doesn't allow you to live stream NFL. However, that can't take anything away from its compatibility. AT&T TV Now is available on a wide range of platforms such as Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku. Apart from that, you can access it from web browsers such as Chrome and Safari but there is no gaming console support available. Thus, you can't stream via Xbox or PlayStation.
Lacks 4K Content
I've been waiting for AT&T to bring 4K content to their TV Now platform, but it's not happened yet. Instead, I find fuboTV to be a better option because it allows me to watch 4K content. The recently concluded FIFA Women's World Cup supported 4K resolution, so my fuboTV streaming experience was seamless. Something that AT&T hasn't even rolled out on its TV Now platform yet.
Not the best App
I tried to use AT&T TV Now's app on my Pixel 3 and it worked well. The streaming experience was good, but I had one major problem: the app crashed a lot. Sometimes it wouldn't even load past the splash screen, making it extremely frustrating.
High-speed network required
Even though there's no 4K content, you still need an internet speed of 7.5Mbps or more for high-quality streams. I've tested the network with 16 and 32GB internet speeds and didn't face any problem.
DVR capabilities added recently
Though it's a positive step, it took a long time for the DVR function to arrive. And though the DVR feature is now available, it's not something to write home about. It allows you to record the content of only up to 20 hours and you can't keep it for more than 30 days. Comparing that to fuboTV or Philo, you'll be disappointed.
Parental control features are limited
Yet again, AT&T TV Now has tried integrating a feature that doesn't work to its fullest potential. Yes, parental control is good, but unlike Sling TV, you can't restrict individual profiles. Thus, you have to adjust these settings frequently and different members of the household won't have the same viewing restrictions. Finally, your parental control restrictions are just protected via a four-digit passcode, which isn't anything significant in regards to security.
Plans & Pricing
The seven plans available with AT&T TV Now are PLUS, MAX, ENTERTAINMENT, CHOICE, XTRA, ULTIMATE, and OPTIMA MAS. Let's take a look at each of these options.
The PLUS Cable TV service costs $50/month and offers 40 channels, including CNBC, CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports, HBO, FX, SYFY, Nickelodeon and TBS.
MAX: The cost of the service is $70/month and it offers all of the channels including regional sports networks, CBS Sports Network, Paramount, and Cinemax.
Entertainment costs $93/month and includes CNN, ESPN, HGTV, TBS, and Disney Junior.
I chose a package that costs $110/month and features 85+ channels. Some of the channels included are OWN, SCI, Game Show, YES, and The Weather Channel.
Extra is a new cable TV service that costs $124/month and features 105+ channels, including FS2, FXM, NBC Golf, SUNDANCE TV, and OXYGEN.
ULTIMATE is a streaming service that costs $135/month and features 125+ channels, including the likes of STARZ, Univision Deportes, Cheddar and Destination America.
The Optimo Mas is a cable TV service that costs $86/month and offers 90+ channels, including Univision, Fox Deportes, Cine Estelar, and ESPN Deportes.
Suggestions I have for AT&T TV Now
Firstly, I don't like when an app crashes. It's really frustrating. So, can you make sure that doesn't happen anymore? And secondly, I'm also not impressed with how long it's taking you to roll out 4K versions of your apps. The competition is very tough and the longer you take to do this, the less people will continue to use your apps. Plus, branding has not been updated recently and DVR capabilities are kind of annoying. There is a lot of mediocre work happening in many areas that needs attention, so can we see that improvement soon?
Conclusion
It's true that AT&T TV Now offers a great value proposition for the sports lover. But think about not being able to stream a major NFL match from your mobile phone? That would be frustrating, right? I don't have any issues with this service, but the platform and its infrastructure don't really justify its vast content library, which I'm hoping gets fixed in 2020.
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