AT&T has finally merged its two streaming pay TV services into a unified package.
In an announcement made earlier this week, AT&T said it was discontinuing its AT&T TV Now streaming service, which offered access to a host of cable channels over the Internet for around $65 a month.
As part of the move, AT&T said it would be pushing customers toward its AT&T TV service, a similar offering that was designed to compete against traditional cable and satellite companies.
In the past, AT&T made customers who signed up for AT&T TV sign a two-year contract and rent an AT&T-branded Android TV box. Both requirements are being eliminated as part of the merger of the two services, the company said, though both are still being offered.
Going forward, the unified AT&T TV will cost $70 a month for around 65 top-tier cable channels, including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon, HGTV, CNN and FX. Two additional tiers — an $85 a month package and an ultra-pricy $95 a month package — come with additional channels (over 90 and 130, respectively) and are bundled with HBO Max for one year.
Customers can still get an AT&T-branded Android TV box as part of their service, though they can also use an existing streaming TV box they may already have, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung’s Tizen, Google’s Android TV and Apple TV. Apps are also available for Apple and Android phones and tablets.
Those who are willing to sign a two-year commitment can get anywhere from $10 to $20 off their TV package for the first year, though the price jumps significantly in the second year — beyond what it would cost if customers simply stayed on a month-to-month plan.
Existing AT&T TV customers who signed up before the merger of the two services are still locked into whatever contract they signed at the time, but they’ll have the option of converting their service to a cheaper, monthly plan once their contract is up.
