AT&T is holding a launch event for DirecTV Now, its upcoming over-the-top service, on November 28th in New York City. In a bid to grab market share away from incumbent services like Sling and PlayStation Vue, DirecTV will offer over 100 channels for $35 a month, which is arguably the best value offered by any over-the-top service.
According to a report from Variety, consumers who sign up for DirecTV Now for three months will reportedly receive a free Apple TV, and those who sign up for a single month will receive an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Given how small the profit margins could end up being on DirecTV Now, it looks like AT&T is doing anything it can to get a substantial number of subscribers on board as soon as possible to make the service financially viable.
With carriage deals already in place between AT&T and Disney, NBCUniversal, Viacom, Scripps, Discovery, HBO, Starz, A&E Networks, and reportedly a VOD library with 14,000 titles, DirecTV Now should have a robust offering of top-flight channels. But questions remain about the possibility of features like a cloud DVR and the ability to pause live TV. Thankfully we will find out the answers to all of our questions in 10 days.
