DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream (formerly DirecTV Now and AT&T TV) is a family of streaming multichannel television services offered in the United States by DirecTV. The brand encompasses three separate services sharing similar infrastructure and software. DirecTV Stream, launched nationally as AT&T TV in March 2020, is the streaming television counterpart to the traditional DirecTV satellite television service. It is sold on-contract and optionally bundled in the same manner as traditional television providers, but utilizes Android TV-based set-top boxes rented to subscribers. AT&T WatchTV, first offered in June 2018, is a skinny bundle service aimed at cord cutters, featuring no local or sports channels. AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) is a formerly-offered direct-to-consumer service launched on November 30, 2016, designed to compete with other over-the-top television services, and sold without a contract. History On July 13, 2017, it was reported that AT&T was preparing to introduce a cloud-based DVR streaming service as part of its effort to create a unified platform across the DirecTV satellite television service and DirecTV Now services, with U-verse to be added soon. In March 2019, DirecTV Now instituted a new package structure for new subscribers with fewer channels included (although with HBO now included in the base package), and increased pricing for all subscribers. By the second quarter of 2019, DirecTV Now lost 168,000 subscribers (decreasing to 1.3 million), with AT&T citing "higher prices and less promotional activity" as reasoning.