AT&T Watch TV launches quietly with Apple TV app

AT&T quietly launched its 31-channel Watch TV streaming service Thursday releasing an Apple TV app that is now available through the Apple TV App Store. The company also announced the free choice of seven different premium movie and music services only for subscribers of its premium unlimited wireless plan.

AT&T did not make an official announcement on the launch day of the new service and doesn’t plan to do so, a source has confirmed to BESTAppleTV.com. The new service with its website launched shortly after midnight, eastern time, on Thursday.

The lower-cost alternative to AT&T’s DirecTV Now will offer anyone the ability to view WatchTV for only $15 per month.

Subscribers to only the AT&T Unlimited &More Premium package will get their choice of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, VRV, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Pandora Premium at no extra charge. Subscribers can switch services on their contracts one-year anniversary to another one of the seven services if they wish.

AT&T Unlimited &More Premium subscribers get their choice of one premium channel from the list of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, VRV, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Pandora Premium.

Subscribers to the AT&T Unlimited &More package will have free access to the service, but will not have access to the premium services available in the higher priced wireless package.

The new service includes 30-plus live channels, over 15,000 TV shows and movies on demand, and are be available on virtually every smartphone, tablet, browser, as well as streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV.

The service has no Cloud DVR capabilities, no sports channels, no local network affiliates, and supports only one stream.

Here’s a full list of Watch TV channels:

A&E

AMC

Animal Planet

Audience

BBC World News

BBC America

Boomerang

Cartoon Network

CNN

Discovery

Food Network

FYI

Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

HGTV

History

HLN

IFC

Investigation Discovery

Lifetime

Lifetime Movies

OWN

Sundance TV

TBS

TCM

TLC

TNT

Tru TV

Velocity

Viceland

WE TV

AT&T says these six additional channels will be coming soon:

BET

Comedy Central

MTV2

Nicktoons

Teennick

VH1

The service launched a little over two months since word was first made public that AT&T planned to release a ‘skinny bundle’ of television channels similar competitive service Philo which has yet to launch on Apple TV and debuted on other platforms more than seven months ago.

Click here for a link to the Watch TV App Store app, which works on fourth-generation and fifth-generation Apple TV boxes.