Is DirecTV Now Cable 2.0? In the next year, cord cutters are going to have more and more choices about how to increase their cable footprint without actually paying for cable. Thanks to the increasing popularity of the skinny bundle, a creation of cable channels sold by streaming services at a reduced cost, cord cutters are able to enjoy as much cable as they need, at a price they can live with. The newest service to throw their hat into the ring is DirecTV Now.

The service was unveiled last week, and as with all new services, it has had its share of kinks , which will likely calm down in the coming weeks. While many people have been interested in learning what DirecTV Now would have to offer, including what price points would be available, it’s also worth considering how much of an impact Big Cable is going to have on streaming from this point on. As AT&T owns DirectTV and U-Verse, they now have their feet in both pools, so to speak. They’ve made no qualms about showing that, too. They’ve recently come under attack from the FCC, who has claimed that their offer of AT&T mobile users being able to stream DirecTV Now without mobile data charges, violates net neutrality (it’s something the company has already instituted for traditional DirecTV customers). It will be interesting to see how AT&T proceeds, and whether this deal remains in effect in the future. The introductory price is $35 a month for more than 100 channels. However, this is just an introductory price and could end at any time. This package normally will cost $60, though anyone that signs up and remains a member will be able to keep this price point. As for members who sign up after the introductory price ends, they can either get this package for $60 or sign up for a smaller $35 package. You also get a free week trial, which is pretty standard among streaming services. The first sign that we might have something to worry about, beyond the violation of net neutrality to sell some skinny bundles, actually deals with the price for DirecTV Now. If you’re worried about the influence big cable might be having on the streaming world, you only need to look as far as the words of DirecTV Now’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Brad Bentley, who said, “These packages will be subject to price increases down the line.” These words should strike a little bit of fear into both cord cutters, and anyone that’s ever signed up for cable. Sure, the price point isn’t too bad to begin with, but before you know it, the prices will continue to rise. And if the removal of data charges isn’t bad enough to anyone that isn’t an AT&T mobile user, there’s also the news that bundle offers between DirecTV Now, Internet, and mobile services might be an option in the future. This trick generally doesn’t save you any money and it’s one that big cable is famous for. From the channel lineup to the price points, and the threat of them moving up, DirecTV Now has some glaring similarities to cable. Perhaps the service will be decent and cable’s influence will be a small one. For now, I remain cautious on what the outcome on streaming will be, and am looking towards the other services coming in the future that aren’t so rooted in big cable. This article was contributed by the DSLReports.com community. If you'd like to receive payment for writing content like this for our front page, please drop us a line.







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Most recommended from 38 comments



DataRiker

Premium Member

join:2002-05-19

00000 20 recommendations DataRiker Premium Member This isn't really cord cutting. I consider cord cutting simply not paying for TV. At worst, not paying more than 10 dollars a month for TV no matter where it comes from. elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY 15 recommendations elefante72 Member Two card monty They will pull the same trick they did in wireless. Unbundle the phone from the plan, and still charge the same for the plan to the tune of record profits. In this case they will happily replace your STB/DVR w/ Roku sticks (that you had to buy and support), lower their support and installation costs dramatically, and then raise the prices to where they were before so they are making record profits.



And those will say I will just cut the cord, no problem HSI will now be $150 a month, and with that you get free NFL streaming on your AT&T phone. So they will shift the cost from content FROM your OTT bundle to the very basic wireless/HSI cost alone in the form of zero rating so yet again the average person is paying $60 a month for sports even if you only have HSI or wireless from the big4.



So you wonder why Comcast buys NBC, AT&T DTV and now Time Warner. That is why.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 9 recommendations maartena Premium Member Internet... The Internet is the new infrastructure for television. At some point in the future there will be only internet connections to your house, and every service is running on top of that, including voice and video.



DirecTV Now, but also Playstation Vue and Sling TV could be seen as Cable 2.0, as they are essentially the same thing: You pay for a bundle of channels. It's not exactly the same of course in the sense that you aren't bound to a location, and aren't bound to certain equipment. But it does allow consumers to finally cut sports out of their packages for a limited part anyways..... I think all of the packages still have ESPN, but you no longer pay for all the local RSN's.



It's definitely a step forward.... but I think it is an interim phase. Where we will be headed eventually is total on-demand, perhaps with exception of news and sports broadcasts....

Takuro

join:2016-10-17

Chapel Hill, NC 2 recommendations Takuro Member Not Even Cable is Really Cable Anymore Cable was originally meant as as way of transmitting an analogue signal over coaxial for people who couldn't pick up TV from local broadcast towers. Fast forward to today, and considering the fact that cable is now transmitted digitally, there's a ton of on-demand content, and many cable companies have developed DVRs capable of streaming content to local devices -- it sort of begs the question "why is it *not* just all just a streaming service built on IP?" I literally can't think of a single downside to separating cable programming from its transmission media. It's where things are going to head for everybody. It opens more business opportunities for the content providers and their advertisers, and it gives customers the flexibility to consume content however they want (so long as net neutrality is defended where applicable.)