The "Plus" plan includes HBO and now costs $65 a month. The question is whether other streaming services will follow.
What you need to know
- AT&T TV Now's least expensive plan is going from $50 a month to $65 a month.
- That "Plus" plan still includes HBO.
- That relatively low $50 price point lasted all of 6 months.
AT&T today confirmed to CordCutters that's going out to current subscribers announcing an upcoming price increase.
The move takes AT&T TV Now's least-expensive plan — the $50-a-month "Plus" plan that also includes HBO — and increases it by 30 percent to $65 a month. (That comes out to $780 over 12 months instead of $600 for the same period.) AT&T told us:
Increases of this range aren't all that uncommon — in fact, we've pretty much come to expect it. And it's been six months (almost to the day) since the former DirecTV Now introduced this "Plus" plan in the first place.
Here's how the new plan structure breaks down:
- Plus ($65 a month): This is now the least expensive option on DirecTV Now. It's got 40-plus channels and comes with HBO, HBO Family and HBO Latino included. You'll get local channels with this plan, but no regional sports networks.
- Max ($70 a month): This plan adds some more sports channels (for a total of 50-plus) and also includes HBO and Cinemax. It includes regional sports networks.
- Entertainment ($93 a month): From here on out HBO and the like will cost extra. But you get 65-plus channels, including your local channels. But no regional sports networks.
- Choice ($110 a month): Local channels and regional sports networks are included, and you'll end up with more than 85 channels total.
- Xtra ($124 a month): We're now up to more than 105 channels total, including local and regional sports.
- Ultimate ($135 a month): This will get you the maximum number of English-language channels -- 125 and change -- including local and regional sports.
- Optimo Mas ($86 a month): This is DirecTV Now's Spanish-language option. You get about 50 channels in Spanish, and 40-some in English. Local channels are included, but not regional sports channels.
The question now is whether other streaming services will follow suit. We've seen one service increase prices in the past, only to be quickly followed by another.
The deets
AT&T TV Now
It's not DirecTV Now — it's AT&T TV Now
Seven plans, ranging from $50 to $135 a month, get you pretty much the most options you'll find on any of the live streaming services.