There are two kinds of people out there — those who saw this coming, and everyone else. Either way, here we are.
DirecTV Now — which once upon a time launched with decent prices, really good promotions and a lineup that could compete with pretty much any other streaming service — has morphed into the sort of service you'd expect from a content provider owned by AT&T. You know, the company whose logo often is lampooned as the Death Star.
Here's what you need to know:
- New plans, new pricing: All of DirecTV Now's plans have been revamped. The cheapest (and least comprehensive) starts at $50 a month and includes HBO, but will be missing a lot of channels. The most expensive plan weighs in at $135 a month. Yes, you read that right.
- The old plans are getting more expensive, too: If you had one of the previous plans it's going up by $10 a month. And if you want to change plans, you'll lose what you've got and have to get one of the new ones.
- Free HBO is going away for new plans: If you're an AT&T Wireless Unlimited subscriber have that free HBO deal, don't change it. Because if you do, you'll lose that free HBO.
- See ya, Discovery, Viacom and AMC: OK, it's not that you can't get any of those channels on DTVN, it's just that you won't find them below the $93-a-month plan. Ouch.
Check out the full list of channels, plans and pricing
And things likely will get weirder at some point, with the AT&T-owned WarnerMedia in the early stages of launching its own streaming service. Plus, AT&T WatchTV is still a thing.
Other than that? Business as usual over at CordCutters.com.
