AT&T’s subsidiary DirecTV is raising prices across the board for all current users who will start seeing a $10 price hike on their selected streaming plan from April 12, 2019.
At the same time, new subscribers will now have access to the $50 per month Now Plus package with 40+ channels and the $70 per month Max package with 50+ channels, both new.
Both of these packages include cable channels from WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, Disney and Fox, as well as HBO. Cable channels from A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery and Viacom are not included in the newly unveiled Now Plus and Max packages, reports Variety.
Current customers subscribed to the existing Live a Little, Just Right, Go Big, Gotta Have It or Todo y Más packages will not see any changes to their channel lineup. Those who are new to DirecTV Now, however, will only see the latest Plus and Max packages.
DirecTV’s FAQ notes that legacy subscribers will be now paying more for channel add-ons beginning today: HBO went from $5 per month to $15 per month, Cinemax went from $5 per month to $11 per month while Starz is going from $8 per month to $11 per month.
MacRumors broke down all of these price changes:
New DirecTV prices
- Live a Little: $40 per month → $50 per month
- Just Right: $55 per month → $65 per month
- Go Big: $65 per month → $75 per month
- Gotta Have It: $75 per month → $85 per month
- Todo y Más: $45 per month → $55 per month
These prices are scheduled to go into effect starting April 12, 2019.
New channel add-on prices
- HBO add-on: $5 per month → $15 per month
- Cinemax add-on: $5/month → $11 per month
- Starz add-on: $8 per month → $11 per month
These prices affect all current customers who add a premium channel from March 13, 2019.
MacRumors analyzed DirecTV’s new price structure to rival offerings:
As a point of comparison, DirecTV Now’s cheapest plans ($50 per month for both Live a Little and Plus) do not compare very favorably to rival services.
PlayStation Vue starts at $45 per month, YouTube TV starts at $40 per month, FuboTV starts at $40 per month, Hulu With Live TV costs $45 per month and SlingTV’s Orange & Blue plan is priced at $40 per month (just $25 per month right now).
That’s not to mention services which have launched to offer ultra-stripped down packages, like Philo’s no-sports service that starts at $16/month.
To entice people to subscribe to DirecTV, they’re now offering one month for free to new customers signing up with the promo code MARCH2019.
This is a second major price hike since AT&T officially introduced the DirecTV Now streaming bundle in November 2016. The first price change was last August when DirecTV Now raised prices across all of its streaming packages by $5 to stay “in line with the market.”
Image top of post courtesy of Reddit user plgdg