DirecTV Streaming Services
AT&T had acquired DirecTV before a year and they are now launching a trio of standalone streaming services under the DirecTV brand. After acquiring DirecTV, AT&T has been making deals with content providers to make their channels available on their services. AT&T representatives have now confirmed that HBO has also made deals with them, and the linear channel of the premium cable network will be available for OTT streaming.
The announcement was made after the renewal of agreement by HBO for the traditional U-Verse and DirecTV packages. AT&T says that this agreement is historic, as it covers both the traditional and OTT streaming platforms. AT&T has not yet made any announcements on the cost of DirecTV Mobile or DirecTV Now services, but they know that it is necessary to keep the hype going for the services. This is the reason AT&T has confirmed the availability of HBO on the streaming services of DirecTV. The third element, DirecTV Preview, will be offered free to the users, and it will be an advertisement supported product.
DirecTV Packages
Disney has already made clear that Disney, ESPN, and ABC channels will be available for the viewers. Now, Cinemax and HBO channels will also be available on DirecTV streaming services. Competitors like PlayStation Vue and Sling TV have also enriched their offerings over the last few months, and AT&T needed to offer something that can make people subscribe to their services. This is why they have announced to include Cinemax and HBO in their offering.
As per the press release by AT&T, Cinemax and HBO channels will also be a part of the mobile video offering and things will remain the same for subscribers of U-Verse and DirecTV packages. This is the first time that HBO content has made its way to any streaming service outside their HBO Go app, and it is hoped that this agreement will pave way for similar deals from other pay TV service providers in the future.
Streaming services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue have been around offering their services for long, and it will not be an easy path for the new streaming services from AT&T to make its mark. However, with the inclusion of premium channels like HBO, things might go their way.
