Pman17 said:

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IT'S OFFICIAL

Existing Customers get $10 price hike. That means they will have a $15 hike in less than a year from the $5 increase last year.

But wait! There's more!
Add-ons hike in price IMMEDIATELY!
HBO $5 -------> $15!
Cinemax $5 --------> $11
Starz $8 ---------> $11

Yes, Existing customers keep their channels.


New Customers... why bother...
DirecTV Now Plus $50 ... 40+ channels
DirecTV Now Max $70 ... 50+ channels
HBO is free.
Stripped of A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, and Viacom.

Note that pretty much all Streaming Services don't have Viacom now so Viacom must have corporate idiots or they want to make a CBS like service of their own...

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I'm out... I'll try YoutubeTV. I think it has a better interface.

I'll probably stick around but cancel HBO after GOT ends. I can't believe they are dumping Food channel. That was my wife's one requirement. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they force all their legacy customers into the new plans. At that point, I'm definitely out.

Looks like the grandfathered plans are just getting the $10 increase and no changes to channels:

Quote:

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Starting today, DIRECTV NOW is offering new packages, PLUS and MAX. Each package has a different channel lineup than what you currently have, and both include HBO.

Go Big is yours to hang on to, even though it's not available to new customers. However, because programming costs continue to rise, your package will be increasing $10/mo beginning 05/07/2019. As a long-time streamer and early-adopter of DIRECTV NOW, you have an exclusive deal on your Go Big package and continue to save $25/mo on access to over 100 channels.

To see if these packages are a better fit, check out our comparison tool to help make the differences clear. If you do choose a new package, you won't be able to get Go Big back or the discount you're used to.

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What a drastic change. I'm ok for now, but the new packing and pricing will not work for me if forced to change. Will be shopping around.

Here is a comparison on packages.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19n1Xqwy4dnGa8bfNgEXoy5Lq-zzETkzU/view?usp=sharing

What happened at AT&T with this streaming package? Looks to me like it is doomed to fail. Might be viacom and Discovery pulling out.

Lol. F this. I stuck around after the $5 increase. I'm out with a $10 increase. The only reason I've kept their crappy service this long is because I was "locked in" to the original $35 (and then $40...) price, and Viacom/Comedy Central. No reason to keep it now.

Quote:

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But wait! There's more!
Add-ons hike in price IMMEDIATELY!
HBO $5 -------> $15!
Cinemax $5 --------> $11
Starz $8 ---------> $11

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Ok I think I got this wrong. If you already have the add-on, there's no price hike according to this link. But if you wanted to add, you pay more.
AT&T Price Increase FAQ

Are the grandfathered subscribers losing all the channels that are missing on the new plans? Including the Viacom stuff? Seems weird to keep offering those for some customers but not anyone new. I'd assume that at some point we will lose all those too...

WoMD said:

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Are the grandfathered subscribers losing all the channels that are missing on the new plans? Including the Viacom stuff? Seems weird to keep offering those for some customers but not anyone new. I'd assume that at some point we will lose all those too...

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Same thoughts here.

Grandfathered customers keep everything including Viacom.

I think what happened was Viacom wanted more money and decided to pull out. AT&T didn't want them to so they came up with a compromise that existing customers keep Viacom and new customers don't get Viacom. I guess they made it so that grandfathered customers are under the same contract as straight up DTV dish customers. Looking at all of the cord cutting services, the ones not owned by Viacom don't have Viacom channels. It was odd that AT&T managed to be the only cord cutting service to have every major network. So it isn't AT&T's fault that they lost Viacom but it is their fault for jacking up the price $10. You'd think it would be cheaper for the customer if they lost Viacom.

Will be waiting to see what the AppleTV service is, and then deciding on it then.

Somehow, I have HBO free, but I'm not sure why? It doesn't show up on my dtvnow account page, but I get it when I log in through hbogo. I seem to remember there being something with an AT&T unlimited plan?

Those prices suck. I have a better deal, channels, and DVR with dtv satellite. I just haggled again. It's not as good as I got lost year but comparable in price to the new NOW packages.

This year is gonna be very interesting for cord cutters. I think a lot of people are gonna get upset because companies are gonna pull out of services we love and make their own. We already know Disney will be pulling out of Netflix soon and making their own Netflix. Apple is making their own, NBC Universal is making their own, Warner Media (AT&T) is making their own, etc. The market soon will be saturated with streaming services begging for your $10.

Lt. Joe Bookman said:

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Will be waiting to see what the AppleTV service is, and then deciding on it then.

Somehow, I have HBO free, but I'm not sure why? It doesn't show up on my dtvnow account page, but I get it when I log in through hbogo. I seem to remember there being something with an AT&T unlimited plan?

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Yea, those with AT&T Unlimited get HBO for free it's been like that for almost 2 years. But I think with the new Unlimited plans, you have the option to pick which AT&T owned streaming service you wan't for free excluding DirecTV Now.

Yeah everything is going to fracture. Will be a pain to get all the things you want because everyone wants their own thing.

Pman17 said:

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Lt. Joe Bookman said:

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Will be waiting to see what the AppleTV service is, and then deciding on it then.

Somehow, I have HBO free, but I'm not sure why? It doesn't show up on my dtvnow account page, but I get it when I log in through hbogo. I seem to remember there being something with an AT&T unlimited plan?

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Yea, those with AT&T Unlimited get HBO for free it's been like that for almost 2 years. But I think with the new Unlimited plans, you have the option to pick which AT&T owned streaming service you wan't for free excluding DirecTV Now.

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So if I cancel dtv now, will I keep hbo?

I would get with Customer Support on that to be safe. In the past if you had an existing AT&T video service and AT&T Unlimited, you automatically get HBO for free, but if you don't, you would have to sign up for a "Free" DirecTV Now account to get HBO. I don't know if that "free" account still exists for Unlimited customers.

Pman17 said:

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This year is gonna be very interesting for cord cutters. I think a lot of people are gonna get upset because companies are gonna pull out of services we love and make their own. We already know Disney will be pulling out of Netflix soon and making their own Netflix. Apple is making their own, NBC Universal is making their own, Warner Media (AT&T) is making their own, etc. The market soon will be saturated with streaming services begging for your $10.

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In a way this is getting closer to the a-la-carte model some people have been asking for. It isn't to the granular level of picking by channel what you want but rather picking families of channels. If the content providers are smart they'll subdivide their packages into smaller chunks. For example with Viacom, people without kids in the house probably don't want the Nick channels. So group those into their own package and charge $5/month. Package MTV/Comedy Central/whatever into another set for $5/month.

Could be good, could suck. We'll have to see where it goes. I am glad though that I held on to my DTVN GoBig from launch though. It is still the best package deal out there even at $58/month. I am discouraged though in that this means they will probably never add ATT Sportsnet to DTVN.

kyledr04 said:

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Those prices suck. I have a better deal, channels, and DVR with dtv satellite. I just haggled again. It's not as good as I got lost year but comparable in price to the new NOW packages.

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I hate the idea that I have to go threaten to leave every year or so to get a good deal... Which ever service can keep their price stable will likely get my money. I'll find things I like on the channels that are available. If I can watch aggie football live, that'll be enough.

Yeah it's a hassle but kind of entertaining as well.

The folks on Reddit pointed something out. The packages didn't go away, they got renamed. If you go on the DirecTV Now website and Sign Up, click on "See More Packages" you get the full list.

Plus $50/mo 40+ channels
Max $70/mo 50+ channels
Entertainment $93/mo 65+ channels (Formerly Live a Little $35/mo)
Choice $110/mo 85+ channels (Formerly Just Right $50/mo)
Xtra $124/mo 105+ channels (Formerly Go Big $60/mo ($35/mo early adopters))
Ultimate $135/mo 125+ channels (Formerly Gotta Have It! $70/mo)
Optimo Mas $86/mo 90+ channels (Formerly Todo Y Mas $55/mo)

So from a different perspective, you actually save with the $10 increase.
Live a Little saves $43/mo
Just Right saves $45/mo
Go Big saves $49/mo
Go Big Early Birds save $74/mo
Gotta Have It! saves $50/mo

Channel Comparisons
https://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/dynamic_channels/compare-packages-account-dbs.html

Pman17 said:

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So from a different perspective, you actually save with the $10 increase.

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From my perspective I'm just paying $15 more...

I realize that they are adding in HBO, but dang those packages look expensive.

Just got the email about the price hike and the new packages. Looked at the comparison, and the two new plans are complete garbage. Might have to stop shopping around while I hold onto my current plan.

"The price of HBO is also increasing, but as a current subscriber, you'll see no changes in your premium channel pricing."

At least for until you get over this new $10 increase. Oh, but it's coming...they just prepared you for it.

Viacom and those other channels are as good as gone too...by the end of the year, I'd bet.

What is crazy to me is that they are doing this when their service doesn't seem to have been improved at all since launch. Still the same awful experience. I was just looking down the "GoBig" lineup and we don't watch 90% of those channels and never will. It just makes it worse having to scroll through all that mess to find what you want. DTVNow has always been so slow and clunky, the DVR sucks, and I am happy to finally say goodbye.

I just cancelled my YouTubeTV free trial yesterday but we were sad to do so as it was FAR superior to HBO in about every way. YouTubeTV for us.

Dropped AT&T for cell years ago. They blow. DTV now for same reason. Have Sling, and it works for me.

This is my opinion.

DTVN looks to be on the way out. They seem to be hemorrhaging subscribers fast and the new lineup and pricing seems to be something that will not attract anyone new. I'm good for now, but will be prepared for a switch to something. In a competitive market, raising pricing and offering less does not seem to be a strategy for success.

I was optimistic about DTVN on the initial offering, suffered though the launch issues and the integration currently with my Apple TV is good. With this observation, I will be prepared to switch, where to at this time I don't know.

As I conitnue to have issues with Directv Now (app won't start, have to manually go 'kill it' and restart it, sometimes multiple times) and since the 'grandfathered' price continues to rise, I am looking at other options.

Curious to know what others have moved to once they left Directv Now.

I loaded up FuboTV because of the soccer content and ATT Sports so I can watch the Astros but it's missing the ESPNs and the SEC network as well as one of my locals here in the Austin area.

I know Hulu, Youtube, and Sling all have services that i need to look at. Are there any others that y'all might recommend.

Thanks,
Chris '91

goose91 said:

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As I conitnue to have issues with Directv Now (app won't start, have to manually go 'kill it' and restart it, sometimes multiple times) and since the 'grandfathered' price continues to rise, I am looking at other options.

Curious to know what others have moved to once they left Directv Now.

I loaded up FuboTV because of the soccer content and ATT Sports so I can watch the Astros but it's missing the ESPNs and the SEC network as well as one of my locals here in the Austin area.

I know Hulu, Youtube, and Sling all have services that i need to look at. Are there any others that y'all might recommend.

Thanks,
Chris '91

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I've been thinking the same thing, mainly relating to the price hikes (but the app hasn't been an issue for me), but it seems that all the services are bumping the prices up right now. So are there any good bang for buck options even left that would make it worth switching...? The channel offering is still the most complete of all services (for those who were grandfathered), at least for now.

YoutubeTV did the best of covering my sports needs while having a quality interface. They have the best, most traditional TV guide of the services I tried (DirecTV Now, Playstation Vue, Hulu Live, SlingTV). That may not be the case any longer, because it's been awhile since I've tried any of those other services (Hulu Live was the most recent 8 months ago).

And apparently, ESPN3 content is no longer available to Directv Now customers.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/att-confirms-directv-now-no-longer-offers-espn3/

So no watching the A&M v. UofH softball game today.

hph6203 said:

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YoutubeTV did the best of covering my sports needs while having a quality interface. They have the best, most traditional TV guide of the services I tried (DirecTV Now, Playstation Vue, Hulu Live, SlingTV). That may not be the case any longer, because it's been awhile since I've tried any of those other services (Hulu Live was the most recent 8 months ago).

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I'm going to pick up youtubetv during football season.

goose91 said:

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And apparently, ESPN3 content is no longer available to Directv Now customers.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/att-confirms-directv-now-no-longer-offers-espn3/

So no watching the A&M v. UofH softball game today.

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Yeah, that started last season, which pissed me off once I figured out why it stopped working. I was blaming espn at first...

That's the biggest reason I'm considering switching. Football season's coming up...

goose91 said:

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And apparently, ESPN3 content is no longer available to Directv Now customers.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/att-confirms-directv-now-no-longer-offers-espn3/

So no watching the A&M v. UofH softball game today.

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ESPN3 is offered on XFinity broadband service. Just log out of DTVNow on ESPN App. I keep an extra streaming device (Firestick) on my main TV just for ESPN3. Pain in the A, but it works.

The old saying "be careful what you ask for, because you might get it" may be coming true. Many people (myself included) have been moaning about having to pay for crap they never watch. Now, with many of the major providers like Disney/Hulu, ATT, Viacom, Apple, Sony etc. pulling all of their content back in house their streaming services, it could get very interesting. You might need to have multiple streaming services at ever increasing prices to get everything you actually do watch. Like cable and satellite, they all gave great introductory prices and then began to creep them up.

Also, there is a lot of talk in the industry about new players getting into the sports business. Companies like YouTube, Apple, Amazon, etc. have all said they are looking at bidding on some of the conferences packages, as well as the major pro sports. IF that happens, now you will have to subscribe to multiple streaming services to get all of the sports you like.

My belief is that at the end of the day, at some point your ala carte package of the things you like could reach cable/ sat tv pricing. They know many, many people are already willing to pay those prices, so why will they leave money on the table long term.