AT&T’s next foray into streaming television will launch across the nation later this month — and it will cost about as much as a traditional cable or satellite subscription.
After testing the service in nine pilot markets, AT&T TV will debut to a national audience of hungry TV viewers at a base price of $93 a month plus taxes and fees.
That price will net a handful of features:
- 70 basic cable channels, including Comedy Central, ESPN and CNN
- 500 hours of cloud DVR space, though movies and TV shows expire after 90 days
- A handy Android TV box that touts access to over 5,000 apps and the Google assistant
New customers who agree to sign a two-year contract will get their first 12 months of programming for as little as $50 a month plus taxes and fees.
AT&T is offering two additional tiers of service — a $110 a month plan that includes Sundance Network, the Tennis Channel and MLB Network, and a $124 a month plan that includes the Golf Channel, FXM and National Geographic Wild. Both tiers include regional sports channels, which adds around $9 a month to the base price of each plan.
AT&T is offering three months of free access to HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix to new customers who sign up for AT&T TV. The company says it will charge an extra $54 for all five movie networks after the third month unless a customer calls AT&T to cancel them.
Customers are offered one Android TV box for free, with each additional box carrying a monthly rental charge. Using Android TV allows AT&T to offer Android-powered apps to third party streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and Pluto TV, though it’s not clear if these services will work without an active AT&T TV subscription.
The service requires a broadband Internet connection, which isn’t included with AT&T TV, though customers can bundle AT&T’s high-speed fiber Internet if it’s available in their area.
AT&T TV is expected to roll out nationwide on February 27.
