AT&T’s new streaming service DirecTV Now has been hyped by the company as a “game changer” but after getting most of the details during today’s launch, as I expected, the service has quite a few limitations. For starters, the $35 pricing AT&T has been raving about is a “limited time offer – for which an end date has not yet been announced“. So how long that price will be good for is unknown. The company also said that the streaming service will see pricing increases down the line, as content licensing costs increase, which is the same we all experience with cable TV. AT&T’s press release says, “future reasonable programming price increases applicable to all packages.”

When the service launches on Wednesday, there will be a limit of two simultaneous streams per account, so the service isn’t a good option for those who want to stream from more than two sources at once in the same household. Roku support will come in 2017, but there is no mention at all of support on Xbox One or PS4 in the works, which combined, has sold more devices than any other piece of hardware connected to the TV. So that’s a big missing piece. There is no 4K support, which is fine, that wasn’t expected, but AT&T still hasn’t said what the max bitrate the video is encoded for, so it’s hard to know what the quality is going to be.

And if you are looking for a complete channel lineup, AT&T didn’t send one out with the press materials and as of now, hasn’t provided a list. I guess we’ll all see on Wednesday which channels come in which package, (there is no CBS or Showtime) but it’s odd they talked so much about how good the channel lineup is, but then didn’t provide any details. Also, where local affiliates are involved, many users will only have access to on-demand replays of primetime shows, unless you are in a major city where the network owns the local programming.

Pricing and Packages:

• Live a Little – more than 60 channels for $35/month
• Just Right – more than 80 channels for $50/month
• Go Big – more than 100 channels for $$60/month
• Gotta Have it – more than 120 channels for $70/month

HBO and Cinemax can be added for $5 each per month, which is a good price and shows that AT&T is clearly subsidising some of the cost. Pre-paying for 3 months in advance package will get you an Apple TV for free, and pre-paying for 1 month will get you a free Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote.

AT&T needs to start somewhere with their new service, but for all the hype they have been giving it over the past nine months, the launch to the market seems half-baked. There is no channel lineup listed as of yet, no cloud DVR features, no Roku/Xbox/PS4/Smart TV support, no details on video quality, promotional pricing with no known end date, no premium sports, and no integration with NFL Sunday Ticket. And yet AT&T’s press release calls this a “Revolution”.

If AT&T was looking to do something to make their service stand out when compared to competing services PlayStation Vue and Sling TV, they didn’t do it. DirecTV Now feels more like a beta version that I’m sure will improve over time, but at what cost to the consumer is unknown.

Also see: AT&T Reserving Capacity To Support About 1M Simultaneous DirecTV Now Subscribers

Thursday at 1pm ET, I’ll be moderating a StreamingMedia.com webinar on the topic of “OTT Best Practices: Strategies that Drive Subscriber Acquisition and Retention“. In the dynamic OTT market, fluctuations in subscriber metrics can make or break your business. To smooth acquisition and retention, leading OTT providers are finding success by combining flexible billing with advanced analytics. In this informative webinar, you’ll discover the proven strategies smart OTT providers are using to accelerate healthy subscriber growth.

Join the subscription management experts from Recurly on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 10am PT / 1pm ET to learn how to:

• Identify the most profitable bundles – pricing, promotion and channels – for your business with real-time analytics and actionable insights
• Minimize churn – especially involuntary churn – with decline management and dunning strategies
• Optimize revenue with continual testing, hypertargeting and advanced performance metrics

REGISTER NOW to join us for this FREE live web event.

The next streaming media meetup in NYC will take place on Tuesday, December 13th, starting at 6pm at Tavern 29. We’re going to end the year with a great meetup and free drinks and networking thanks to sponsors 3Q SDN, Bitmovin, Level 3 and Highwinds. Tavern 29 is located at on 29th street and Park. We will be on the second floor and they do ask for ID at the door. There is no RSVP list, just show up and spread the word.

These meetups are a great way to network with others tied to the online video ecosystem. We get a great mix of attendees from companies including AOL, NFL, Showtime, Omnicom, NBC, NBA, Time, HBO, Viacom, CBS, Twitter, WPP, Google, Nielsen, Facebook, FOX, R/GA, Twitch, Riot Games, American Express, Comcast, wall street money managers, government agencies, VR production companies and vendors from all facets of the video ecosystem.

I’ll keep organizing these every month so if you want to be notified via email when the next one is taking place, send me an email and I’ll add you to the list.

Building a great Roku channel has never been easier. At the Streaming Media West show, [taking place this week in Huntington Beach, CA] presenters from Streamroot will provide a brief overview of how modern video players work, what broadcasters should look for depending on their technical and business goals, and different open-source tools that are available. The presentation will discuss compatible formats, codecs and supported DRMs, user performance, the ability of each media engine to handle edge cases, and the performance of the ABR algorithms. At the end of the presentation, broadcasters will better understand what tools are right for their needs and be able to evaluate the pros and cons of each solution available.

Register online using the code 200DR for a free “Discovery Pass” and get access to the keynotes, exhibit hall, discovery track sessions, and receptions at #smwest – at no cost – or get $200 off a full conference pass.

At the Streaming Media West show, [taking place this week in Huntington Beach, CA] we have a session that will explore why publishers need a holistic view of consumers’ Quality of Experience (QoE) in today’s open and unpredictable Internet environment. Learn how companies are using data to adapt to the changing entertainment landscape and how correlations can be made across the video delivery spectrum to understand the impact of experience as it pertains to the engagement of your audience. Confirmed speakers include:

• Moderator: Ed Haslam, CMO, Conviva
  
• Joe Friend, VP, Ad Technology Systems, Fox
  
• Perry Weinstein, GM, North America, Accedo
• Jon Mantell, VP, Digital Products and Video, CBSi

Register online using the code 200DR for a free “Discovery Pass” and get access to the keynotes, exhibit hall, discovery track sessions, and receptions at #smwest – at no cost – or get $200 off a full conference pass.

Streaming company-wide meetings, training, and other events through your internal network saves on time, travel costs and resources. At the Streaming Media West show, [taking place November 1-2 in Huntington Beach, CA] we have a session looks at real-world architectures being used for distributing streams to all screens within an enterprise setting. You’ll learn about how peer-to-peer and multicast technologies fit in, and how to reach remote and mobile workers. Our panelists will recommend ways to increase quality and broadest audience reach, and share best practices and lessons learned. Confirmed speakers include:

• Moderator: Chris Knowlton, VP, Streaming Industry Evangelist, Wowza Media
  
• Andy Howard, Founder & Managing Director, Howard & Associates
  
• Perry Fetterman, Senior Director, Enterprise and Education, Kaltura
• Mike Newman, CEO, MediaPlatform
  
• Dan Swiney, Manager, Live Production and Streaming, LinkedIn

Register online using the code 200DR for a free “Discovery Pass” and get access to the keynotes, exhibit hall, discovery track sessions, and receptions at #smwest – at no cost – or get $200 off a full conference pass.

As the content ecosystem prepares for HDR, 4K/UHD, and even 8K at scale in an on-demand, any device world, the risk of high-quality pirated content rises in tandem, putting the evolving business models and infrastructure investments at immediate risk. At the Streaming Media West show, [taking place November 1-2 in Huntington Beach, CA] the Digital Watermarking Alliance is leading a session on the Business and Technical Challenges Of Forensic Watermarking For 4K/UHD. Hear from leading companies in the forensic watermarking ecosystem who will discuss the technical, business and practical challenges of implementing forensic watermarking. Confirmed speakers include:

• Moderator: Rajan Samtani, Senior Advisor, Digital Watermarking Alliance
  
• Philippe Stransky-Heilkron, CTO, Nagra-Kudelski
  
• Lawrence Low, VP, Irdeto
• Eric Diehl, VP, Content Protection, Sony Pictures Entertainment
  

Register online using the code 200DR for a free “Discovery Pass” and get access to the keynotes, exhibit hall, discovery track sessions, and receptions at #smwest – at no cost – or get $200 off a full conference pass.