DirecTV Now Simplifies Streaming Plans and Raises Prices
DirecTV Now subscribers will be paying a little more for their service, as they were recently informed prices will go up by $10 starting next month. This isn't the young service's first price hike, either, as it bumped up monthly fees by $5 in July 2018.
But in a welcome change DirecTV Now is moving from five streaming options to two. This was expected from the start, as DirecTV Now's multiple tiers were too confusing for cord-cutters who wanted a simple alternative to cable. The service's two new plans are called DirecTV Now Plus for $50 per month for over 40 channels and DirecTV Now Max for $70 per month for over 50 channels. While that's getting close to the price for cable, both plans include HBO. The higher priced plan offers more sports channels. What they lack are channels from Viacom, Discovery, AMC, and A+E. Keep in mind that the current staring package offers over 65 channels for $40 per month, so customers will be getting fewer channels.
Existing subscribers can keep their current plans, but the service's introductory pricing is long gone. DirecTV Now dropped 267,000 subscribers in Q4 2018 when most of its promotional pricing ended. At the time, AT&T said the service had 1.6 million subscribers.
Hulu recently raised prices on its live channels, as well. If this continues, budget-conscious customers might wonder why they cut the cord.
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