DirecTV Now breaks 200,000 subscribers in problematic first month of service
AT&T's DirecTV has successfully managed to acquire more than 200,000 paying subscribers within one month of its launch on November 30, but despite the growth, customers of the Internet TV provider are continuing to endure issues with the service.
A Securities and Exchange Commission filing from AT&T for the quarter ending December 31 last year advises it has "more than 200,000 video net adds, entirely driven by DirectTV Now." The filing notes this figure is only for paying customers within the first month, not including any on free trials, and doesn't take into account changes in its customer numbers for the start of 2017.
AT&T offered its larger $60 plan for $35 per month for the launch, the same cost as the basic package, but that deal lasted until January 9. A second offer tempted customers with a free 32GB fourth-generation Apple TV, but only if they prepaid for three months of service in advance.
At launch, the service suffered from a number of performance issues, with users complaining about being locked out of streaming content. Error 60 messages, meant to advise users they were using too many streams on their account simultaneously, appeared for some subscribers even if they were only using a single stream, while other stream interruptions kept reoccurring during peak viewing times, indicating issues with capacity.
AppleInsider's experience with the service mirrors that of many of the complaints, with the experience worse on streaming devices like the Apple TV versus that on the iPhone or iPad.
Even after the teething issues at launch, reports have surfaced over the last month indicating DirecTV Now still has problems providing its service, with customers continuing to complain.
The AT&T support forums are littered with posts from disgruntled customers irritated by new and old issues, including continued mishandled Error 60 warnings, buffering issues, and live stream freezes. Other complaints include being signed out of apps at random, the unavailability of some content for on-demand viewing, and problems with regional lockouts for local sporting events.
AT&T has also been accused of failing to provide afflicted subscribers with refunds, with representatives telling some users there wasn't a policy in place to provide compensation. Free trial customers were also affected, with TechCrunch noting some customers who tried to cancel within seven days were refused refunds for unexpected charges.
The continued issues and the difficulty in getting a refund has led to customers complaining to the FCC, with some frustrated forum posters urging other affected subscribers to do the same.
"With any new technology there are going to be fixes that need to be made," starts a statement from AT&T. "While we understand we still have work to do, overall feedback on DirecTV Now has been very positive. We're continuously updating the app to provide a better experience for customers. We encourage customers to keep the app updated."
On the subject of refunds, AT&T advises it does not provide partial compensation due to DirecTV Now being a prepaid monthly service, and that customers would be able to "enjoy the service through the end of the current billing cycle."
For free trial cancellations, AT&T notes some customers would have joined up with a special code that would have boosted the seven-day trial to 30, and if they had entered the code wrong, they may have unknowingly stayed on the seven-day trial. In a softening of stance on refunds, AT&T does "encourage" those who signed up with a code but were charged anyway to contact support for a "resolution."
A Securities and Exchange Commission filing from AT&T for the quarter ending December 31 last year advises it has "more than 200,000 video net adds, entirely driven by DirectTV Now." The filing notes this figure is only for paying customers within the first month, not including any on free trials, and doesn't take into account changes in its customer numbers for the start of 2017.
AT&T offered its larger $60 plan for $35 per month for the launch, the same cost as the basic package, but that deal lasted until January 9. A second offer tempted customers with a free 32GB fourth-generation Apple TV, but only if they prepaid for three months of service in advance.
At launch, the service suffered from a number of performance issues, with users complaining about being locked out of streaming content. Error 60 messages, meant to advise users they were using too many streams on their account simultaneously, appeared for some subscribers even if they were only using a single stream, while other stream interruptions kept reoccurring during peak viewing times, indicating issues with capacity.
AppleInsider's experience with the service mirrors that of many of the complaints, with the experience worse on streaming devices like the Apple TV versus that on the iPhone or iPad.
Even after the teething issues at launch, reports have surfaced over the last month indicating DirecTV Now still has problems providing its service, with customers continuing to complain.
The AT&T support forums are littered with posts from disgruntled customers irritated by new and old issues, including continued mishandled Error 60 warnings, buffering issues, and live stream freezes. Other complaints include being signed out of apps at random, the unavailability of some content for on-demand viewing, and problems with regional lockouts for local sporting events.
AT&T has also been accused of failing to provide afflicted subscribers with refunds, with representatives telling some users there wasn't a policy in place to provide compensation. Free trial customers were also affected, with TechCrunch noting some customers who tried to cancel within seven days were refused refunds for unexpected charges.
The continued issues and the difficulty in getting a refund has led to customers complaining to the FCC, with some frustrated forum posters urging other affected subscribers to do the same.
"With any new technology there are going to be fixes that need to be made," starts a statement from AT&T. "While we understand we still have work to do, overall feedback on DirecTV Now has been very positive. We're continuously updating the app to provide a better experience for customers. We encourage customers to keep the app updated."
On the subject of refunds, AT&T advises it does not provide partial compensation due to DirecTV Now being a prepaid monthly service, and that customers would be able to "enjoy the service through the end of the current billing cycle."
For free trial cancellations, AT&T notes some customers would have joined up with a special code that would have boosted the seven-day trial to 30, and if they had entered the code wrong, they may have unknowingly stayed on the seven-day trial. In a softening of stance on refunds, AT&T does "encourage" those who signed up with a code but were charged anyway to contact support for a "resolution."
Comments
AT&T must do the following 2 simple things to keep me beyond the 3 months.
1. Fully integrate DirecTV Now in the Apple TV.
a. Support single-signon
b. Support all available standalone Apps included in the package because they stream their content better the the AT&T DirecTV Now App.
2. Increase the number of simultaneous streams allowed.
If AT&T can't do that and Hulu comes out with a decent package that offers these 2 things, then I am switching to Hulu. (Heck, I already subscribe to Hulu.)
My gut feeling tells me that Hulu will do a better job integrating with the AppleTV single sign-on and stand alone app authentication support.
AT&T may have conflict of interest because of their Satellite service.
Time will tell.
the app is terrible though. We'll be enjoying content and it'll just kick us out.
What?!
i don't get local channels on mine.
No local stations is not a problem for me. I use TiVo and an OTA antenna for that.
The service requires Microsoft Silverlight to run on a Mac- that is a deal killer for me.
I also do not want a bundle- I want a la carte and the basic Bundle of Sling plus Movies package and HBO is as close as I can get right now.
HBO, BBC World News, Bloomberg, Turner Classic Movies, HBO is really all I use. I do watch a little College Football but am not happy subsidizing the ESPN empire of sports gossip. I just do not watch that much TV and cut off Comcast when the monthly bill reached $200 with no change in my service that used to cost about $120 including internet.
Reason 1:
Price: Costs $50 to get the only 5 channels I want. In order of importance. NBC Sports (EPL Soccer) ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox Sports 1, MSNBC.
To get NBC Sports i have to pay $50 for an 80 channel package. I don't need 80 channels. I want 5. I really only watch sports, specifically EpL Soccer. My old cable was $50 on top of my $50 internet. All they've offered is cable over the internet. Maybe it's be better if i could get the 5 channels i wanted at $35. But I can't.
Reason 2:
Bad Service: Log outs, buffering, freezing, crashing, image quality is not really HD, it's often quite fuzzy. The interface isn't great in the app. No DVR service included at that cost.
I cut cable completely because it was $50 on top of cable for a bunch of channels i never watch when i only really watch two or three. And i can find those on free internet feeds instead. This is still $50 for a bundle of channels I don't want. No more bundles. If the channels you want are in the cheap package i guess it may be fine. It's not good for me. Plus the service is poor at the moment.
From a technical stand point I've had no issues with any content I tried after the first weekend.
I did.