DirecTV Now renews deal for free Apple TV 4K with pre-payment of three months of service

AppleInsider

DirecTV Now has re-started the promotion it had at launch, and is offering new subscribers the new Apple TV 4K if they pay for three months of service in advance instead of the normal four.

The new deal requires users to sign up, and pre-pay for the service at a minimum of $35 per month. The offer is limited to one redemption per DirecTV Now account, with two shipments allowed per household.

The Apple TV 4K retails for $179 for the 32GB model, and three months of DirecTV Now service can be had for as low as $105 to qualify for the free device.

After a bumpy launch, DirecTV Now garnered 200,000 subscribers in its first month of service.

The streaming platform provides users with a slate of popular cable channels including properties owned by AMC, Discovery, Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom, among others. In November 2017, AT&T struck a deal with CBS to carry streaming and on-demand content from CBS News, CBS Sports Network, The CW, Pop and Showtime.

Along with Apple TV, DirecTV Now supports a wide variety of internet-connected devices including Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, iPhone, iPad, Android hardware, Chromecast, and Google Cast-enabled LeEco ecotvs and VIZIO SmartCast Displays. Subscribers can also access programming through web browsers.

AT&T's offer is available while supplies last, and devices ship out within two to three weeks of placing an order.

SpamSandwich

Happy to call myself a “cable never” instead of a cordcutter (that includes satellite services).

2old4fun

SpamSandwich said:

Happy to call myself a “cable never” instead of a cordcutter (that includes satellite services).

How do access the internet?

ndirishfan1975

SpamSandwich said:

Happy to call myself a “cable never” instead of a cordcutter (that includes satellite services).

Not sure what that has to do with this story... 

napman

I had been wanting to try DirecTV Now but I wanted to wait until they had the DVR feature release. I went to the site to check out this offer but I found one I liked better. I already have an Apple TV 4K. DTVN offered me a 7 day trial and $10 a month for the first 3 months. So I'm doing that. Thanks for the article. Even though I didn't accept that offer you saved me some money.

zroger73

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

emig647

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Isn't it 3 months right now instead of 4 so $105 vs $179? 

Also, what made it awful? I was thinking of trying it out so I can watch sports live...

zroger73

emig647 said:

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Isn't it 3 months right now instead of 4 so $105 vs $179? 

Also, what made it awful? I was thinking of trying it out so I can watch sports live...

Right now, it's 3 months, but last week when I ordered it was 4 months. That's why I was "grrr-ing".  

I couldn't watch anything without some type of error occurring every few minutes. When this happened while watching VOD, I'd have to start the episode over and could never finish one. This was happening on multiple platforms for months. It may be better now, but it left such an awful impression that I have no desire to even try to use the service again. See my post from last year below...

https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/comment/2939147/#Comment_2939147

clayton bigsby

emig647 said:

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Isn't it 3 months right now instead of 4 so $105 vs $179? 

Also, what made it awful? I was thinking of trying it out so I can watch sports live...

I like it but I also have unlimited data from AT&T so I only pay $10 a month with my discount. It's all right for live sports but I can't watch a good deal of the ACC games I want to watch because CBS isn't live in my area. I can compensate by Airplaying from the CBS Sports app on my phone but it's now how I prefer to watch sports. I don't have any issues with streaming anymore and the quality is pretty good for me on a 200/20 connection. If I had to pay full price I don't think it's enough value for me since I rarely watch TV but for what I pay I can't complain. 

AF_Hitt

emig647 said:

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Isn't it 3 months right now instead of 4 so $105 vs $179? 

Also, what made it awful? I was thinking of trying it out so I can watch sports live...

Don’t listen to OP, the service is very solid now. Unless you have slower internet, it’s a very solid stream, no errors these days. The launch was rocky for the first couple weeks, but we’ve had it since the beginning and have no plans to cance anytime soon.

emig647

Got it @zroger73

Yah I mainly wanted this so I can watch Supercross. Getting it other means has not been easy lately, and I don't want to get a cable or satellite contract just for 4-5 months of racing.

I ended up doing it. Seems to be streaming great so far, but that is to desktop.

fallenjt

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Same here. Prepaid 4 mos just to get ATV 4K during Christmas...lol.

macmarcus

DirecTV Now is pretty good now (at least the BETA is). Picture quality is better than my Dish service I just cancelled. Was a Dish customer from forever with Hopper 3 and all. Have had DirecTV Now for over a year - rocky start for sure (that's why I kept Dish at the time). I am on the BETA with the DVR service (20 hours total for recordings). Much much much improved interface. Recorded shows need some work as there is missing content - a few seconds here, a few seconds there, occasionally minutes missing... annoying. The BETA is not ready for release to the general public but getting close - the (cloud) DVR needs work. I hope they have DVR options where you can buy up to 100 hours at a reasonable cost. Am on Apple TV 4K, BETA picture quality bumped up a couple builds ago - looks GREAT now on my 4K 75".

zroger73

fallenjt said:

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Same here. Prepaid 4 mos just to get ATV 4K during Christmas...lol.

I just initiated a chat from their website and told them I signed up for the ATV-for-4 five days ago and this morning I found out they're offering the ATV-for-3 and asked if I could get a refund for the 4th month. To my surprise they immediately refunded $35 to my card with no hassle whatsoever. I don't know if the service itself has improved since I haven't tried it, but the customer service must have.

libertyforall

Ok, so why no 4K HDR content Directv now?!

gumashow

zroger73 said:

fallenjt said:

zroger73 said:

SON of a... GRRR!!!

Last week, I bought a 4K TV and needed a 4K Apple TV. I'd already tried DTVNow a year ago and it was a complete disaster.

I have NO intentions of using their awful service, but pre-paid for 4 months @ $35 ONLY to get the Apple TV 4K for $140 vs $179 at retail.

Win some, lose some.

Same here. Prepaid 4 mos just to get ATV 4K during Christmas...lol.

I just initiated a chat from their website and told them I signed up for the ATV-for-4 five days ago and this morning I found out they're offering the ATV-for-3 and asked if I could get a refund for the 4th month. To my surprise they immediately refunded $35 to my card with no hassle whatsoever. I don't know if the service itself has improved since I haven't tried it, but the customer service must have.

So did I.... just refunded me $35. Once you get over the cryptic way the chat speaks to you, almost robot-like, it, she, he, will refund the extra month.

MustSeeUHDTV

Anybody with this service and AppleTV 4K know if you can stream the Olympics in 4K? I know NBC has a deal with Comcast to broadcast in 4K on a 4K channel, but since Direct TV is the only other outlet for 4K broadcasts, maybe they have the Olympics in 4K as well?

Mike Wuerthele

MustSeeUHDTV said:

Anybody with this service and AppleTV 4K know if you can stream the Olympics in 4K? I know NBC has a deal with Comcast to broadcast in 4K on a 4K channel, but since Direct TV is the only other outlet for 4K broadcasts, maybe they have the Olympics in 4K as well?

You can not.

beowulfschmidt

So I can sign up for DTVNow for three months, pay $105, get a 4K Apple TV, never watch anything (or even turn the receiver on), and then cancel at 2 months and 29 days?  Sounds like a no brainer.

Is DTV Now an add on service for which you must already subscribe to DirecTV, or AT&T U-Verse or something, or is it a standalone product?

Mike Wuerthele

beowulfschmidt said:

So I can sign up for DTVNow for three months, pay $105, get a 4K Apple TV, never watch anything (or even turn the receiver on), and then cancel at 2 months and 29 days?  Sounds like a no brainer.

Is DTV Now an add on service for which you must already subscribe to DirecTV, or AT&T U-Verse or something, or is it a standalone product?

Question 1: Yes.

Question 2: Standalone.

zroger73

beowulfschmidt said:

So I can sign up for DTVNow for three months, pay $105, get a 4K Apple TV, never watch anything (or even turn the receiver on), and then cancel at 2 months and 29 days?  Sounds like a no brainer.

You don't have to wait until the last day to cancel your subscription. You can cancel immediately. Your service will remain active until the end of the period for which you paid (3 months), but will not automatically renew.

I signed up on a Friday. The ATV 4K shipped Monday and arrived Wednesday at which time I also canceled my subscription.

Although I had no intention of using the service given my experience with them a year ago, I tried it long enough to see if anything changed. There's still no DVR. There's still no 5.1 audio for live TV. VOD gets interrupted with poorly-"spliced" ads of wildly varying volume through which you cannot fast forward. To me, it was and still is a junk service. The only thing good I have to say about it is they sell Apple TVs at a good price.

I've also been without cable TV for almost two years. Watching live TV again was an exercise in frustration - it seems like there are more commercials than actual content. No, thanks!