Occasionally, I get one right. It’s not like this took a crystal ball, but it’s interesting the news that comes out before you actually know it’s important. If you look at this article I wrote in early 2014, you’ll see that what I was really reporting on turned out to be DIRECTV Stream, the streaming service from DIRECTV. For whatever reason, this service has had more names than Elizabeth Taylor. It’s been DIRECTV NOW, AT&T TV Now, AT&T TV, and today it’s DIRECTV Stream. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if sometimes next year it was renamed “Meryl Streep.”
You see folks, something like live streaming TV doesn’t “just happen” — it’s likely that work on the project started a year before that article. Sometimes it seems like companies are way behind but it turns out that they’re still working in secret.
We saw the writing on the wall
Even back in 2014, this blog and others recognized the need for a live TV streaming service. DIRECTV’s 2-year contract model and installation requirements aren’t for everyone, and with millennials moving more than ever and enjoying televisions on more devices than ever, it has been clear for a very long time that a streaming alternative like DIRECTV Stream had to exist.
By the way, this article comes before the public announcement of the AT&T deal. AT&T bought DIRECTV back in May of 2014. They spun it back off in 2021. It’s pretty clear now that both deals wer also in the works for a very long time before they announced, so it’s likely that DIRECTV’s development team had some idea that they would have a strong wireless backbone to complement their streaming service. AT&T is the original video-over-long-distance provider, actually. They distributed network programming over wires and satellites all the way back in the 1960s. (Before that apparently they literally mailed pieces of film. Can you believe that?)
Looking back
In fact, even though we all looked at NFL Sunday Ticket as the strongest part of the DIRECTV/AT&T deal, now looking back maybe the two companies had something even more transformational in mind. The world’s largest pay-TV service, offering a live TV service that was conceived as part of the super-strong AT&T network… that really blows away the competition if you ask me.
Looking forward
Of course, the streaming live TV market is still really evolving, with a lot of different players and a lot of different features, but one thing is clear – no other company offers the combination of wireless service and strong live TV selection. To me that puts DIRECTV Stream over every other service. Remember that DIRECTV is still majority owned by AT&T. Although they are operationally separate, I’m sure that there’s still some synergy. That’s important when you’re talking about sending a lot of streaming video out there.
The overall picture for live streaming TV is constantly evolving. Today, the more popular piece of that puzzle is found in free services like Pluto and Tubi. These services offer a huge amount of programming for free, with non-skippable commercials. We’ve seen live streaming TV from DIRECTV and Sling become a bit less popular, partially because cost savings have been slower to come by than expected.
Still, it’s a great option if you spend a lot of time in an RV or anywhere outside the house. DIRECTV’s offerings are still evolving and looking at what’s on tap for the coming years, I can guarantee a lot of excitement. So why wait? Call 888-233-7563 now to get in on live streaming TV. Or, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
