AT&T’s effort to build a cable alternative for cord cutters now has a price. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said today that DirecTV Now will launch next month for $35 a month with access to more than 100 channels, including channels from Disney and Time Warner. It competes with similar offerings from Sling, whose package starts at $20 a month for fewer channels, and PlayStation Vue, which starts at $40 for around 60 channels.
DirecTV Now was announced in March. It will allow consumers to stream television from smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, set-top boxes, and PCs, among other devices. The complete list of channels that will be available on the service is not yet available. Stephenson said that the service will be aided by AT&T’s budding 5G network, which he argued would eventually be a viable alternative to home broadband service.
News of the service’s pricing comes days after AT&T agreed to buy Time Warner and its library of content for $86 billion. The deal, which would put HBO, CNN, and other major channels under AT&T’s control, is expected to face intense scrutiny from regulators over the prospect of diminished competition.