AT&T TV NOW Review 2020 (Formerly DIRECTV NOW)

Item: AT&T TV NOW Review 2020 (Formerly DIRECTV NOW)
Rating: 4

We hoped AT&T TV NOW’s name change would usher in improvements, but it seems like it’s on a downhill roll instead.

Overall Rating 4 out of 5

Price:

$50–$135/mo.

Channels:

45–125

DVR hours:

7-Day Free Trial

Catherine McNally

Sr. Internet & Gaming Expert

See all articles

Dec 09, 2019

Recent Updates: 1 month ago

We revisited our review at the end of the year to make sure all AT&T TV NOW information was up to date going into 2020.

2 months ago

We've updated this review with the latest changes since DIRECTV NOW rebranded as AT&T TV NOW. You'll now find the latest prices and channel line-ups here—and we'll keep you posted if anything else changes.

Less than 6 months

DIRECTV NOW re-branded as AT&T TV NOW, while the pricing and packages have stayed the same, we'll be updating this post to reflect any other changes as soon as we can.

More than 6 months

In March 2019 DIRECTV NOW updated their packages and pricing. We'll update the article soon to reflect those changes. Our video is up to date.

The streaming service formerly known as DIRECTV NOW rebranded as AT&T TV NOW in the summer of 2019. Try saying that five times fast.

Around the same time, prices for the re-branded streaming service went up by at least $10 more a month while its packages and channels shuffled around. Needless to say, we were all left scratching our heads.

On the plus side, AT&T TV NOW still offers benefits if you’re switching from traditional cable or satellite TV. There are still no extra fees or contracts. But does that make it a good deal? Let’s find out.

AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) packages and pricing

Refreshed packages, but higher prices.

AT&T tried to distract us from recent AT&T TV NOW price hikes with shiny premium channels like HBO and CINEMAX. Ok, sure, you can get some premium channel love even in a few of its lower-tier packages, we’ll give it that.

But currently, AT&T TV NOWs base package is one of the most expensive out of any we’ve reviewed. Its only contenders for the title of “most expensive starter package” are YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and fubo Standard.

AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) package overview

Plan	Price	TV channel count	Details
AT&T TV NOW PLUS	$65	45+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW MAX	$80	60+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW ENTERTAINMENT	$93	65+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW CHOICE	$110	85+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW XTRA	$124	105+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW ULTIMATE	$135	125+	View Plans
AT&T TV NOW OPTIMO MAS	$86	90+	View Plans

^{Channel availability and pricing may vary by location.}

Unlike Sling TV’s pricing structure, AT&T TV NOW makes sense because the more you spend, the more you’ll get without losing channels in lower-priced packages.

Except for those premium channel freebies.

PLUS and MAX both include HBO (and MAX also includes CINEMAX), so you can keep up with Succession.

But if you upgrade to the ENTERTAINMENT package or beyond, you lose out on HBO, unless you pay $15 per month extra for the HBO add-on. (The CINEMAX add-on is $11 per month extra.)

Our recommendation: AT&T TV NOW PLUS

We like that the lowest-priced plan, PLUS, includes ESPN, Cartoon Network, TNT, and other top channels. It even includes HBO (which is usually $15 per month or more), but it still comes at a high price compared to other streaming services’ base packages.

Despite that,AT&T TV NOW can still be a great alternative to cable or satellite TV. You get DVR and video on demand, and there’s no contract to sign.

It’s a decent deal, but we still aren’t happy about those recent package price increases in exchange for fewer channels.

What AT&T TV NOW package is best for you?

AT&T TV NOW PLUS

You’ll get the best value for the price with PLUS, the lowest-priced package. It includes HBO and most popular channels. It’s missing AMC, Discovery, Food Network, and some other favorites, but it’s almost half the price of the ENTERTAINMENT package, which includes these.

AT&T TV NOW MAX

MAX includes more sports networks than PLUS and still includes HBO. You’ll also get CINEMAX. These additions may warrant the extra $20 a month for some sports and movie fans, but it’s still spendy.

AT&T TV NOW ENTERTAINMENT

This is the first package that includes a lot of popular channels like AMC, but for its price, we’re not sure it’s worth it compared to other streaming providers.

What about the rest? We have a hard time recommending the higher-tier plans for anyone besides the “Who cares about price? I want it all!” crowd.

Even the ULTIMATE package’s high price stands out only because it comes with STARZ ENCORE channels—which is not worth it, in our opinion.

At that price point, unless you’re contract-phobic, you might as well go with regular DIRECTV and get a season of NFL SUNDAY TICKET included. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) channels

AT&T TV NOW hooks you up with some of the best channels in the lowest-priced packages.

Most streaming services hold some of the most popular channels hostage on highest tier plans to get more people to spend more. It makes sense as a business move, but we appreciate that AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) includes heavy hitters HBO and CINEMAX in the lower-tier plans.

AT&T TV NOW allows you to browse while you watch—even if a monster is destroying the city on-screen.

AT&T TV NOW scores points for catering to most people with its most affordable plans, but from a pure price point, it’s twice as expensive as Sling TV’s base packages that start at $25 per month. (But to get as many channels with Sling, you need to upgrade to $40 per month. And then add $5 for DVR use, and they’re nearly the same price.)

If you want, you can compare AT&T TV NOW to Sling TV, fuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV.

Local channels

Since some streaming services lack local channels to keep costs down (like Sling TV), we’re glad AT&T TV NOW includes local affiliates.

AT&T TV NOW local channels

Network	Number of affiliates	Details
ABC	64	Check Availability
CBS	38	Check Availability
FOX	70	Check Availability
NBC	46	Check Availability

^{Local channel availability and pricing may vary by location.}

The broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC carry some of the most popular shows in the nation, like This Is Us, The Bachelor, and Modern Family. And don’t forget the biggest viewership of all: NFL Sunday (and Thursday) Night Football.

We figure most people want their local channels, and AT&T TV NOW shouldn’t disappoint.

A quick note: AT&T notes that streaming can make figuring out your local channel access a tad more complicated.¹ Traditional TV service serves up local channels based on your billing address, but the AT&T TV NOW streaming service serves up local channels based on the physical location of your streaming device.

Hands down, the best way to check your local channel access is to enter the ZIP code where you’re streaming.

You may still want an indoor HD TV antenna for local channels

If you’re worried about keeping your local channels after checking availability with AT&T TV NOW, you can always grab an antenna for $20–$40.

We recommend an antenna for just about everybody because you’ll always have free HD channels, whether or not you have a cable, satellite, or streaming service.

Here are the only things we don’t love about antennas:

Switching inputs
Finding the right spot for them

If these drawbacks aren’t a big deal for you, we recommend checking out the Clearstream Eclipse on Amazon, which is the best-working (and best-looking) antenna we’ve reviewed.

Premium channels

We like the inclusion of HBO on PLUS and MAX, but we’re kinda surprised to see the more expensive plans require a $15-a-month add-on to tune in for the next episode of Big Little Lies.

Still, these are pretty decent prices for channels that may cost $15–20 per month on other streaming and TV services.

AT&T TV NOW premium channel prices

Channel	Price	Details
HBO	Included with PLUS and MAX, or $15/mo.	View Plans
SHOWTIME	$11/mo.	View Plans
CINEMAX	Included with MAX or $11/mo.	View Plans
STARZ	$11/mo.	View Plans
EPIX	$6/mo.	View Plans

^{Channel availability and pricing may vary by location.}

Sports channels

Even on the lowest-priced package, AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) includes ESPN and ESPN2, FS1, and TNT. But sports fans experienced a huge loss when the service dropped the NFL Network.

Yup, that means no more NFL SUNDAY TICKET on AT&T TV NOW—even though it was limited to only a few lucky people in the first place.² However, it’s still available on DIRECTV or NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV. Still, cue that sad trombone.

Here’s the full list of sports channels AT&T TV NOW offers (not including OPTIMO MÁS):

BTN: MAX, CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
CBS Sports Network: MAX, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
ESPN: All
ESPN2: All
ESPNews: MAX, CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
ESPNU: MAX, CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
FOX Sports 1 (FS1): All
FOX Sports 2 (FS2): MAX, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
Golf Channel: MAX, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
MLB Network: CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
NBA TV: XTRA, and ULTIMATE
NBCSN: All
SEC Network: MAX, CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE
Tennis Channel: CHOICE, XTRA, and ULTIMATE

Add-ons

While AT&T TV NOW covers a lot of bases even in its lower packages, to get TyC Sports, Univision Deportes, FOX Deportes, and ESPN Deportes, you’ll want to add the Deportes pack.

And if you’re looking for Univision, Estrella TV, Discovery Channel en Español, and Cinelatino, grab the Español package.

AT&T TV NOW Deportes: $5/mo.
AT&T TV NOW Español: $15/mo.

AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) DVR

We love AT&T TV NOW’s free DVR, but we want more than 20 hours of storage.

AT&T TV NOW DVR specs

DVR price	Storage hours	Length of storage
Included	20 hrs.	30 days

Compared to YouTube TV’s unlimited storage for nine months, AT&T TV NOW’s cloud DVR isn’t impressive. However, it does get points for being free, as opposed to the $5-per-month charge from Sling TV.

We do like that you can record almost any channel with AT&T TV NOW’s DVR—though the fine print does mention recording isn’t available for all channels.

AT&T TV NOW user experience

We didn’t run into many problems, but it wasn’t perfect.

AT&T TV NOW’s interface is user-friendly and straightforward, and it provides a few different ways to find a show worth watching.

One of our favorite features is that you can keep watching your current show while you look through the catalog.

That way, you can listen to the soothing sounds of Jersey Shore while searching for Call Me by Your Name. And the ability to swipe left or right to change the channel brings home sweet memories of the days we used an actual remote. (To think!)

The Guide menu works like traditional TV guides: each listing shows channels and times.

AT&T TV NOW has the following navigation tabs for browsing:

Watch Now: This displays a theater view of what you’re watching, along with a splash page below with four or so options per row in different categories like “Top free movies” or “What’s on now.”
My Library: This section contains your DVR recordings and Bookmarks (which are shows you want to watch but haven’t recorded or saved).
Discover: Discover lets you browse by shows, movies, and networks, and offers featured content grouped by genres.
Guide: Channel-surf like you would on traditional TV with a timeline guide that includes show names, episode numbers, and titles.

There’s also a search function, which worked fine for everything we needed to find, including The Venture Brothers, Property Brothers, and Step Brothers—all the bro-shows you can handle, really.

Menus

You can’t keep the window in the smaller theater mode and use timeline controls. We assume you’ll be watching fullscreen most of the time, but it’d be nice to back up a few seconds to catch dialogue you missed while browsing. You can pause and play, however.

Snoop’s amusement shows how silly it is to take up the whole screen with a simple menu.

Another thing: it’s a little annoying that by hovering over the timeline, the whole screen gets taken up by the time controls (rewind, pause, fast-forward), especially since these playback controls don’t work for every show.

Performance

DIRECTV NOW will run into problems if you have a lot going on with your watching device. Like if you’re watching video on your laptop, but also trying to edit photos and read through 30 tabs of news articles, you may get a glitched-out video or even an error screen letting you know you need to slow your roll.

Of course, internet speed itself is a factor, as well as how many devices are using the same Wi-Fi network. For better performance, get a dedicated streaming device like this Apple TV on Amazon and connect it to your TV.

Is AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) compatible with your streaming device?

AT&T TV NOW works with most popular streaming devices:

Roku Premiere
Apple TV
Amazon Fire TV
Google Chromecast
Samsung Smart TV
Desktops, laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.

Recap: Is AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) good?

AT&T TV NOW isn’t perfect, but you get the best channels in the lowest-priced packages.

We like the inclusion of HBO on PLUS and MAX, but we’re kinda surprised to see the more expensive plans require fifteen dollars cash extra a month to get all that HBO goodness.

TV channel count:

45+

$65 a month

View Plans

Call Now

And you hate to see the recent loss of NFL SUNDAY TICKET, even if access to it through AT&T TV NOW was limited.

Still, you get lots of sports love in each package, and the premium channel costs are on the low end of the price spectrum compared to some other streaming services. If AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW) can bump up that itsy-bitsy teeny-weenie twenty-hour DVR storage limit and get NFL Network back in its channel lineup, we might start singing its praises again.

Sources

AT&T Forums, “I Don’t See Locals NBC, ABC, or FOX Is Anyone Else Having This Problem?”
AT&T, “To Our Football Fans”

^{Additional contributors}

^{Trevor Wheelwright}

Written by

Catherine McNally

Rumor has it Catherine broke into the grid and spent the last 10+ years writing about all things internet from there. *Cue epic TRON music* Along with writing on Medium, hiking, and turning doodles into works of art, she has a soft spot for RPGs and MMOs. She’s still waiting for the next Dragon Age game . . .

Introduction
Packages and Pricing
Channels
DVR
User Experience
Recap

R. Vel

Thanks for the break down-
I’ve been a DTV loyalist since the late 90’s. I’ve watched them grow and one thing I can say is DTV is always improving and fixing the bugs-And yes, there have been lots of bugs. I trust these issue will be resolved.

Does anyone know if DTV Now will offer sport packages like NFL Red Zone, or MLB Extra Innings?

Lastly-I’ve been extremely disappointed with DTV’s stance on showing the LA Dodger games in LA. I now have both Spectrum basic and DTV. Does DTV Now offer a way to watch the LA Dodger Games?
Cydena Kincaid

I just downloaded Directv Now and it’s horrible. Constant freezing and some channels quality is poor. The sound is no coherent with the picture movement. I will be returning to SlingTv and will test out PlayStation Vue soon. I’m very disapponted in the constant freezing because the channel lineup for Directv Now was great.
Michael Johnson (ahze)

Garbage. The same AT&T engineers who designed shitty wifi routers at hotels designed this POS. Channel take a long time to load (if they load).
D. Uvaldo-Nelson

Hey Samantha, we completely agree. As we mentioned in our review, the commercials during on-demand content felt unnecessary. Plus DIRECTV NOW could do a better job of letting you know when a show will have commercials instead of the vague warning that what you’re watching *might* show ads throughout. Hope you found a better service provider for your needs!
mark rosen

Horrible experience. I just moved to Wisconsin from New York and I was sent a free Firestick with the purchase of their plan, plus HBO. I received the Firestick and plugged it in to HDMI port and it did not work. I called Amazon customer and at the end of the conversation the representative said that they will send me a new Firestick because mine was broken. Received the second one and it was broken as well. I called the cable company and they sent someone over. Right away he looked at my HDMI ports on my TV and said they were damaged. He looked at the Firestick and he said that it was damaged as well. I just purchased a brand new 50” 1080 television and now 2 of the 3 HDMI ports are damaged. The 3rd one is damaged as well, but if I put the cable HDMI carefully it “kind of” works. I “chatted with customer service on my computer (they advised me they do not have a phone number yet???) and they said that they cannot refund my money because it is a “prepaid service.” What that has to do with a refund I still don’t understand. I never got to use the service and I still got charged $40+. I told them that they can have the firesticks back if they send me a return label. I still have not received the return label – it has been 2 weeks. I had to buy another brand new television and, unfortunately, throw out the other brand new TV. I have now spent close to $2,000 on television sets (plus the $40+ that they refuse to refund.) This experience ruined my entire move across the country. All they had to do was refund my $40 and they could not even do that. I will never use any Direct TV products thanks to their customer service, or lack thereof.

Mark
CasaBlancaHOA

DirecTV is absolutely the worst company I have ever broke up with. The signal went out every time the wind blew. The repair guys were at our house every month, and each time they said the guy before them didn’t know what they were doing. I finally ended my contract with them and went with Spectrum because our internet was so slow, my wife, who works from home, couldn’t download documents. Now, I am on the phone with them for the 4th time trying to get my final bill so that I can pay them and be done with them forever. They were supposed to snail mail it to me 2 weeks ago and THAT hasn’t shown up yet either. This is nothing short of harrassment from a shitty company. I will be pursuing the VP and C levels of this company, as I have access to their contact info through my company. They suck.
EDM

So far it is way more than a little buggy. I upgraded my WiFi to the biggest/fastest service in my area for AT&T (Chicago). I am a one person household. My service buffers 2 – 3 times per hour. Got talked into the Roku interface. I dont mind that except there is no manual on how this works and no live customer service to talk me through the questions. Also if you use the live chat, be prepared to be online for at least an hour with no resolution and the chat tech has no ability to resolve your account problems. Leads me to believe those techs are located in Asia. I am not pleased. I am hopeful the service improves as it is about 1/2 the cost of cable in my area. Right now cable seems to still be the better option if you can afford the $110/mo. If this does not improve over the next 30 days, I am gone. Yes it is cheaper, but if you cant use the product, well then the old sayings…”you get what you pay for” & “no good deed goes unpunished!”
Ethan

DTVN FULL OF LIARS AND THIEVES!!! The worst experience ever. I never once signed up for the DTVN account, I was told about the plan during a visit to the AT&T store. I had the account set up WITHOUT my permission, and was then charged the $35 monthly fee. I called in to customer service only to be put on hold for about 30 minutes and then have the call ended on their part. I called back in and was put on hold for nearly 3 hours total, had to go through 6 different employees, just to be told I was unable to get a refund for something I never agreed to. They did however tell me they could cancel my account so I would not be charged again, so I just took what I could and left. One month time passed and I was charged another $35 for DTVN. I have yet to call in again to waste another 3-4 hours of my time trying to cancel a subscription I never signed up for. I’ve gone into the AT&T store and asked the employees about it and they claim to never have done anything like this and that they never set up an account for me. I would not recommend DTVN to anybody, I’ve never used it and I do not plan on using it ever in the future, I do know they will try to screw over whoever they can just to make money. Awful experience, if DirecTV had a website to post reviews and comments on their products, (I have yet to find one) I would personally create several negative comments to make sure they get the overall rating they deserve.
Sharon

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! I did not give authorization for this company to bill my credit card! I contacted their customer service and had to do so by a chat dialog box! When you call the phone number it directs you to their website and advised to chat with someone! After explaining I didn’t authorize these charges that were billed for two months I am told at first that I didn’t contact them and they can’t refund! Like HELL! after speaking to Victor he then says well I can refund you one month since you are just now contacting us, and please understand my limitations.! I do not want anything to do with this company!
chris

If you like buyers remorse then DTVnow is for you. If you enjoy planning on watching a football game only to find a blank screen, give these people your money, they are the best in the business at presenting blank screens, bar-none! The best part of the experience is the inability to actually interact with a representative of the company you’re paying for a service, a service that is terrible. If you purchase DTVnow, you deserve all of the misery you will undoubtedly find.
Kelly

Horrible experience with direct tv now! Constant interruptions in streaming, no dive to record shows and completely inconvenient. You will miss all your shows or have a constant interruption!
Dan Schriver

Do not get DirecTV now. I signed up for a free 7 day trial through AT&T and after a couple days use, realized that I was not going to move forward with the service. I went to cancel my 7 day subscription after day 5, and was told that they were already charging me until April of 2018. They stated I did not sign into a 7 day period even though I have the email, and AT&T information stating I did. I kept asking for a refund and this multi million dollar company states they can not refund me my couple hundred dollars. I honestly might have bought this product in the future after a few fixes, but never again. As mentioned before, do not buy this product. They will literally steal from you.
Bob Mitchell

I’m not real satisfied with Direct Now. Seems like it goes in and out of HD as we are watching, especially on live tv. It buffers alot. We can be on one tv and it buffers . We fave a good wi fi and internet speed. Not totally happy.I don’t feel like we are getting out $50.00 worth.
snowdog

Bottom Line: Trash service.
I purchased $35 plan with HBO, Starz, and Cinemax.

User Interface: Archaic, wonky, non-intuitive, bare bones

Premium Channels: Not laid out in categories, just “All movies.” No action, not sci-fi, no drama, just “all movies.” No effort at all put into browsing architecture

Program Guide: Wonky, visually ugly, non-intuitive. If you’re browsing down the channel line up, let’s say at 12:59pm, the highlight portion (how you know where you’re navigating) jumps from 12:30 to 1:30 and sometimes all the way to the left on the channel name. You cannot simply scroll down all 1pm showings in other words.

Playback: Horrible, atrocious, darn near insulting level. Literally had movies freeze 20-30 times, on many occasions movies simply started over during playback and I had to use the horrible fast forward to find my spot again.

I had tried Dtv last January or February and was not impressed, for instance, no dvr capabilities, just some silly “72 hour rewind,” option which sounds like some mba board room dude came up with that. What’s problematic is the service is worse now, not better, no improvements at all, still wonky, freezy, and unintuitive.
Roy white

Buggyy isn’t the word for it. Lots of lagging and now just won’t start up. Nothing wrong with my WiFi or internet connection. Can’t get through to customer service for help.
Jim

GETS BETTER EVERY DAY! I tried DirecTv for the seven day free trial in September 2017, right after I dropped Cable. I didn’t like it because it kept buffering and it only provided one local channel, plus fox. I thought it may be my Firestick so when I got the offer to come back for a free month in December, I bought a ROKU express and gave it a try. A totally different experience. It now has ALL the local channels and very little buffering. I believe it is Directv that is better because I still use the Firestick on another TV and it works similar to the ROKU. Its not the internet either as I only get the buffering on certain channels so it is a Directv issue that they appear to be working on. The picture is great and the while I don’t like the channel guide it is a great value for the money when you look at the available channels. I hear Directv is coming out later this year with a DVR function as well. I believe that Directv will continue to improve. When the free month is over I am going to get the free apple TV box with three months of paid service.!! What a deal!
Priscilla Miosi

Have Roku and have trouble streaming. Keeps pausing and losing connection every 10-15 seconds. Once the programming returns, usually loses the end of the movie/show/episode or jumps back to beginning. Error codes which mean nothing to me. Customer service….not! Very disappointed! Recommend you try the 7 day trial before signing up.
Shawnda Byrd

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE CABLE
COMPANY!!! I been paying 35$ a month for 5 months and should have only been paying 10!!! They have every excuse in the book as to why my discount hasn’t shown up!!! I’m so over this cable company they are worthless and I HATE THEM!!! Can wait until my regular cable contact is up so I can wash my hands with them!!!
DS

Horrible!! Don’t subscribe! A waste of money!! I got the $35 package that says 60+ channels. That’s a lie! I felt there were not many channels and for my surprise, after I counted, I got less than 40! Some prime shows like Grammy’s I could not watch because it said it was “blacked out” in my area. I then canceled the renewal of my subscription. That was easy and I received an e-mail saying I had the services were going to continue until the end of my month subscription. With 16 days still to go, Direct TV removed several good channels from the package I bought (basic) such as CNN, MTV, and others. Every time I try to watch it says I need to subscribe. No “live” customer service to help, not even online chat! Just FAQ. Direct TV… NEVER again!! Don’t do it!
Dayne Brittain

App for the firestick is horrible! It buffers constantly. App for the roku works very well!
Mike

I am a Directv Now subscriber and the service is awful. While no other streaming provider comes close to the amount of channels offered, Directv Now stinks. The service is awful, I am online with their customer service twice a week. The main problem is every single night the service falls apart and stops working, and I wind up watching a swirling blue rectangle instead of TV. The customer service reps are useless. 6 months and the problem is never resolved. I don’t recommend Directv Now, it’s just not worth the aggrevation. Try Playstaion TV or Hulu or Sling, all are far more reliable.
Sheldon Perlin

WOW, was all set to pull the trigger and go with Direct TV Now. But after reading about the poor service, which by the way, I have heard before, I may just stick with what I have. I am not a fan of buffering or reoccuring commercials etc. So it seems that the Cons out weigh the Pros. I’m sticking with cable.
Kat89

Went back and forth between DTVN and Hulu, DTVN give me many more local channels, but I have to wait 2-3 days for new episodes. And it doesn’t stream in nearly as good a quality as Hulu, no DVR, etc. But, streaming live TV on Hulu is the worst for me and the interface is horrible. I can get HBO for $5 with DTVN. Not sure if all of these people who are complaining have tried the others, tell me one that’s so much better and why. I don’t think any of these streaming services are perfect, I wish I could pick and choose features from each one and make my own!
John C Davis

I’ve had DTV now for a couple of weeks and have the same issues as everyone else. I’m using it through a Chromecast. I am hoping they can work the bugs out. One real positive is the ability to use the HBO go and Showtime stand alone apps and both work flawlessly and give you on demand access to pretty much everything they have! All series episodes for every season. That cost $13.00 to subscribe through DTV now and, as I said the stand alone apps are free! That almost makes the buffering through the DTV now app worth it. I’ve tried all of the streaming services and almost everyone has issues, but none of the others offer the HBO and Showtime stand alone apps for free! I am going to try a ROKU ultra soon and hope it will help DTV now work a little more reliably. If not, I will probably try YouTube TV. I suspect all of the issues are caused by overloading DTV now’s server from more subscribers than they were expecting. Should be something they can work out in a short time. Maybe wishful thinking…
William Scheiderer

How about FIXING THE APP on the Roku. Had issues with Roku Ultra (losing show, restarting app, losing sound) so I send the new Roku back and got the Roku Stick. Same CRAPPY app from DirecTV. Thanks for the cheap introductory price, but it doesn’t matter if I can’t watch a whole show all the way through. Blue rectangle of death keeps coming up, buffering issues, app crashes, no sound sometimes,,,,. Oh, I’m using 2.4GHZ Wifi with over 50 MBS connection. So, that’s not the issue. Other apps work great on the Roku. DirecTV, fix your end!
Todd

NO PHONE SUPPORT, the say they can have someone call you in 2 to 4 hours. Problem started after watching a show on SCI channel for a 4 hours then a pop-up saying it was blacked out, what? Been watching several episodes of this show for 4 hours. I then changed the channel and it just sat there buffering, tried 5 more channels only to get the same result
Joseph Blow

I have been part of the beta and directv now should get better with on demand once the beta come out to production. i believe with the new DVR. they record all shows. so the shows should show up on demand sooner. and as a side note. why would you be worried about commercials during on demand. all tv pay providers have commercials for on demand. that’s how they make some of their money
- Richard Remmele
  
  I posted a comment to Amanda but her comment was 15 days ago and since you are a beta user, I though I would pose the question to you. Don’t they allow their credentials to be used on the underlying channels.
  
  For instance, I use the Spectrum app for On Demand, but it is better to
  log in with the Spectrum credentials with the individual channels by
  going to NBC or ABC and using the Spectrum credentials.
  - Wyre
    
    You can log in to some services ( HBOgo, for example – which offers a far better experience than watching HBO via DirectTVNow) but credentials don’t work on TCM’s app, which is one on the major disappointments to me. – The ( still in beta) recording feature … assuming they stabilize it and make it more reliable … plus expand the amount of space available to record, may minimize the problem. I’ve enjoyed the service ( and the free Apple TV), but that’s mainly because the channel lineup was perfect for me and it is saving me tons of $ not having to pat cable fees, equipment rental, etc. Not sure I will keep it, but it’s better than I expected — despite some glitches.
Richard Remmele

Don’t they allow their credentials to be used on the underlying channels. For instance, I use the Spectrum app for On Demand, but it is better to log in with the Spectrum credentials with the individual channels by going to NBC or ABC and using the Spectrum credentials.
Spark026

For $20/month with my AT&T unlimited phone plan (includes FREE HBO) this has been hard to beat. Literally, my only complaint is that CBS and FOX aren’t shown in my area. However, FOX can be fixed by just using the FOX app, so no real issue there. And CBS vods are available, so I only care about it not being live during football season. CBS All Access can be purchased for $5.99/m. to get over that 3-month hump.

Through the AppleTV 4K the service has run flawlessly so far. I do prefer using the individual channel apps which you have access to with your DTV NOW credentials if I’m watching ondemand or especially for HBO GO. So you could say that the interface within the DTV NOW app could be better, but they also have a lot more to organize than the individual channel apps. Still, definite room for improvement in the user interface area, although I do like the standard “TV Guide” board for the live tv section.

Most importantly the overall channel lineup can’t be beat imo, as all the best channels are on the absolutely cheapest plan. I’d really have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to even find a channel that’s included in their higher cost packages that I would watch. Perhaps Travel channel and Tennis Channel certain times a year would be nice, but hardly feels like I’m missing out.

Lastly, the apple remote is a bit sensitive. I personally don’t find this an issue, but I could see that being an issue for much older individuals.

PS – Apple messed up and sent me 2 free AppleTV 4Ks (1 in-store, 1 shipped from DTV NOW). The $15 off and the free HBO also applies to any unlimited plan, not just the unlimited choice plan (as the rep thought). Unlimited plus customers will still get all the perks, just go to DirectTV NOW and verify your phone.
Rich LaPlante

Does DTVN offer DVR service yet?
- Maria Millett
  
  Not quite yet! THey say it’s just around the corner.
CP

Can I get pay per view, the UFC for example?
- Maria Millett
  
  We would recommend the UFC app on your streaming device like the Amazon Fire Stick.
Skip

Can you watch to different channels in the same house?
- Maria Millett
  
  Yes! You can stream on two devices at a time, watching different channels.
D Moorer

Got ATT 1GB fiber to home — Directv Now is working as stated — some issues but saving a lot of money. Not TV addict, between this netflix, amazon video, youtube and other — more than I can watch.
david d snow

Don’t get this service you will end up regretting your decision. Trust me I do.
david d snow

Try playstation vue it’s better and cheaper
Fumcat

I intensely dislike this service. Poor quality. I’d rather pay more and get what I want when I want it. I dont care about streaming on multiple devices. I want good solid quality, good local channels and the forget the 120 channels, most of which I will never watch.
John

Everyone be patient. I have been beta testing the new app. Works great at my house with 100mb fiber, and have very minor issues at the lake with 5mb and weak wifi. Can’t wait for this to go live. I was an early adopter and get Go Big for $35. It was the only service that carries all the channels I wanted. I stream some channels through their apps because of the hesitation issue but not with the beta anymore. It looks like my patience is finally being rewarded. The DVR is small but most shows have a 3-4 week history in the app. Good enough. If not the network sites they support usually covers me.

I had sling (dropped after I got DTVN for a month) and PS Vue (best quality of service but was lacking many channels I watched – cut over a year ago after 1-2 years and my internet upgrade fixed most DTVN hesitations). Sling gets expensive fast unless you just need the few stations in ine of the base plans. PS Vue I loved but just didnt have the channels I wanted. Haven’t tried Hulu or Youtube’s services.

All lack PBS. I love UNC Explorer (our local 3rd PBS channel) but no stream anywhere. Satelite doesn’t even carry it, and my cable service in the area stinks to be overly generously kind.
Chester

Have had “Just Right” package for a little over three weeks. Use Roku Premiere, New Roku Stick+, and Apple TV 4K to stream service. No issues in quality. Guide needs work. Network On Demand feature is very good and almost eliminates the need for DVR. Use $35 rooftop antenna to get network TV (in rural area). Cost is 1/3 of what prior satellite bill. A few suggestions before you make the jump…1) Dependable High Speed Internet. 2) Understand the difference between streaming and traditional live TV service. 3) Do a free trial on each service if possible. 4) Purchase an updated streaming device or at minimum firmware update.

We did these, Directv Now had the channels we watched either live or on demand. Almost did this a year ago, but none of the stream services fit our needs and our internet was not dependable. Several “Apps” that were fully functional with DirecTv login are not available using the DirecTv Now login information – that is disappointing, especially since the channels are on our package.

Limitations are easy to live with for the cost.
justsaying

I have been using dtv now for 6+ months. The main reason I selected this over Hulu was comedy channel. Unfortunately live TV works fine but going into the on demand usually sucks. I just tried to watch last night’s daily show and finally gave up after it times out 10 times at same.spot about 4 minutes in and it starts over. If this was abnormal, I could.ignore but this is many times on many different shows. The reason I keep is that live TV is good and hbo is $5. I use Hulu and Kodi for other stuff.
Dave

This was an interesting article. I tried Directv Now on the 1 week free trial and canceled after the first day. When i tried to get the local channels i found that some were not available. The recording of live shows is not available. I am a big GSN channel fan and this is only available in the $50 a month package. The bottom line is that Youtube TV offers recording capabilitites as well as all the local networks for the same monthly cost With Youtube tv, coupled with the Roku streaming stick, i am very pleased and i am saving more than $100 a month over sataelite tv. Roku even has their own channel with lots and lots of free movies and tv shows. Once Directv Now offers local tv and recording capabilities, i might reconsider using them.
Annie

You advertising for Directv not providing fair review. The streaming is extremely slow and frequently gets hung for minutes at a time.

Unlike Hulu there is no rewind or fast forward. Many times to change channels have to stop casting and cast again once able to get channel to change which can take several minutes. Hulu works extremely well went to Directv Now for $10 promo that has cost me $53 a month.

Customer service is horrible after working with 8 different representatives finally cancelled. Special offer was never applied charged full price for three months. Again customer service is unless.
Maria Millett

Here you go! 1 (800) 934-6489
Railduck

Our case exactly. Fastest internet package spectrum has, and constant buffering. We only keep it because of the $25 discount with at&t. I’ve tried all the streaming services available, and all are light years ahead of directv now!!!
Nikki

Ok I figured what people aren’t doing- you gotta get a VPN! Your internet provider won’t slow your internet with streaming services it seems. It’s been perfect- no buffering since I installed it. Also- bonus- I get 18 extra channels because it thinks I’m in Dallas instead of Austin! I get my Good morning America! I’m only on the basic package and it’s amazing! You just occasionally have to force stop the direct tv now app and reload it (I have the fire stick and IPvanish). Love it.
- i s
  
  Can you expand on this for those that need mire basic understanding of how and what you did ?
Clair Jelliff

I have had literally 1 month of hell with Directv. They were alerted to the hardware issue I am experiencing with their mini genie over 30 days ago. Still I am waiting for the resolution. I purchased their NHL center ice at a high cost otherwise I would have left them months ago. They actually spent 2 hrs on the phone trying to troubleshoot the issue I already identified for them. The mini genie is toast. Send me another. Nope, we have to do this this and this. We did that. It’s the mini genie they say. Um,2 hrs of my time? Yeah that was March 23rd. Still waiting for anything
shonuffharlem

Great Channel selection and guide and qualit. But it constantly buffers even though I have super fast internet They lie to you in my opinion about the price too and then won’t honor the price (I asked in chat before I signed up and then even gave them the chat transcript Customer service is beyond awful and I had technical issues with my account and they just kept losing the trouble tickets and never fixing the issue. Stay far away
A

Just started using this today. Found passed episode of Counting On, but when tried to play it, kept going to some car show. Tried several times. NOT GOOD. Am I mistaken in thinking I could watch passed episodes of shows I like as long as they are shown to be in there? The Live works pretty good, not much buffering at all here. Have a new Samsung TV and disappointed still needed to use a Roku device to get DirectNow and 4K not available. Shucks!
John Kelly

Had it for a month was working fine last night on all my devices. update was pushed out last night now I have to replace them all. and they still list the old models on the website as being compatible.Very poor communication,
HERMAN DOUTHARD

Do i need a landline to get directv now ?
- Maria Millett
  
  Hi Herman! You do not need a landline – it’s all over wifi!
Robert Memory

Directvnow streams just like if you had a satellite dish. On a smart tv it is too bugy. Signal comes and goes through WiFi. I have 200mbps. Works better on an android device. I will not be renewing after 3 month promotion. Hulu, CBS All Access and Prime all for $20 a month. Antenna for locals. AT&T still can’t get their streaming platform correct. Look what happened to U-Verse.
scott

total waste of time and effort…..you will be so disappointed, its not a substitute for normal tv service….buggy and clunky is so nice…..this is a first class pile of crap…..and forget about cust service, its by chat only, which will drive you mad….no way they are real people
Autumn Pecchenino

Absolutely disappointed in this service. Wanted to try it out, paid $70 for Service from April 2nd to May 2nd and decided I wasn’t ready to commit silo cancelled and received an email that would continue getting channels until the period I paid for ended and I haven’t been able to watch a thing since! I only used it for a week or two.. absolutely ridiculous waste of money!! About to cancel our regular Directv serv all together.
Erin Hamm

I ordered Sling TV and the streaming was terrible because the networks didn’t dedicate the bandwidth – is that same for DirectTV Now?
Erin Hamm

Thanks – I got Sling and had the same issue. I was hoping Direct Now would be better. I just don’t want to pay the cable company. I have the antenna but I don’t get many channels
brothaweb W

Tried DIRECTVNOW. Yes. It is cheaper but it is clunky to use. You have to go here and then go there and there…with your remote to look at a channel. Worse, the support is awful. One day I came home tired and beat. I sat down, tried to turn on the tv and got a message that said my service has been “disconnected”. I just paid the bill. I fooled around with the tv. Got another message…connection not available. Then things got worse, I tried to call and get technical help. No, you cannot talk to a human. There is no 800 number for technical help. Then I tried the DIRECTVNOW website. I got a message that it does not exist or is not available. I had to decide. Then I tried another site which advertises DIRECTVNOW. All I got was advertisements. I tried again and again and finally got a website to chat on. I told that my service is disconnected… The chat lady asked, if my AMAZON stick was working. Well if it was working before, why would it stop now? How the f would I know? I’m not ‘technical help’. After a back and forth conversation online that went no where, I told the chat lady, I wish to disconnect. I went back to more expensive XFINITY. I hate to spend the money but my previous experience has been that it is easier to use and absolutely faster. DIRECTVNOW can’t possibly be really AT&T or it is a very bad experiment.
kitchen bish

I’d like to know why a movie I’m watching on TCM suddenly gets blocked. Like right now I’m trying to watch the movie Atlas and I’m staring at a screen that says Atlas is blacked out in your area on TCM. It’s an error 70 message but this isn’t a sporting event or something like the Oscars. This is the third time some random old movie on this channel gets blacked out in my area.
- Sis
  
  This happened with Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. You can watch it for free on YouTube. It’s not some red carpet event.
Mags

Well I am glad I read this review. We were considering switching, we have been using Playstation Vue for around 2 years now. It works a lot better than the reviews I have read on Direct TV and I do love Playstation’s DVR system. The reason for wanting to switch is there is no Weather channel (I was also interested in OAN which I heard was only on Direct TV) which is a big deal for us around this time of year. Oh well I guess I’ll wait and see what the future holds for Direct TV and other streaming services. Thanks for the information.
Steven E Braun

Something to know about DTV Now. I discovered this while trying to figure out why I had no local channels. The service address for DTV Now is whatever the billing address is on the credit card that is used to pay for the service. So….if you have a credit card address that, for example like mine, has an address of SD and your service address is WA…you don’t get local channels. This cannot be changed.
LASHONDA SWAIN

I didhn’t get a chance to even try this service out, i paid for the service called bk and there was no record of me my name or account number. I called bk to get my money bk I couldn’t even talk to no one, and when someone did answer they hung up on me. I wish I never would have paid my money. I rate this a 0
- saprina wadley
  
  I have had the same problem. I had to make 3 different accounts because they never know who I was when I logged back in. And they charged me on all 3 accounts $35 each for 1 service!
Tammy Hockman Snapp

I’ve been using Directtv Now for about a week. I’ve not had any buffering issues as of yet and I found out that if a channel(s) that I’m suppose to get doesn’t show up I’ve got to unplug my firetv to reset it and it’s ok. I hate not have recording option but can I can wait for that. I’m saving a huge amount a month by cutting the cable cord.
Carla Butler

I subscribed to DTVN in March. Because I live in a very rural area, I added a verizon jetpack/aircard/hotspot WiFi with 4 gig speed, to my wireless plan with unlimited data. However, after using 15 gigs of data my internet speed slows a bit to about 3 gigs. Verizon told me this would happen. Unfortunately, when I reach that point, my Direct TV NOW begins buffering every 5 seconds or so. At the beginning of my Verizon cycle and my data resets, I can stream DTVN very nicely for maybe 3- 4 hours, then the buffering begins. And when it comes to trying to watch my ‘Watchlist’ espisodes, they won’t even load. So, I actually get to enjoy the app about 3-4 hours ONCE A MONTH.

All of this baffles me because I do not have any of these problems with Netflix or my Amazon Prime channels. I spent endless hours on CHAT, because you cannot get a live person on the phone without threatening to go to AT&T corporate and then you get someone who is in India whose english is limited in both speaking and understanding,trying to get an explanation and resolution. It is now May and I still have no resolution. They did reduce my monthly charge from 35 to 10 after I asked, via chat, if they had any kind of military veteran discounts. But of course, those kind of options are not offered when you subscribe.

I would like to keep the subscription because I do like the channel line up and watch and is cheaper that what I paid Direct TV after 18 years. However, the buffering issue renders it pretty useless. My WiFi capable internet options are limited to Hughes Net or Centrylink, but that puts me right back in the price ranges I was paying for Direct TV, which BTW, began to lose its quality after the merger with AT&T.
Joyce

I would like to know if there is a wH to stream yes tv with the DIRECTV now. I know you can get it with your satellite service but we would like to stream I think with your streaming services sense we can’t get the satellite services ce because of trees I refuse to cut down.
almighty_peanut

Terrible now. Assuming I can actually Login on ANY device (streaming stick, computer, etc), shows play for 30 seconds – 10 minutes and freeze completely. No amount of reloading, refreshing and sacrificing goats will get it to play again until Directv Now is good and ready. Since they officially added DVR and upped streams from 2 to 3 it has gotten almost unusable after 7:00pm. Definitely go to something else. This happens no matter where I try to view something. Home, work or a friend’s WiFi.

EDIT: I just got a popup saying DirecTV Now can be a little buggy, but at $35, it’s a much better deal than cable…. Even if it was $10, it’s not a good deal if I can’t actually WATCH anything.
Sis

I had this service for a few months and tho it’s not great it was better than paying for cable. On Tuesday they added the DVR feature and the service hasn’t worked ever since. I had a channel guide for Portland and I live in Chicago. I could only watch Bravo and Lifetime. This is on my laptop. It’s fine on my phone. No one has been able to help me get my channel guide back. Last nite an agent told me it would be fixed in two hours and I would be contacted. That never happened. Other agents made promises as well. So after three days of getting the run around I canceled. I feel like they were all just trying to appease me. I could care less about DVR. I just wanted this situation fixed.
Sis

DVR screwed up my service. I canceled.
- Mike
  
  Mine too I’m debating on whether I should just go ahead and cancel until they get it worked out it’s very frustrating
  - Sis
    
    I canceled mine two weekends ago. Prior to that I filed a complaint with the FCC. The Presidents office of AT&T contacted me letting me know their customer care would be calling me. They did on Monday but when I answered I couldn’t hear anything. They left a vm and I called back but had to leave a vm. Haven’t heard back. Not sure what they intend to do.
James Anderson

Not really worth it at the moment. I get error codes for channels that are in my package, and it gets extremely annoying. You’ll spend more time trying to get channels to work than actually watching them. I use Hulu Live TV. It’s a bit more money but its reliable and has more to offer. *Cloud DVR
Thomas Zelenik

DirectTV online streaming is the worst thing I’ve ever experienced that someone has the nerve to charge for. They must have the worst programmers in the world…probably hire cheap foreign software/ firmware programmers
Daniel

Do yourself a favor and stay away from this ! The customer services are terrible….. You really will regret this decision.. I signed up and tried to cancel 15min later and what a joke that was ….. DONT Do IT
photog48

Terrible, Terrible and more Terrible. Just signed up three days ago and service has been consistent – consistently bad. I have strong wireless but stations still constantly are buffering. Tried to watch ESPN the last two nights and certainly did not look like an HD signal. Program would run for two or three minutes and then buffer for five
minutes. When I went to NETFLIX, no problems at all, so the problem was definitely with the streaming from DirectvNow. No customer support at all. Sign up said I would get 20 hours of cloud DVR but could find no way to record any shows. The few shows that I could see all ran with commercials and no way to fast forward. I will probably just try and cancel today. I previously had Play Station Vue and it worked all right but I wanted a DVR function so switched to DirectvNow – big mistake. Why ATT would roll out a service with all these bugs, and no telephone support is very confusing. Maybe they know this works for s**t and didn’t want to deal with all the irate customer calls – who knows.
Ana Miranda

I love DirectTV Now. The price is right, and I get the channels that I need. The app was just upgraded making it easier to navigate the site. I am able to record shows right from my phone and stream it to my TV. Goodbye Cable forever! I definitely give this service a 5 out of 5
- Info2share
  
  Keep in mind how insecure Directv now and AT&T are. I’m assuming you have your ATT and Directv account linked which means your using your AT&T login (which is also your email password)
  Have a child use the Directv Now app (like on a Firestick) and click show password
  
  Now the Child has your loing password to your AT&T account. Perhaps the kid shuts all your services down to protect you ….. Bahahaha
  
  Call AT&T, there’s no way you can break the link between Directv Now and AT&T. They suggest you create another email account…………..
Viviana

AT&T Direct tv is the worse service ever. With just a little be of bad weather signal drops and internet keeps buffering. I would never recommend to anyone to get this service. Xfinity is way better and there could be a hurricane signal never drops and fastest internet ever. Im done with you guys.
James Graham

I’ve had the service for 3 weeks now and have not experienced any of the problems everyone else is having. Channels load up and play great, no error codes at all. I pay 20 a month for the basic plan with my ATT Unlimited cell plan, and saved over 100 dollars a month getting rid of cable and all the equipment. Perhaps some of the problems others are having are slow internet speeds or a router that can’t handle the load.
Jeremy

absolute shit. and to make it worse…no customer service. Par for the course with att. i cant wait to change phone companies and never see their name at my house again.
- Maria Millett
  
  Hi Jeremy! We approve most comments. As you can see, we let people air their grievances here. We didn’t ignore you’re comment, we just hadn’t approved it.
- Maria Millett
  
  YOUR! Oops!
Jeremy

oh it does now and even more buggy….and still NO customer service. I cant even cancel my account.
lisa a.

This service is awful……can’t get thru a program without buffering every 10 seconds! Frustrating! I have no problems with Netflix, Hulu, or Pluto live stream. Not worth it!
- Harry Knutz
  
  reboot your router, If that doesn’t take care of it, change the channel on the router.
  Once I changed the channel on my router buffering is very rare, but it still happens sometimes.
  minor inconvenience, big payoff in savings IMO
  or go back to paying the big bucks
August West

I’m paying 10.00 a month for the live a little plan getting a 25.00 credit for having ATT phone service. That’s alot better than what I was paying comcast every month. I cut that cord and WILL NEVER LOOK BACK. Also they have a DVR in beta which is welcome and I get CBS too for Colbert.
http://ffrf.org Imagine

They have DVR now.
http://ffrf.org Imagine

I just signed up for there free Roku Streaming Stick offer (and $16 cash back at ebates) so I can watch the World Cup. I’ve got nothing to lose.
joe dee

Directv Now App was a separate entity from Directv App, I could get all the channels on Directv App and watch on my mobile devices or try to cast from a browser on computer. The DT Now app was promoted as a low cost live streaming service. Since, AT&T has revamped DT Now App to include DVR functionality and to merge the backend of DT and DT Now, this has resulted in DT Now with every problem possible in the last 3 weeks. My issues are certain channels now buffer, certain channels can’t cast to a TV. Others have had account scrambling unable to login, different channel selections, channels stopping after a certain time limit. More customers are canceling after this latest AT&T upgrade. Surveys are being conducted to gage the discontent among the DT Now subscriber base. Hopefully they will quickly address the issues.
- Reynold Donald Walker
  
  Since the DVR upgrade, this service has been a real disaster. I’m seriously thinking about unsubscribing if this not fix ,it ‘s waste of money
Maria Millett

Dang!! We are bummed to hear that but thank you for letting us know.
Maria Millett

You should be able to change the time zone in settings!
- Sis
  
  The time zone is accurate. It’s on their end.
Jason bole

Basically it’s hit or miss if you will be able to watch TV. Some days there are zero problems . Today, I have not been able to stream for more than 5 minutes at a time .it’s clearly not a streaming issue because Netflix is wlrkwor perfect. This happens at least 3 times a week .so take your chances if you want a cheaper bill .
Patdown

I just signed up and watched for a couple hours then all of sudden (around 5pm) it started to have serious problems. I can’t stream a single channel. I know it isn’t my internet connection because a speed test revealed I’m downloading over 50 Mbps plus I have ESPN I stream and it’s working fine.

Truth be told, I mainly did it for the free AppleTV and if they don’t improve by the end of my prepaid subscription, I’m canceling.
Rich Sellers

Directv now streaming is garbage. Continual stagnation of stream with buffering issues, failure to load problems, popups proclaiming that it is a problem on my end. Further popups on the screen suggesting technical difficulties on their end. There are popups stating that the video is failing to load. Too many popups meant to appease, yet delays your viewing experience in a positive light. This has been a frustrating experience and one I do not recommend to those considering Direct Tv Now as an option to secure regular channels in addition to some basic cable. A lot of kinks need adjustment by its technicians. And the funniest thing I find with this streaming service is their suggestion that I do not have sufficient streaming power on my end, Funny, I do not have this problem with any of the other streaming platforms I use … Netflix, Filmrise, Pandora, Prime, Vudu, SomaFM, and Youtube.
- Ogilvy
  
  Agree.
JFake

Not sure why everyone is having issues, but I have never had an issue with this service. I have virtually eliminated all of my services with Verizon Fios with the exception of a 150 mb FIOS internet package.

It works as its intended to be. I only encounter buffering when I change channels, a brief second, and I haven’t had any issues with any of the stations as everyone else has stated. I even have CBS (Channel 13 – WJZ in Baltimore, MD) so I am not sure why the article states you do not get CBS channels. I have been extremely happy with this service including simultaneous users in two different rooms.
Victor Smith

I had this service for about two weeks. My experience was most of the time it was unwatchable. The picture would freeze, then go to black and a spinning blue circle would come on screen, The it would show an error message blaming the problem on my internet connection. Everything else works, not them.
Jouten

I’ve only had it for about a week and everything is doing very good so far. I’m not sure if my 1GB internet speed has anything to do with it, but I’m sure it helps. I’ve been able to maneuver my way around and was even able to get all the shows I have on my old recording lists from when I had the regular DTV.

I guess it’s hit or miss depending on your location and internet speeds, but I’m enjoying it so far. ymmv.
PearlGarden

We initially got this service when we couldn’t get a good signal on our antenna to watch the Olympics. Three months for $25 then we would be billed $50. Everything was pretty good, we even got the local channels. Fast forward to yesterday June 11, 2018. I left the room for a few minutes and when I came back the TV was off. When I turned it back on, I had to sign in to my account, which I have not had to do since the initial set up. When Direct TV finally came back up, I began to think something was wrong. The guide was different, the start screen was completely different but our favorites were still the same, except now, we do not have the local channels anymore, plus some other channels that were there, aren’t there any more. Then today, they get paid (because I had to sign up for autopay), plus, when I tried to watch a show this afternoon, it plays for a bit, then a message appears about how the video is taking a bit longer to load. Check your connection – our internet service is 1000 mbps, so I doubt that’s the problem, This happened on three different channels.

So, they shove these “upgrades” on us without offering an option, change what is available by removing several channels and still expect to be paid the obscene price of $50 per month. They can claim its better because we can re-wind, record, whatever, but not if I have to now find a way to get what they took away, plus have to put up with “buffering” as if we are on dial up.

Their customer service sucks as well…”if you want to get local channels, you must be a local subscriber” but they don’t tell you how to do that.
Since they got another $50 out of us, this will be the last month we will be subscribers.
Ben the Builder

Just signed up for this as me and family are testing various options. This service looks like it would be perfect, but good grief the bugs! I’m going to tough it out for a couple of months and hopefully they have some Devs working on this. But yeah – buggy as hell.
Bill

If you are willing to put up with fairly constant waits when the servers get busy – and it is the servers, as I have put a network monitor on my 80MB broadband – then it’s okay. Maybe when it matures with more server resources it will be okay. I don’t have any of these problems with Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming services.
David Mangan

i have had this service for well over a year now , and there have been some issues. After the DVR roll out my guide and local channels disappeared, i contacted support , and in 4 days the issues were resolved . In MY dealings with support i’ve found that they dont just blame your connection, and will admit when the problems are on their end . The picture is great, i watch on my pc and roku (an xboxone app would be great) . ive had NO buffering problems. when i decided to cut the cord with TWC , i tried other streaming services and directv now was the best one with channel selection, picture qualitiy and priceing. Now i think the DVR update was rolled out too soon ,(due to demand for the service) and fixing the issues that crop up as they show up probably isn’t the best way to do it. directv now is my solution to cable company overpricing and i recomend the service to everyone.
- Sis
  
  They never fixed my local guide issue and it got worse. I had no guide at all. I dumped them.
- JOYCE KASTER
  
  Agree with you
Mike

I’m having the same issues since the DVR and the DVR tells me it’s recording one thing but recordes another I had just worked out the Kinks and bugs from the old system and now this new system has made it even worse
Sandy

I’m trying the three months for $10.00 a month. Going on my second month now with very few problems. Maybe a little buffering for a second, but comes right back. Have the DVR now and works great so far. I’ve been able to fast forward commercials with the DVR no problem. I get the local Chanel’s too. What minor problems I do have is well worth the savings. I also have an RCA antenna that works great for a backup if I need it. Which I haven’t had to yet.
I definitely plan on keeping it after the three months.
Josie Ray

I wish DirectTvNow wouldn’t have all these glitches with the picture cutting in and out of the channel im trying to watch.
Rasputin22

Just subscribed to the basic package plus HBO and Showtime last week, The Roku app is slow to load (DirecTV says they’re aware and are working on it). Live channels work well.

Haven’t tried On Demand yet. But subscription does allow you to access stand alone apps like HBO GO, which may be a better option.

One weird thing i noticed. They give you multiple local channels for each network – not just your home station but stations elsewhere in the country. I wonder if they do that so they can advertise 60 channels.

There are various promotions. Not just the free Roku Stick or Apple TV. I got $25/month off the first 3 months. You can only select one offer. I recommend going through a live agent to make sure you get the offer you want.
- Sis
  
  When did they start with live agents?
Ebony K

Worst service I’ve ever had. I’m definitely considering paying the cancel fees. I’ve had Direct tv since January and the satellite is out at least once a week. If the wind blows at all the bar pops up that signal has been lost. My OnDemand does NOT work at all nor my ability to rewind a show. It’s been this way for 2 weeks now. I’ve called both weeks and have been told “the engineers are aware of the issue and there’s a ticket in” 2 weeks? Not worth the money in my opinion.
Ogilvy

Direct TV Now does not work. I’ve had the service for a few weeks and have had nothing but issues with accessing my recordings and now even live streaming.
Ogilvy

AVOID THIS SERVICE. IT’S A RIPOFF.
Kacey Gary

Bad customer service ever!!!!
Pamela Bertva

I have had DTVNOW and streamlining for close to a year. I have “suffered” through constant buffering, stopping, wanting me to keep resetting my connection, and stopping program every 2 hrs to ask if I was still there? I finally had enough! Got Hulu TV & Movies. Difference in price is sooo worth it! Four days now and no problems. No buffering! I was and still am using Romulo stick and have plenty of usage from service provider. It doesn’t even ask if I am still watching. I feel like I just got out of the hospital! Thank you HULU! You have a lot to work on Directvnow!
Jennifer

I HATEEEEEEE that if I’m catching up on a series that they skip some episodes…LIKE WHY????? Also, when Im watching a show on demand it stops and doesn’t show up on my continue watching page. What’s on Now Guide should pop up when you go onto the app. The app is okay for watching shows but please allow us to watch all episodes and stop it from freezing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
capett02

I just knew the “free” DVR of 20 hours a month was a joke. Just got a notice a couple of days ago they are going to raise my rate from $35 mo to $40 mo starting in August. Streaming is not that good, but I can’t afford cable, so I’m kinda stuck. It is something at least. Still not happy about the “false” advertising of the “free” DVR deal. If I had something else to try, I would. May check into other stuff.
- monkeymom2dd
  
  Nearly every streaming service is raising their rates by $5.00 as a result in a price hike from “content” providers. 😣
monkeymom2dd

I have had the service for two months now. I haven’t had any problems with streaming via Fire TV, Apple TV or Chromecast. I have had no trouble using the app while traveling. The guide and local channels have all worked great.

The DVR is very basic. The OnDemand selection is limited. I’d like to see all the stations offer options to log into their apps with DirecTV Now sign-in. Seems a little ridiculous to offer the channel to a service and then not offer an app log in.

I had PlayStation Vue but cut them when they repeatedly double billed me for my devices. DirecTV Now performs as well as other services that I have used: Hulu, Netflix, Prime, PlayStation Vue, and Sling.
Brenda

Signed up recently and have been recording shows to watch later, does anyone know if DirectTvNow will record two shows that are on at the same time? Thank you
Johnny Plateo

I brought the service on November 1,2017 and I got nothing for my money at all!
In fact they still have my money and all I get is excuses, hell I even have a confirmation number for my refund but I keep getting the BS, we had a glitch in the system, your refund will arrive in 5-7 days,then I wait,and low and behold another glitch and it will be another 5-7 days! You would think that a multi billion dollar conglomerate would return $128.50 to a 100 % service connected disabled army veteran living on a fixed income but so far it been 8 1/2 months and several chat conversation’s which have yielded nothing at all. You should be ashamed of yourselves AT&T!!!
Thanks for nothing but misery-next I’ll contact the news media,I’m tired of being nice!
Jessica Barnes

I continually have to log out and back in for the app to work. I changed my internet connection to a direct line to my smart TV, thinking that was the problem, it wasn’t. Still having issues!! If that wasn’t a problem I think it could be a good alternative to cable
I’m about to cancel if this doesn’t start working correctly! Previously had sling tv and never had this issue. But they didn’t offer the channels I wanted..
- mockingbird
  
  After an update when streaming only since AT&T took over Direct Now during the commercials the station will go blank or buffer in order to clear I must go up or down one station than return to the station I was watching, this only happens during the commercials.
Yvonne

I had this service since February and it has really went down hill since the start. It started ok but now it continues to disconnect from the Wi-Fi. I’m considering cancelling the service
Not a fan

All this is doing is taking away jobs. Fiance will probably lose his job as an installer because of this. I do not support it at all!
Miguelito Migra

Currently have DTVN (not for long) on Roku TV’s. Love the UI and channel selection, but that’s where the love affair ends. First, we don’t get our correct local programming. I live in AZ but get CA. That’s due to their geolocation restrictions. My ISP is in CA. They either can’t or refuse to do anything about it, rather, they blame it on my ISP and try to get me to take it up with them. I understand this is a huge issue that affects many subscribers. Second, their tech support is chat only which makes it difficult. Third, their tech support, after having contacted them five times, simply give me the runaround with no fixes or explanation about what’s going on. One guy wanted to “fix” the problem by selling me ATT internet service which isn’t even available in my area. Fourth, sometimes the DVR works, sometimes it doesn’t. You’d think that a company (DirecTV & ATT) who has been in business for as long as these guys have would put out a better product. I went with a free trial of Playstation Vue yesterday and so far love it. None of the problems above, great channel selection, we get our correct locals and its less expensive to boot. After wasting our time with DTVN we’re dropping them like a bad habit. And if Playstation Vue continues to work out for us we will be dropping DirecTV as well. Tired of their overpriced shenanigans!!
Sharon Hackmeyer

I see there is no DVR, does that mean you can’t record programs….like recording something at 9 pm if you’ve already gone to bed? Thanks, Sharon
- Maria Hansen
  
  Hi Sharon! Yes, that is what that means.
Lois Cordle

I am a new customer and have a boatload of issues with Apple TV buffering (older, more remote TV on Roku is fine). Numerous chats, reloading of app, restarting, reinstalling Apple TV (latest, waiting for testing outcome). The most frustrating is the chat support and the inability to speak with someone when the issue is not being resolved. It’s obvious most are foreign (sentence structure/verbiage are not normal English) and they are reading from script. When I pressed upon this being a hardware issue (received Apple TV from AT&T) and seeking assurance if I made the long trek to store, that they would replace, I could not get this confirmation. After numerous attempts received a toll-free number and case / ticket number. The email with chat never received even though I selected this option. The number and ticket were of absolutely no value except wasting time. If you select tech support, they provide only websites for your particular device and then disconnect. If you select the shipping option (2), they only deal with shipping and have no idea what the ticket / case number is for. Each person works in a silo. I finally contacted Apple and had great service. Waiting for the results of the final reinstall.
Ocean View

Trevor, excellent piece. Great details. Thank you! Reading (page after page), makes one say: Perhaps it is a better choice to stop watching television and instead- read, listen to a podcast or take up a hobby. Putting this much time, effort, energy and money into finding the “exact” package to short the greedy Entertainment offerers, makes me scratch my head.
Danny Valerie Hix

I would not recommend anyone use any service provided by AT@T. Their various offices divulge different information, make contridractory offers, and refuse to honor the offers they’ve made. Hold time is horrendous. Save yourself great aggravation and reduce your stress levels by going elsewhere.

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AT&T TV NOW Review 2020 (Formerly DIRECTV NOW)

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