AT&T is planning to launch a new streaming video service called “AT&T Watch” in the coming weeks, CEO Randall Stephenson said Thursday. The service will cost $15 per month, and
would be free to certain AT&T wireless subscribers.
Stephenson revealed the new product while on the witness stand during the antitrust trial brought by the Department of Justice to
prevent the company’s takeover of Time Warner.
At $15 per month, the bundle of streaming channels will be priced at less than half that of the company’s existing streaming
bundle, DirecTV now, which starts at $35 per month.
The unusual venue meant that Stephenson did not elaborate on what channels will be included, but did say that the bundle will be so
cheap because it would not include sports channels.
Such a bundle would be similar Philo TV, which also offers a bundle of sports-free channels at a lower price point.
Most streaming bundles, including DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Sling TV and Fubo TV, have made access to live sports a major selling point.
Over-the-top video and
direct-to-consumer offerings have been a hot topic for questions during the antitrust trial.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes called out the tech giants Amazon, Netflix and Google, which
combined control much of the streaming video market, adding that they are vertically integrated, unlike Time Warner.
“They have the content, the programming, and they have the
technological capability of delivering it straight to you.”
Even HBO Now, Time Warner’s DTC offering, is not vertically integrated yet. Bewkes noted that the company
had to rely on a third party (in this case Major League Baseball Advanced Media) to launch the service.