AT&T TV now available nationwide with Android TV set-top box — and a two-year contract

Reported today on The Verge

For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/2/211...

Reported today in The Verge.

AT&T TV now available nationwide with Android TV set-top box - and a two-year contract

AT&T TV is launching nationwide today after initially rolling out to over a dozen markets last year. The subscription TV service - not to be confused with AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) - is contract-based, which is a departure from the freedom you get with month-to-month streaming TV apps like YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and Sling TV. Signing up for a two-year agreement gets you an Android TV set-top box and a very cable-like remote control (with a Google Assistant button).

AT&T is trying to position AT&T TV as its premium streaming TV experience; it's more for people seeking a better cable / satellite alternative than a cheaper one. This is basically AT&T's next play as it moves on from DirecTV, which continues to bleed customers each quarter as more consumers cut the cord. Alongside live TV, you can install apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, and others from the Google Play Store or control smart home devices with the Assistant-enabled remote. Chromecast support is built in, too.

You can watch AT&T TV on the box when in front of your television, and there's also an AT&T TV app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Setup is pretty simple. You plug the box into your TV's HDMI port, enter your Wi-Fi info, sign in with your AT&T TV credentials, and then start watching. Everything will feel familiar to cable/satellite converts: the remote has number buttons, with a channel guide that sticks closely to DirecTV's listings. But here, everything is streaming over the web.

The "home screen" of AT&T TV's custom Android TV experience is always live TV. Whenever you turn it on, it'll pick up from the last channel you were on. Again, very cable-like, and that's actu