DIRECTV to Drop SELECT, Their Cheapest Package

Those familiar with DIRECTV know that the SELECT plan has been the first in its package offerings for as long as one can remember. It’s also been associated with a nice price (under $50) for those looking for affordable plans (155+ channels for $49.99/mo.*). That’s no longer the case. DIRECTV SELECT will no longer be offered, beginning September 1, 2020, and the lowest-priced plan will now be DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT.

What does this all mean?

It’s essentially a $10 increase across tiers and comes after a $10 decrease put into place by DIRECTV in 2019 and a promise directly from AT&T that the increase would be about half of what was eventually implemented to lower-tier plans. Prices are said to jump even higher after the promotional pricing expires after the first year of service.

The price change went into effect after DIRECTV lost about 1.1 million subscribers in Q3 of 2019, a 945,000 loss in Q4 and may or may not be to blame for another large drop in subscribers in the first quarter of 2020.

@ATT can't figure out why @DIRECTV is failing they bought it and changed nothing that mattered the costumer service is just as nad as ever & prices keep being inflated without warning ⚠️ get a affordable set price & figure out negotiations before cut-offs #greed #greedkills
— JB (@pitdragon77) August 18, 2020

AT&T also raised starting pricing for new subscribers to the recently launched DIRECTV STREAM. The provider blamed programming costs for the increase but assures subscribers that their rates are competitive.

“We offer a variety of promotional initiatives including pricing, reward cards and other offers. We’ve recently increased the introductory rate for new customers on those video products. Our pricing is still in line with others in the industry and reflects our continued commitment to provide high-quality content at a fair price,” said AT&T spokesperson, Jim Kimberly in a public statement.

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Written by:

Taylor Gadsden

Writer, Broadband Content

Taylor is a veteran member of the Allconnect content team and has spearheaded a number of projects, including a data piece on the top fiber cities in the U.S. and a troubleshooting guide on how to connect your p… Read more

Edited by:

Robin Layton

Senior Editor, Broadband Content

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