Our AT&T TV NOW review for 2020: Is it worth it?

To see how we calculated these scores, you can find a full explanation of our methodology here.

AT&T TV NOW review summary:

• Formerly DIRECTV NOW
• Seven packages ranging from $55-$135/mo.
• Not compatible with any gaming consoles
• 500 hours of cloud DVR storage
• Three simultaneous streams

Stream TV on your terms

Shop streaming services for your favorite shows and movies on demand, plus live TV.

Cutting the cord doesn’t mean losing live TV. Explore streaming services that have your favorite shows and movies on demand, plus live TV.

Compare streaming services

In the early days of cord cutting, AT&T TV NOW (then named DIRECTV NOW) was the best live TV streaming service by far. It started at just $35/mo., included HBO in all of its plans and had the best all-around channel lineup of any service.

Since those early days, AT&T TV NOW has raised prices at a faster rate than any of its competitors, and dropped many of its best channels in the process. Today, you can only get HBO and regional sports networks in its $80/mo. plan.

That said, AT&T TV NOW has upped its DVR storage from 20 hours to 500, and its simultaneous streams from two to three. But those improvements around the margins don’t make up for the fact that you’ll get better channels for a lower price almost everywhere else.

• Channels
• AT&T TV NOW vs. other streaming services
• Sports
• User experience
• FAQs
• Should you sign up?

AT&T TV NOW channels

There are seven different AT&T TV NOW plans with varying channel lineups, although the Plus and Max plans are featured most prominently. Here’s how they compare:

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/22/20.

• Plus ($55/mo.): ABC, BET, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, The CW, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., ESPN, FOX, FOX Business, FOX News, FS1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Hallmark Channel, HLN, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Ovation, Oxygen, Syfy, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, TNT, TruTV, Universal Kids, USA, VH1
• Max ($80/mo.): Everything in Plus, Big Ten Network, Cinemax, CMT, FOX Sports regional networks, Golf Channel, HBO, MSG, MSG+, Paramount Network, Spectrum SportsNet, TV Land

For a complete listing of channels in your area, enter your ZIP code on AT&T TV NOW’s website.

What channels is AT&T TV NOW missing?

AT&T TV NOW has a fairly low channel count compared to other live TV streaming services. And while it’s not as padded with filler as some, it’s also missing some big names. Here are some of the popular channels that aren’t available in the Plus or Max plans:

AT&T TV NOW vs. other live TV streaming services

There’s no way around it: AT&T TV NOW has one of the worst channel selections of any live TV streaming service. And at $55/mo. for its cheapest package, it’s also one of the most expensive.

To gauge how AT&T TV NOW compared to the competition, we used a recent survey from TiVo that asked over 3,300 respondents, “Which channels would you be interested in including in your TV package?” The more people included a channel, the higher it ranked.

Our Tip: Learn how streaming services compare to traditional TV services in your home!

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/22/20.

AT&T TV NOW has the same number of channels in the top 100 as Sling — and it costs $10 more per month. Any way you look at it, it’s one of the worst.

That said, it does boast one slight advantage: HBO only costs $10/mo. to add to its base plan, and the channel is included in all packages above $80/mo. For comparison, HBO costs $15/mo. to add on to any other streaming service or to purchase independently through HBO NOW. Taking that added value into account, AT&T TV NOW’s channel lineup starts to look a little more appealing.

But even if HBO is a must-have for you, it’s probably not worth subscribing to AT&T TV NOW for that reason alone. You’ll likely have to make other concessions — see the long list of missing channels above — but a discounted HBO is something no other service offers.

Still, most people will be better off subscribing to a service like YouTube TV and purchasing HBO separately. It would still be the same price as AT&T TV NOW, and you’ll get a much stronger channel lineup and user experience.

For a more in-depth explanation of how we evaluated streaming services, you can explore our full methodology.

Available add-ons

Like most live TV streaming services, AT&T TV NOW has a number of premium networks you can add to your package for an extra fee, but none of them, apart from HBO, offer a discounted rate.

• HBO ($10/mo.)
• Cinemax ($11/mo.)
• Showtime ($11/mo.)
• Starz ($11/mo.)
• EPIX ($6/mo.)

In fact, almost all of them can be had for less. Starz only costs $9/mo. when you subscribe to it directly, Cinemax is $10/mo. from Hulu + Live TV and Showtime is $10/mo. from Sling TV.

Spanish packages

Where you might find some value is with AT&T TV NOW’s Spanish language add-ons. For an extra $5/mo., you can add on five core channels like ESPN, FOX and History in Spanish. For $15/mo. extra, you can add on 59 Spanish channels, essentially recreating AT&T TV NOW’s Plus package. It’s the best Spanish language channel lineup of any live streaming service.

International packages

In addition to its Spanish options, AT&T TV NOW also offers three international packages that can be added to any of its plans. Here are the options:

• Vietnamese ($20/mo.) – Nine channels
• Brazilian ($30/mo.) – Two channels
• Korean ($30/mo.) – 12 channels

Is AT&T TV NOW good for sports?

AT&T TV NOW is one of the worst streaming services for sports fans. It is missing several key channels that air nationally televised games, and it forces you to upgrade to its $80/mo. Max plan to watch your local teams.

National games

In both its $55 and $80/mo. packages, AT&T TV NOW is missing at least one channel that airs games from each major American sport. The $55/mo. Plus plan is an especially harsh option for college sports, as it’s missing every conference network.

If you upgrade to the $80/mo. Max plan, you get the Big Ten Network, CBS Sports, ESPNU, NBC Sports and the SEC Network, but services like Hulu + Live TV include all these channels at a lower price.

Regional sports networks

Where AT&T TV NOW will probably lose most sports fans is its coverage of their local team’s games. MLB, NBA and NHL teams all play on your market’s regional sports network (RSN), and AT&T TV NOW only offers these in its $80/mo. and above plans.

*Average over two-year contract for CHOICE plan. Second year could be increased to then-prevailing rate.
**Not available in all markets
Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/26/20.

If you care about sports, these are probably essential channels for you, and they can be had for much cheaper through other streaming services. Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV in particular carry almost every RSN for $55/mo. or less.

That said, AT&T TV NOW does carry most RSNs as any streaming service, including every FOX Sports network and most NBC Sports markets. What’s more, AT&T TV NOW, AT&T TV and fuboTV are the only streaming services that carry MSG Network, the exclusive broadcaster of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils in market.

AT&T TV NOW and AT&T TV are also the only streaming services that carry Spectrum SportsNet. If you want to live stream Lakers games, these are your only legal options.

Poor user experience

To test out AT&T TV NOW’s user experience, we used it on four devices throughout the week: an Amazon Fire TV Stick, an Apple TV, a Roku Streaming Stick and a MacBook Pro. Overall, it wasn’t much of a departure from most live streaming services we’ve tested — or cable TV guides we’ve used. We liked it better than Hulu + Live TV’s, but it didn’t wow us like YouTube TV.

AT&T TV NOW uses a guide you’re probably already familiar with. We liked how you can see as many as six channels at once when using a browser and four on streaming devices. The service keeps the channel you’re currently playing on in the background as you browse.

After a while, though, we found ourselves hardly ever using the guide. AT&T TV NOW saves your most watched channels on the home screen, so we usually found what we were looking for within a couple clicks.

Unfortunately, AT&T TV NOW did glitch out more than other services we tested. Occasionally when we opened the app on a streaming device, channels would fail to load. Usually restarting the app or device would do the trick, but if you want to catch a game or show on time, we could see how this could easily turn into a major frustration.

Mobile app

AT&TV NOW’s mobile app shared a lot of the problems we had testing it on our TV. The app would occasionally require a restart to work, or it would just close out unexpectedly. This experience was echoed in user reviews as well: It received 3.4 stars on Google Play and 4.5 on the App Store, with many reviews complaining about the difficulty of recording shows to the DVR.

If you’re not planning on using AT&T TV NOW away from your home, this probably isn’t a dealbreaker. But anyone who expects to use it regularly on commutes or trips — particularly Android users — might want to go with a different service.

AT&T TV NOW FAQs

How much DVR storage do you get with AT&T TV NOW?

After YouTube TV, AT&T TV NOW provides the best DVR storage of any live TV streaming service. You’ll get 500 hours of cloud DVR storage with every plan, and it doesn’t expire for a full 90 days.

How many simultaneous streams does AT&T TV NOW allow?

You can stream on three devices at once with AT&T TV NOW, the same as YouTube TV and one fewer than Sling’s Orange + Blue package. FuboTV and Hulu + Live TV both allow two simultaneous streams.

Will AT&T TV NOW actually save you money?

Probably not. With its cheapest packages starting at $55/mo., AT&T TV NOW probably won’t shave off much from your TV bill. When internet costs are taken into account, it’s more expensive than the most popular bundles from satellite and cable TV providers.

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/22/20.
*Average price of broadband internet in U.S.

That said, AT&T TV NOW offers a number of perks that you won’t get through traditional cable and satellite TV plans. You can stream on three devices at once and you’ll get 500 hours of cloud DVR storage.

Most importantly, you can cancel AT&T TV NOW at any time, where traditional TV providers typically lock you into year-long contracts.

Which streaming devices work with AT&T TV NOW?

You can stream AT&T TV NOW on the four most popular streaming devices — Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Roku — but not much else. It doesn’t work with PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or any smart TVs that aren’t made by Samsung. If you go with AT&T TV NOW, you might need to purchase a new streaming device.

What internet speed do I need for AT&T TV NOW?

AT&T TV NOW recommends at least 8 Mbps for each device that’s streaming. So if two people are watching separate TVs in the same house at once, you’ll need at least 16 Mbps.

Not sure what kinds of speeds you’re currently getting? Use our speedtest below to find out.

Can you fast forward through commercials on AT&T TV NOW?

Unfortunately, you’re not able to fast forward through commercials on AT&T TV NOW — or any live TV streaming service. They work the same way as live TV through cable or satellite; commercials are part of the deal. That said, you are able to skip ahead on programs in your DVR. If you pause a show, you can also fast forward to catch up.

Does AT&T TV NOW stream in 4K?

AT&T TV NOW does not currently support 4K streaming on any of its channels, but there is a workaround. Select games on Fox, FS1 and Big Ten Network stream in 4K on the Fox Sports app. The app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Xbox and Android TVs. Keep in mind, you will have to subscribe to an AT&T TV NOW plan that includes these channels.

Our other live TV streaming service reviews

We’ve written extensively about every live TV streaming service around. For more detailed information, you can check out our full reviews below:

• AT&T Watch TV ($15/mo.)
• Philo TV ($20/mo.)
• Sling TV ($30/mo.)
• Vidgo ($40/mo.)
• fuboTV ($55/mo.)
• Hulu + Live TV ($55/mo.)
• AT&T TV ($60/mo. in year one, $93/mo. in year two)
• YouTube TV ($65/mo.)
• Best live TV streaming services

Stop negotiating channels

Choose streaming services that match your watching habits when you compare on Allconnect.

Watch what you want, when and where you want. Choose streaming services that match your watching habits when you compare on Allconnect.

Shop streaming services

Should you sign up?

Our AT&T TV NOW review finds it’s only worth it for very specific customers. If you live in Los Angeles or New York and want to watch your local sports teams, AT&T TV NOW and AT&T TV might be your only options. And if HBO is a must-have channel, you can get it slightly cheaper through AT&T TV NOW.

Aside from those situations, it has one of the worst channel lineups of any live TV streaming service and its user experience is mediocre at best. It’s also one of the most expensive. You’ll only be able to catch your local MLB, NBA and NHL team’s games if you upgrade to the $80/mo. Max plan.

Originally written on 9/16/2019. Last updated 5/22/2020.

Written by:

Joe Supan

Senior Writer, Wireless & Streaming Content

Joe oversees all things wireless and streaming for Allconnect. He has utilized thousands of data points to build a library of metrics to help users navigate these complex spaces. These in… Read more