Weekly Rewind
AT&T’s Time Warner takeover: The timing of AT&T’s DirecTV Now pricing news probably wasn’t a coincidence. Earlier this week, AT&T announced plans to buy Time Warner, the media company that owns CNN, TNT, HBO, and other TV networks, for $80 billion. (Don’t confuse the company with Time Warner Cable, a completely separate entity.)
Analysts had expected DirecTV Now to cost at least $50 per month, but during this week’s WSJD Live conference, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson pointed to the lower price as a benefit of the acquisition. It could also be peace offering to regulators as they scrutinize the deal, or a loss-leader tactic intended to squeeze out competitors.
Not that it matters in the long run. These bundles are more of a transitional step toward more standalone streaming services, which Time Warner/AT&T are claiming they want to create more of. If that’s’ the case, they’ll eventually have to compete on the merits of their content rather than cavalier pricing schemes.
TV for Apple TV: After reportedly giving up on a streaming bundle of its own, Apple now wants to do a better job sorting through the streaming apps that already exist. To that end, Apple has announced a new guide app called “TV.” The app provides quick access to recently-watched shows, recommendations, and genres from across various streaming services, including Showtime, Starz, and HBO Now.
The TV app isn’t launching until December, so I’ll reserve full judgment until I’ve had a chance to try it. One thing to note, however, is that Netflix isn’t participating. That’s no surprise, given that Netflix has shunned system-wide recommendations on several other platforms. The Netflix app is already a destination, so the company has little motivation to mix up its content with competitors.
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