It looks like AT&T’s WatchTV service has now reached its eventual end with a shutdown date of November 30 for existing subscribers. The service launched in the summer of 2018 and was positioned as a low-cost option for streaming live TV over the internet. However, the writing had been on the wall for some time, so it may not come as much of a surprise that the service appears to be now in the process of shutting down for good.
At $15 per month, AT&T WatchTV was an option for those looking for affordable access to live TV. The selection of channels was limited compared to other services, but at $1 less than Philo, it was one of the cheapest live TV streaming services around. For those with an eligible AT&T mobile plan, they could even get WatchTV for free. In 2020, AT&T confirmed that WatchTV was no longer available. This was in terms of new customers, however, as the live TV service could still be watched by those that had already signed up.
AT&T now appears to be in the process of notifying affected customers that WatchTV will completely cease operations on November 30, 2021. According to the message that’s made its way to Reddit, AT&T will also be ending its benefit of a free Spotify subscription for Unlimited &More customers next month. For those Spotify users, AT&T recommends signing up to the service directly and appears to be compensating them by replacing the free subscription with one for HBO Max.
With WatchTV now in the stages of closing down, affected users may need to consider an alternative. Right now, one of the cheapest paid live TV streaming services is Philo. Although Philo was originally only $1 more than WatchTV, that plan has since been dropped with the cheapest Philo subscription now costing $25 per month. Otherwise, there is also Frndly TV. With subscriptions as low as $5.99 per month, this is an extremely affordable live TV solution. However, Frndly TV comes with a more limited channel selection so it may not appeal to as many consumers as Philo or one of the other options.
It is worth noting that WatchTV was a fairly limited service in general. For example, the service was limited to one stream at a time, there was no cloud DVR option for recordings, and device support was limited as well. With a change to any of the other major live TV service options, consumers will find they end up with a richer streaming experience overall, even if it does cost more each month.
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