TVision Live and Vibe subscribers won’t be charged for April as T-Mobile continues the winding down of its live TV streaming plans. The company recently confirmed it was discontinuing the Live and Vibe plans in favor of directing existing mobile customers towards YouTube TV for a premium experience and Philo for a more affordable live TV solution.
T-Mobile launched its TVision plans in late 2020, albeit in a limited state with only existing mobile and home customers able to sign up to either Live, Live+, Live Zone or Vibe. With prices starting as low as $10 per month, TVision’s plans had the potential to become a good option for consumers and especially if they became available to everyone in the U.S., as originally planned.
Earlier this week, T-Mobile explained that its various TVision Live and Vibe plans would fully shut down on April 29. However, the company has also now confirmed that current Live and Vibe subscriber’s won’t be charged for April. This is in spite of retaining the ability to stream live TV, on demand content, as well as any cloud recordings up until April 29.
This is also irrespective of whether they opt for one of the new deals or not. Starting April 6, TVision Live subscribers will have the ability to sign up to YouTube TV at a discounted rate, while Vibe subscribers can already sign up to a cheaper than usual Philo plan instead. If any subscribers take T-Mobile up on these offers, they won’t immediately lose access to their Live or Vibe subscriptions. Essentially, T-Mobile isn’t turning any of the services off until April 29 and subscribers will retain access for free, regardless of whether they start a new subscription or not.
“You won’t be billed for TVision LIVE or VIBE services after today, but you can still watch your channels and DVR recordings at no additional cost through April 29.”
T-Mobile
TVision billing likely the reason
While a nice thank you to existing customers who may not be happy with having to switch to another live TV streaming service, the way TVision’s billing works is likely a factor. Unlike other live TV streaming services, TVision subscribers are billed somewhat retrospectively, and with the current monthly billing cycle having now come to an end, it is likely T-Mobile is just ending the payment cycle at this point.
Regardless of the reason, the decision does result in what is almost a full month of free live TV for existing subscribers. That’s a good amount of time for those affected, and provides a buffer for any TVision Live or Vibe customers unsure of whether they should go with YouTube TV, Philo or any of the other live TV services available.
