Today the DIRECTV NOW $5 price hike is official. The next time your bill renews it will go up $5 a month. This price hike comes just about a month after AT&T launched their $15 a month AT&T Watch TV live TV streaming service. It also comes only a few weeks after AT&T closed on their deal to buy Time Warner.
AT&T issued the following statement about the price hike:
In the 18 months since our launch, we have continued to evolve our DIRECTV NOW products to serve this new customer set and compare favorably with our competitors. To continue delivering the best possible streaming experience for both new and existing customers, we’re bringing the cost of this service in line with the market—which starts at a $40 price point.
The good news is cord cutting is still cheaper. According to Consumer Reports, cable TV core package fees went up 3 percent to 4 percent and new and higher fees have been added to cable TV. For example, Comcast raised their core package fees about $5 a month but also raised their broadcast fee from $1 to $8 a month and regional sports fee was up as much as $1.75 a month. Also missed payment fees went up to $10.
In total Comcast, bills went up about $7.75 a month. This means former Comcast subscribers who got hit with a $5 price hike on their streaming service are still saving $2.75 more than they did last year.
DIRECTV had an even larger price hike: some packages went up $8 a month. Regional sports fees went up $1 and the NFL Sunday Ticket went up $12. That means former DIRECTV customers who went to DIRECTV NOW are saving $4 more a month than they did last year.
So next time someone says cable TV is cheaper than cord cutting make sure to show them all the new price hikes and fees on cable TV in 2018.
Here are the new Prices for DIRECTV NOW:
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