Shane Cole
AT&T updated its U-verse applications for iPad and iPhone on Monday to enable live television streaming to iOS devices, both inside and outside the user's home.
Subscribers to AT&T's U-verse internet television service now have the ability to watch more than 100 live channels on their iOS devices from inside their home or more than 20 channels when outside their home, the company announced. AT&T says the service expansion is designed to enable "customers to watch TV on their terms when and where they want it."
At launch, CBS's Showtime, TMC, and Flix movie channel families are among the options available on the go alongside sports broadcasting channels the NFL Network and the Pac-12 Network, home to college athletics from schools such as the University of Oregon and Stanford University. Popular options like CNBC, HBO, Comedy Central, and Food Network are only available when customers are at home.
AT&T promises more live channels will be added "on an ongoing basis."
U-Verse — a bundled offering of broadband internet, voice-over-IP telephony, and IP television — is the fastest-growing television provider in the United States, but competition is fierce for an increasingly mobile customer base. Verizon's FiOS, a similar bundled service that operates on the company's new fiber-to-the-home network, began offering a small selection of channels for live mobile streaming last month.
Additionally, nontraditional providers like Aereo, which uses arrays of small television receivers to capture and broadcast over-the-air television signals to the internet, are gaining traction and putting pressure on more expensive bundled services. Aereo, which costs less than $10 per month, aims to be available in over 20 cities by the end of 2013.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
9 Comments
If they can do the local affiliates, that shoots aereo off my phone. Anyone know if it airplays?
Of course, data charges may apply on your phone if you aren't on wifi. Video runs up the usage quickly.
[quote name="Andysol" url="/t/159982/at-t-u-verse-subscribers-can-now-stream-live-tv-on-iphone-ipad#post_2412742"]If they can do the local affiliates, that shoots aereo off my phone. Anyone know if it airplays?[/quote] No local channels in Austin; I could not find Airplay support in a brief session to test it.
I quit AT&T just few days ago - after being with them since 1st iPhone. I even let my "unlimited" grandfathered plan to go. I must say, eventhough I don't have as much coverage with T-mobile now, I am very happy with my decision and my bill is $40 a month lower than with ATT. What got me most was "upgrade fee" $39 for each iPhone I bought. I am so happy there are no upgrade or activation fees with my current operator.
What I don't understand is an attitude of Apple Store employees who were consistently saying it requires only one phone call to ATT support to refund the fee. What I met with repeatedly were ATT employees who do not want and are probably ordered from higher positions to not refund upgrade fee at all cost.
U-verse is pretty sweet, but too bad I'll seldom use this with my 2GB plan. iTunes radio isn't much better. [quote]Originally Posted by [B]gabberattack [/B] I quit AT&T just few days ago - after being with them since 1st iPhone. I even let my "unlimited" grandfathered plan to go. I must say, eventhough I don't have as much coverage with T-mobile now, I am very happy with my decision and my bill is $40 a month lower than with ATT. What got me most was "upgrade fee" $39 for each iPhone I bought. I am so happy there are no upgrade or activation fees with my current operator. What I don't understand is an attitude of Apple Store employees who were consistently saying it requires only one phone call to ATT support to refund the fee. What I met with repeatedly were ATT employees who do not want and are probably ordered from higher positions to not refund upgrade fee at all cost.[/quote] U-verse is AT&T's TV service. Not sure how that applies here.