Streaming video is huge, and if Netflix is any indication, alongside other options like Verizon’s recently launched Go90 and other popular burgeoning services such as Hulu, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. While the popularity of streaming video services is no secret, it’s never been more apparent how much of a market there really is until the wireless carriers themselves start to look at offering services of their own. AT&T looks to be the most recent company to travel this path, having hinted at the fact that at the end of last year they would be launching a new video service in the future, which now looks to be heading towards subscribers sometime in the next few months.
There is no exact detail on the actual date the service will be launching, nor is it known what AT&T plans to call it or what it will cost subscribers to use it, but it’s said that AT&T will at least announce the service before the end of January, with a possibility that they could end up discussing it during today’s quarterly earnings call. Having recently purchased DirecTV, it seems as though it was only going to be a matter of time before a streaming service made its way to AT&T customers that could be powered by the technology behind it.
While it might be weird for some to think of AT&T as a streaming video provider, they already have the framework for delivering such a service to consumers thanks to the DirecTV acquisition, at the least they have the library of content. With so many streaming services available though it’s never been easier for consumers to get access to their favorite shows without having to actually subscribe to a TV service, and when AT&T’s consumers opt for this route as opposed to signing up with DirecTV, this is revenue AT&T loses out on. Offering their own streaming video option which houses a wealth of content is a way for them to potentially win over consumers who aren’t picking up DirecTV and may have chosen to go with something like Netflix or Hulu.