AT&T Plans to Gift Free Apple TV to DirecTV Now Subscribers Who Commit to 3+ Months of Service - MacRumors
Skip to Content

AT&T Plans to Gift Free Apple TV to DirecTV Now Subscribers Who Commit to 3+ Months of Service

by

AT&T plans to gift a free Apple TV to DirecTV Now subscribers who commit to at least three months of paid service, according to documents seen by Variety. Likewise, customers who pay for at least one month of service will allegedly receive a free Fire TV stick. The promotion ensures early subscribers will have at least one device with access to DirecTV Now when it launches.

directv-now
DirecTV Now is AT&T's internet-based live TV streaming service slated to launch in late 2016. The cord-cutter service will start at $35 per month and provide access to more than 100 channels, such as ABC, A&E, CBS, ESPN, Fox, HBO, MTV, NBC, Nickelodeon, and Discovery, on smartphones, tablets, streaming boxes, and other devices. Availability of channels may vary based on regional restrictions.

DirecTV Now will reportedly include a 72-hour catch-up window, allowing subscribers to watch TV shows they missed up to three days later, alongside a video-on-demand library of up to 14,000 titles. A free 7-day trial will be available upon launch.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: AT&T, DirecTV Now
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

tvOS 27 Feature

Apple Seeds tvOS 27 Beta 3 to Developers

Monday July 6, 2026 10:22 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the third beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the second beta. The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required. tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app,...
Read Full Article • 13 comments
General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Fourth watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday July 6, 2026 10:16 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the fourth betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple seeded the third betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...
Read Full Article • 0 comments
New Apple TV Logo

Apple TV Earns Record 87 Emmy Nominations for 2026, Led by 'Pluribus' and 'Widow's Bay'

Wednesday July 8, 2026 10:37 am PDT by
Apple earned its highest number of Emmy nominations to date in 2026, with popular shows like Pluribus, Margo's Got Money Troubles, Widow's Bay, Shrinking, and Slow Horses earning the most nominations. New series Widow's Bay received 19 nominations, while Pluribus was second with 18 nominations. The five most highly nominated shows are up for best series in their respective categories, and...
Read Full Article • 69 comments

Top Rated Comments

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
ArtOfWarfare
127 months ago
...

Take my money?

I only have a question mark because it sounds too good to be true, and I'm skeptical because it's coming from AT&T, which isn't really known for being so generous...
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
mac.cali
127 months ago
Might be worth it. Especially if they let me out of my DIRECTV contract.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
GizmoDVD
127 months ago
AT&T is buying Time Warner. Wonder if it is Generation 4 or 3 Apple TV? With AT&T the devil is always in the fine print so while this sounds like a good streaming alternative I'll wait and see.
Pretty sure the ATV3 is not receiving any new Apps so it would probably have to be the ATV4.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blacktape242 Avatar
blacktape242
127 months ago
i might be up for something like that.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
TXCherokee
127 months ago
Outside of waiting for ATV5 (hopefully the model that finally get's 4K capabilities) I have't paid much attention to apple tv.

So my question is, does the ability to run apps now mean that the apple TV will easily allow someone to get to amazon prime TV within the apple TV? I know on my old gen 3, I could not. TIA.
Yes, you could get Amazon Prime within the ATV4....if Amazon would just release the app. I know they are delaying it in hopes of promoting their Fire TV, but for those of use that are never going to buy one, yet enjoy Amazon Prime, it's frustrating.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
nightowl
127 months ago
It’s AT&T, folks. Don’t blink. Any rate they advertise will be temporary (introductory). Six months later you’ll pay three times that. Ask anyone who subscribed to AT&T’s U-verse service.
I don't disagree, however, in the streaming era, it's a little different. They don't have a dedicated TV pipe into your home, and I don't see them limiting this service only to those with AT&T home and/or wireless internet. Bundle, yes, but not limit to a generally narrow online audience (considering AT&T home service isn't even available in many parts of the US).

In the streaming world, when you don't like a service, either in price or content delivered, there are other competitors available to sign up with right away. There is at least one direct competitor right now on the Apple TV box, Sling. There is another competitor, PS Vue, that just doesn't happen to be on ATV yet. Hulu, YouTube, and others are coming with their services. If AT&T plays the game the way AT&T always has, they will lose and this service will ultimately fail. The great thing about online delivery is the freedom of choice!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments