AT&T Offers Free HBO To Lure New Subscribers To DirecTV Now

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HBO shows, particularly Game of Thrones, have gained much popularity, and AT&T hopes to capitalize on it. The company has come up with an amazing offer for its new DirecTV Now streaming TV service subscribers; it’s offering one year of access to HBO for free.

A lucrative offer, but with a catch

The company announced the promotion on Monday, saying that March 30 will be the last day to register for it. The offer surely sounds attractive, but it comes with a catch. An expensive streaming TV bundle will have to be purchased.

The free access to HBO is for subscribers opting for the Go Big package that has 100 channels and costs $60 a month or those opting for the Gotta Have package which has 120 channels and costs $70 per month. The offer will benefit subscribers interested in channels other than HBO in either of the higher-priced tiers. Those solely interested in HBO will not benefit from the offer, as it would cost them just $5 a month to gain access to HBO.

AT&T is even offering an Apple TV set-top box for free to subscribers who prepay for three months of the service. This offer also expires on March 30.

Will the promotional offer benefit AT&T?

AT&T’s HBO offer comes at a time when it is awaiting regulatory approval to purchase Time Warner (which owns HBO) for $85 billion. AT&T has ambitious plans to make it big in the areas of content production and distribution and be a top-notch wireless provider.

The HBO offer will only help it get closer to its mission and strengthen its position in a market in which players like DISH Network and Sony have already marked their presence with Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, respectively. Google recently made its entry into the market with a live-TV online subscription service called YouTube TV. Hulu might introduce a service of its own in the next few months, notes Fortune.

AT&T’s HBO offer might appease those who wish to switch to Internet TV from cable TV, while those who hold the limited time deal offer of $35 for more than 100 channels are still better off.  More than 120 channels are accessible over the internet to DirecTV owners, far more than the number offered over satellite like its traditional service.

DirecTV Now attracted 200,000 subscribers in just four weeks after its launch, but the most recent tally hasn’t been disclosed now.

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