Just FYI, AT&T TV's Choice package includes Tennis Channel as well as Sinclair's RSNs. Costs a flat $85/mo without a contract, but another $10/mo to expand the cloud DVR from 20 to 500 hrs.
The YouTube TV Thread
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I would need the Ultimate ($95/mo) Package, since that's where AT&T stuck the CBS Sports Network (a must-have for me because they broadcast the vast majority of my college team's games). Plus they add $8.50 for the RSN fee. So $113.50 is getting close to the cost of cable, and at least with cable I'll get my local CW and PBS (which I currently get with YTTV). It also looks like AT&T TV tacks on $5-$10/mo in various fees and taxes like they do for their internet service (I currently don't pay any extra taxes for YTTV or my internet through Cox). On the plus side, I get a year of HBO Max (which I'm currently paying the $11.99/mo promo price for until Sept.)
EDIT: Am I reading this correctly? AT&T TV requires a $120 device - which means I'm limited to one TV. WTF?
Includes: AT&T TV Pkg. Req’s 1 AT&T TV device, included for well qualified customers; otherwise $120. Add’l devices avail for $120 each or on installment; non-qualified customers must purchase additional devices up front. Additional Fees & Taxes: Price excludes Regional Sports Fee of up to $8.49/mo.(which is extra & applies to CHOICE and higher Pkgs), and certain other add’l fees & charges.
You’re getting confused.
If you get the no contract version there is no RSN fee nor is a box provided. If you wanted the box, you’d have to buy it. (See EBay for those).
With a contract you get 500 hour DVR included, get one box and have to pay an RSN fee.
BTW, the box isn’t required but it is a very nice box for using AT&T’s TV streaming service.
If you get the no contract version there is no RSN fee nor is a box provided. If you wanted the box, you’d have to buy it. (See EBay for those).
With a contract you get 500 hour DVR included, get one box and have to pay an RSN fee.
BTW, the box isn’t required but it is a very nice box for using AT&T’s TV streaming service.
Really? Where do you live? I thought tax on residential internet service was illegal. Are you maybe referring to an equipment fee?
IDK why they like to make things so complicated but AT&T TV offers two ways to subscribe to their service now, and each way has different costs and features.
You can get it with a 2-yr contract, in which case you pay a discounted price the first year and then a regular price thereafter. One AT&T TV box is included, yours to keep, as well as 500 hrs of cloud DVR. There is also an additional RSN fee. I don't believe that there are any additional fees unless you choose to buy additional (optional) boxes, for which you'll pay $10/mo for 12 months, at which point you own them. Or if you break your contract early, there's a $10/mo early termination fee. But there's no broadcast TV fee or other BS fees tacked on like most cable companies do. Just sales tax, I think.
The other way you can get AT&T TV is the new contract-free route. You pay a regular price from day one (which is more than the first-year promo price under the contract route but a little less than that route's regular price). Also, there's never an additional RSN fee. But you only get 20 hours of cloud DVR and don't get a free box. If you want the 500 hours of cloud DVR, it's an extra $10/mo. If you want boxes, they're $5/mo each for the first 24 months, after which you own them.
Whichever way you go, you can watch the service on any three screens at the same time, regardless of whether it's their own box or devices running their app, whether in or out of home. There's no way to watch on more than three screens simultaneously.
If you think you're going to keep the service for close to two years, and you care anything about the expanded cloud DVR and/or the box, you come out better to go the contract route. Otherwise, go the contract-free route. The "flat $85/mo" price I quoted you for the Choice package is the contract-free price but without the expanded cloud DVR or buying any boxes. (FWIW, it sounds like their own custom Android TV box and remote is the best way to watch the service -- fuller featured and more reliable -- versus using their app for Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV. Instead of paying $120 for a new box, though, you can find used ones on eBay for about half that. But make sure it has the updated remote, not the original version they beta tested with DirecTV Now years ago.)
Given that you would need the Ultimate package, yeah, you might very well just come out cheaper getting cable TV service combined with broadband from your local cable company. But then AT&T TV isn't really about being cheaper than traditional cable. It basically IS traditional cable TV that happens to stream over any internet connection, but with better HD picture quality than any other service, plus DD 5.1 audio. And it gives you the option of using a dedicated box with full-featured voice remote and access to streaming apps on the side. Or you can save a bit of money by just using their app.
California. Whenever I've gotten a price quote for AT&T Fiber, it's always been the promo price plus almost $10 in about a half dozen different taxes and fees, but never including equipment fees since that is supposedly included in the promotion (free gateway modem/router). Cox Cable's listed price (promo or regular) is exactly what I get charged.
At least in this part of the country, AT&T Fiber goes back and forth in terms of whether they price it with gateway included in the stated price or if it's $10/mo extra. More often than not, it's been the latter (which is the case now). Here in TN, we do not have state sales tax on internet service (although if we did, it would apply the same to AT&T as to the cable companies.) Any time I've had internet service from AT&T over the years, it's always just been the flat price of the service, or that plus the gateway rental fee. No other fees or taxes added.
As for AT&T TV, I'm pretty sure that there are no additional fees beyond the ones mentioned above (base package price, and, if they apply, RSN fee and box purchase price). It's legally no different than YouTube TV or any other OTT subscription video service, so the government should tax it the same way, which around here is just basic sales tax. (OTOH, back when I had Comcast cable TV years ago, I believe there was some kind of local franchise fee and maybe some kind of FCC fee too. But those don't apply to OTT services.)
Yet. I know some municipalities are trying to charge tax on streaming services to replace lost revenue from cable taxes. It is just a matter of time.
Yeah, I've heard of such. Hopefully doesn't happen. But if it does, it'll be levied on all OTT services -- Netflix will be the main one they have in mind -- not just vMVPDs like YTTV.
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Already happening-Streaming taxes, often called 'Netflix taxes,' exist in Washington, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina and are being considered by other states in addition to Colorado.
Streaming ‘Netflix Tax’ in Colorado Raises Risk of Litigation
Critics warn they are ready to sue Colorado over its newly formalized stance that downloaded and streamed digital products are to be taxed as tangible personal property.
Yeah, I pay state taxes on streaming services in NC. What I don't pay is the equivalent to city/county taxes on those services like I would for cable TV (which is taxed by the state and the locality.) No taxes on Internet service like Zookster has in Cali though.Already happening-Streaming taxes, often called 'Netflix taxes,' exist in Washington, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina and are being considered by other states in addition to Colorado.
View attachment 150624
Streaming ‘Netflix Tax’ in Colorado Raises Risk of Litigation
Critics warn they are ready to sue Colorado over its newly formalized stance that downloaded and streamed digital products are to be taxed as tangible personal property.news.bloombergtax.com
AFAIK California, or my city, doesn't charge any tax on internet service (including on internet-based streaming services like Netflix and YTTV). If they did, I assume Cox would have to line item it separately in my monthly bill.
I wish I could find the written fee breakdown I received from AT&T the last time I inquired that shows all the add-on fees above the promo rate. I said "taxes" earlier, but I was just trying to be inclusive of everything the extra fees could be. Definitely not equipment.
They were aggressively promoting AT&T Fiber a couple years ago when it was installed in my neighborhood. I took a long hard look at the time and through an online chat got the full price breakdown with all the extra fees. It was ultimately a deal-breaker because with those fees, I wouldn't have saved any money over my current deal with Cox. The fees also reminded what kind of company I would be dealing with in AT&T, nickel and diming me with fees so they can promote a low promo rate (as is done with TV and phone). If they are taxes/fees Cox is legally required to charge, they must be priced into the flat rate they advertise.
MLB.TV now is integrated into YTTV. Unfortunately I don’t see a way for existing MLB.TV customers to link their accounts to YTTV - any finders?
There's never been a way for other add-ons (HBO, Showtime, Epix, etc.). You either subscribe through YTTV to get access through the YTTV app or you sign up directly and have access through the service's own app. Though there are rumors that signing up through YTTV will give you login credentials to use the MLB.TV app as well.
Right. I've been paying sales tax here in TN for awhile now on streaming services, same as on just about anything else I buy. What I was talking about was the possibility of special local taxes that cities/counties might impose that would be analogous to those local franchise taxes they impose on traditional cable TV operators (e.g. Comcast, Charter, Cox, etc.).
???
With HBO Max, I have an account and when I go to billing information, it says I’m subscribed through YouTube TV. The HBO Max account uses a different e-mail address than the gmail account used for the YouTube TV account. I went for standalone HBO Max to YouTube TV when YTTV had a special offer. The transition was pretty much seamless.
As for MLB.TV, T-Mobile has a free subscription offer coming at the end of March through their T-Mobile Tuesdays promotions. That’s how I get it.
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Finally doing it. Moving mom to Youtube TV.
Starting her off with just a chromecast to get used to things, but she's already been using it a little bit since I moved HBO from my DirectTV account to my yttv account just hadn't been watching live tv.
Next phase will be 3 more chromecasts and canceling the $200/mo DirectTV I've had since 2004. The entire thing will pay for itself in less than 2 months.
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Starting her off with just a chromecast to get used to things, but she's already been using it a little bit since I moved HBO from my DirectTV account to my yttv account just hadn't been watching live tv.
Next phase will be 3 more chromecasts and canceling the $200/mo DirectTV I've had since 2004. The entire thing will pay for itself in less than 2 months.
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Noticed today the guide will go far into the future. I think it use to be 7 hours but now it will go at least 3 days. I got tired and stopped there
This is on Nvidia Shield. Haven’t tried any other devices.
This is on Nvidia Shield. Haven’t tried any other devices.
