• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
Arts & Entertainment

AT&T’s DirecTV Now Tries Luring Subscribers With Free HBO

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 20, 2017, 6:59 PM ET
AT&T Celebrates the Launch of DIRECTV NOW
Photo by Dave Kotinsky—Getty Images for DirecTV
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

AT&T is hoping that promotions can keep bringing in new subscribers for the DirecTV Now live-streaming television service.

The telecoms giant recently announced that, for a limited time, customers can receive a full year of HBO for no additional cost if they sign up for one of DirecTV Now’s two pricier subscription tiers. That means savings of $60 for the full year—HBO usually costs an extra $5 per month for DirecTV Now subscribers. The catch? It only applies to either the Go Big channel tier (which offers 100 channels for $60 per month) or for the Gotta Have It option (120 channels for $70 per month).

The offer is just the latest in a seemingly endless parade of offers trying to lure television viewers towards the over-the-top service and away from cable packages. For example, in a separate promotion, the company is also offering customers a free Apple TV streaming device if they pay upfront for three months of DirecTV Now service. AT&T also previously offered the bundled HBO promotion to existing customers, before announcing on a company forum over the weekend that the deal is now open to new customers, too.

And when DirecTV Now launched in November, AT&T offered a limited promotion that gave introductory subscribers access to 100 channels for just $35 per month—a push that helped the service pull in more than 200,000 subscribers in its first month.

 

The HBO promotional offer comes as AT&T (T) continues to move closer to obtaining regulatory approval for its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner(TWX), which owns HBO along with a host of other media assets. That merger, as well as the launch of DirecTV Now, are part of AT&T’s ongoing plan to embrace vertical integration as a wireless provider that is also a giant in the areas of content production and distribution. (That plan also includes something called “zero rating,” where DirecTV Now subscribers with AT&T wireless service are able to stream an unlimited about of video from DirecTV Now without it affecting their data limit.)

Get Data Sheet, Fortune‘s technology newsletter.

These promotions and bundles are also meant to better help AT&T compete with a growing list of rivals in the live-streaming TV field, where Dish Network’s (DISH) Sling TV and Sony’s (SNE) Playstation Vue have already been active for some time. Just last month, Google (GOOG) entered the fray with its own live-TV online subscription service called YouTube TV, while Hulu (which is backed by several major broadcast networks) is set to launch its competing service in the coming months.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

grassmayr
Innovationaustria
425-year-old Austrian bell foundry survives on 3D printing and lasers
By Philipp Jenne and The Associated PressJuly 30, 2026
8 hours ago
ponzi
Arts & Entertainmentfraud
Hollywood producer behind ‘Joker,’ dozens of other films indicted for $100 million Ponzi scheme
By Rebecca Boone and The Associated PressJuly 30, 2026
9 hours ago
interlochen
North AmericaJeffrey Epstein
Probe of exclusive Michigan boarding school finds Epstein and 47 others accused of abuse
By Ed White and The Associated PressJuly 30, 2026
9 hours ago
(l-r) Trinity Celeste Tatum, Bryce Alakai Dettloff
EconomyPersonal Finance
Love Island contestants will spend their winnings on bills and loans because $100K just doesn’t go that far anymore
By Eleanor PringleJuly 30, 2026
11 hours ago
zendaya
Arts & EntertainmentMedia
How Gen Z’s love of ‘handcrafted’ blockbusters created Hollywood’s ‘memory moment’
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 30, 2026
16 hours ago
boehly
Arts & EntertainmentLawsuit
Lawsuit: Penske and Boehly staged Golden Globes boycott to buy it cheap
By Andrew Dalton and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
1 day ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
1 day ago
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
Real Estate
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax was designed to hit the wealthy, but it’s sending most New Yorkers to their estate lawyers
By Catherina GioinoJuly 30, 2026
16 hours ago
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
Retail
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 30, 2026
12 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 30, 2026
12 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.