AT&T signs multiyear carriage deal with Discovery, brings Shark Week to DirecTV Now

AT&T and Discovery Communications have announced a multi-year carriage extension that will keep Discovery’s linear channels on AT&T U-verse and the DirecTV satellite TV platform, expand TV Everywhere rights, and offer digital rights for the upcoming DirecTV Now live-streaming service. 

The Discovery deal comes on the heels of an agreement with Time Warner Inc. to put HBO on DirecTV Now. The IP-based service, which will launch later this year, also has a deal in place to put ESPN on the platform. 

DirecTV Now will be a significant product launch for AT&T, which has watched from the sideline as rival satellite TV operator Dish Network has grown its live-streaming service, Sling TV, to a level of 764,000 subscribers (SNL Kagan estimate). 

These IP-based services allows operators to court younger, cord-eschewing consumers with multiscreen services that require not truck rolls or CPE. 

“By adding the Discovery networks to the growing DirecTV Now lineup, we are continuing to build a streaming service for the connected generation that we believe will be second-to-none in the industry,” said Dan York, chief content officer for AT&T, in a statement. 

Added Eric Phillips, president of domestic distribution for Discovery: “We are pleased that we were able to get a win-win deal done with the largest distributor in the country. Our agreement greatly expands the AT&T platforms that will distribute our award-winning content, including future distribution on DirecTV Now for our portfolio of brands.”

For more:
- read this Discovery press release

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