AT&T pulls the plug on WatchTV

AT&T has begun letting customers know that WatchTV, its low-cost streaming service, will shut down for good on November 30.

AT&T had already stopped offering standalone WatchTV to new subscribers but now the company is letting existing Unlimited & More Premium subscribers know that WatchTV won’t be around much longer, according to an email obtained by Cord Cutters News.

“Hi, it’s AT&T. WatchTV will be going away on Nov 30 along with your paid Spotify subscription on Nov 6. You can contact Spotify directly to sign up to continue service. The good news is we’ve got you covered with HBO Max at no additional charge. To sign up and start streaming HBO Max, visit att.com/spotifyupdates for more information and options regarding your account.”

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AT&T launched WatchTV in 2018 shortly after it closed its $85 billion deal to acquire Time Warner.

WatchTV included more than 30 entertainment cable networks from programmers including TNT, TBS and CNN along with AMC Networks and A&E. The company bundled the service into its Unlimited & More and Premium wireless plans. WatchTV was also available as a standalone offering for $15 a month.

The imminent demise of WatchTV is just the latest domino to fall in AT&T’s concentrated effort to extrapolate itself from the video distribution business. The company recently closed a deal to spinoff its DirecTV, U-verse and AT&T TV linear TV services to create a new DirecTV company operated by TPG Capital. AT&T is also pursuing a deal to spin off WarnerMedia—which includes HBO, Turner and Warner Bros.—and combine it with Discovery Inc. to create Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies expect that deal to close in 2022.

AT&T also recently sold Crunchyroll, its subscription anime streaming service, to Sony for $1.175 billion.