DirecTV Now lands on Roku devices
AT&T's live TV streaming service hits the popular big-screen streaming platform today.
Roku owners who cut the cable TV cord, you now have another live TV option to consider.
AT&T's DirecTV Now service, which offers live TV channels streaming over the internet starting at $35 per month, is now available on Roku devices.
Owners of Roku boxes, sticks and TVs can download the DirecTV Now app in Roku's channel store starting today. New subscribers can get a month free.
When it launched in November 2016, DirecTV Now promised it would come to Roku in the first quarter of 2017. The first quarter ended in March, so by that measure it's almost two months late.
It was also beset by early complaints, which AT&T executives blamed on having a larger number of initial subscribers than anticipated. Subscriber growth has stalled recently, according to a Bloomberg report.
DirecTV Now competes against other cord-cutter-friendly live TV services including PlayStation Vue (our current favorite), Sling TV, the promising but not-quite-there YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. In CNET's review we lauded DirecTV's channel selection but noted that other services' cloud DVRs give them an advantage overall. DirecTV has promised to add a cloud DVR but has not announced when.
Roku is one of the most popular streaming device platforms in the Unites States and its devices, such as the $50 Streaming Stick, routinely top CNET's product recommendation lists. Roku also powers our favorite Smart TV platform.
Sling TV and PlayStation Vue are also available on Roku, but YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are not. Here's how the various services compare across devices.
Live TV streaming service device availability
DirecTV Now | Sling TV | PlayStation Vue | YouTube TV | Hulu with Live TV | |
Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Chromecast | Android only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Android TV | No | Yes | Yes | Cast only | Cast only |
PS3/PS4 | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Xbox One | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Roku | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Apple TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Fire TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Fire tablets | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Channel Master DVR | No | Yes | No | No | No |
The DirecTV Now Roku app uses the same big-screen interface seen on other TV devices, like Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. That's an improvement over the PlayStation Vue app on Roku, which uses a stripped-down interface compared to that service on other devices.