By now, it’s crystal-clear that DIRECTV Now will not keep its promise that it would be available on Roku’s streaming devices in the first quarter.
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And while the live streaming service is available on Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, smart phones, tablets and other platforms, Roku’s absence, and the missed deadline, has DIRECTV Now customers (and potential customers) hopping mad, according to social media activity.
Roku arguably is the industry’s most popular streaming device with more than 3,000 channels (apps).
“@directvnow I can’t believe that your service is so poor that you can’t figure out how to do a Roku app. I am wasting my money no more. Bye,” @PTRTech wrote last night on Twitter.
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“@directvnow – Would love to watch DIRECTV Now on my Roku on TV#2 since my kids are hogging the AppleTV watching Disney Jr but Noooooo!” tweeted @gabelujuan1 last night.
Many DIRECTV Now customers say they are particularly upset because they pre-paid for three months of the live streaming service, thinking that the Roku app would be available by now.
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“I signed up early with DirecTV Now and got the $35 per month for 100 channels, thinking they’d roll out a Roku app and all,” says “@NewBlackWoman.
@directvnow, we waited months and you do this to your customers? Why should I or anyone wait longer? Hello @Sling,” tweeted another unhappy subscriber.
Other subscribers are using the missing Roku app to attack DIRECTV Now for being technically-challenged since its launch on November 30. The service has experienced numerous errors, from login issues to accidental blackouts of sporting events and even Discovery programs to run-of-the-mill picture freezing and buffering.
“Looks like @directvnow gave up on Roku just like they did on 72 hour rewind and favorite shows and channels since they don’t work either,” writes @SnuggleStruggl3, referring to the 72-hour rewind feature that DIRECTV removed soon after launch because it wasn’t working properly.
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It’s unclear if the Roku issue will hurt DIRECTV Now’s subscription efforts, which seem to be going well as of now despite the technical concerns. @DIRECTVNowHelp, the service’s Twitter customer service team, has tried to soothe angry customers by saying the Roku delay is necessary to ensure a “smooth launch.”
— Phillip Swann
It is obvious that DirecTV and DirecTV Now were developed by two different entities with different skill sets. I cannot believe in this day and age that there is a company that basically says if we don’t give you what we promised too bad. DirecTV Now customer service gives the impression that they are running from a mud hut in a third world country with two computers and a generator and have no clue how the service Works should work or how to even decipher the customer’s question. If I were AT&T I would be a shame to be associated with this product its development team and its customer service. Time for a major shake-up.
Dierctv now lie about roku about adding it…..you not going to see it dierctv is a liyer..
Another part not really touched on is how hard building Roku apps really is. There’s a great article online that talks about the difficulties that some developers have with making Roku apps. The code used in writing them is completely different and therefore needs to be created from scratch where as making something for amazon tv is built of android meaning that app covers you for amazon tv and other android devices to a large degree as well. Then Apple TV apps are obviously built off an iOS platform to a point so now you’re covered for all those devices too.
Roku is its one animal. The article I mentioned in the beginning talks about the time frame it takes to make a Roku app which can take weeks whereas for Apple or android it takes days. Look at a couple of other streaming tv services and their apps. They are completely different on amazon tv and Apple TV compared to Roku. PlayStation Vue has its full channel guide on both those devices but it’s not even present on rokus and that’s after a good year or more. Sling tv now allows a DVR feature on amazon tv and promises Apple TV will get it next this after running a long beta test on Roku first for that feature but ultimately deciding it wasn’t ready and essentially pushing it back to third in line. So ask yourself is it the companies making the apps or the Roku platform itself to blame. For me it’s Roku and hence why I’ve switched away from the platform all together. I got tired of other streaming platforms getting the “good version” of the tv apps and my Roku getting a lesser version.
Well my Samsung TV is ‘droid based and no app for it either. What’s your excuse now?
That’s up to Samsung to add it not DIRECTV. I’m
Just saying there’s two sides to this story. Having switched away from using a Roku and now having an Apple TV and an amazon fire stick my opinion is Roku is way behind in terms of app quality, and the article I mentioned explains why. Talk to any PlayStation Vue user who has used the app on Roku and then seen or used it on one of the other devices mentioned. It’s like being ripped off having to use the Roku version which costs the same but is no where near as functional as the Apple TV or amazon version. Plus PlayStation vue came to Roku well
Before directv now came out as a service and they still haven’t updated the app for Roku to match what’s already available on the other services.
When you have multiple streaming services not available for a device or offer a much less friendly user experience compared to what other devices offer of the same service don’t you need to start wondering well maybe it’s not the services but the device (or this case the operating system on the device).
In defense of DirecTV – are they really such a bad company because they haven’t developed an app for every streaming device that exists? I mean dang they already have almost all of them covered, it’s kind of absurd to get all up in arms because they don’t have an app for one.
Here I agree with Patrick statement… I too faced the exact issue.