Commentary
DIRECTV Now and Roku promised they would deliver an app for the live streaming service by the end of the first quarter.
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Well, today is the last day of the first quarter and there is no app. There is also no explanation for the missed deadline from the two companies.
The closest we have to a response is another promise from @DIRECTVNowHelp, the streamer’s Twitter customer service team, that the app will be offered in “the coming weeks.”
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@DIRECTVNowHelp adds that the companies are trying to ensure a “smooth launch.”
As for Roku, the maker of streaming devices has quietly changed its November 28, 2016 blog post that said the app would be introduced in the “first quarter of 2017” to that it will be introduced sometime in 2017.
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Roku did not comment on why it made the change at the blog, but it did note the post was “updated” on March 23 without saying exactly what the update was. It’s as if the first quarter forecast never existed.
The sleight-of-hand on the Roku blog reminds this reporter of the ruling force in George Orwell’s Animal Farm which simply erased from the wall any law it no longer supported without providing any explanation or acknowledgement of a change.
It seems to me that DIRECTV Now and Roku should do better here and provide a clear explanation of what’s going on. Many DIRECTV Now subscribers signed up with the belief that the Roku app would be available by now.
Why? Because that’s what they were told.
Since the promise was not kept, the companies have a responsibility to explain why and perhaps even offer an official apology.
I know, fat chance, right?
— Phillip Swann
You expect anything from AT&T? Heh.
waiting for directv on roku
I just signed up for AT&T Direct TV bundle. How is that working for AT&T is it looking successful or is it flawed?
I’m not sure I agree the companies owe explanations or apology for product launches that fail to meet announced timeframes. While it makes for good customer relations, I’m not sure it something for which either company has an expressed or implied obligation. I have had my DIRECTV Now since January and streamed to my Roku from my Android tablet. In February I acquired a Fire TV device. When the Roku app becomes available I’ll probably use it because I like their interface over both the Android and Fire TV. Even with the delay, the service gives me the programming I want with only minor issues.