Q. I used to go to Uverse.com to stream shows and set my DVR at home from my office. But the site doesn’t seem to be there anymore. Do you know what happened to it? — Ed, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Ed, as you note, the web site for AT&T’s U-verse TV service permitted customers to stream live and On Demand programming as well as perform other tasks such as setting the DVR and making changes to their accounts.
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However, I’m sorry to tell you that AT&T closed Uverse.com last October and began redirecting all traffic to an AT&T site page that does not offer those services.
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Instead, the AT&T page features a few splashy promotions for premium channels, and a note at the bottom saying the U-verse app will permit you to control your DVR, set your favorites, and stream live TV or On Demand, among other tasks.
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Considering that Uverse.com had been around for more than a decade, many U-verse subscribers have complained bitterly about the change at the company’s customer message forum and other social media sites. (AT&T had allowed U-verse customers to stream their subscription channels and On Demand titles at Uverse.com since 2013.) They preferred to use computers and laptops, rather than apps, to stream shows and perform other U-verse-related activities.
But since AT&T’s merger with DIRECTV in 2015, the telco has been actively trying to persuade U-verse subscribers to switch to its satellite TV service, DIRECTV, which permits its customers to stream their subscription channels at DIRECTV.com.
The decision to eliminate Uverse.com, including its streaming feature, could further prod Uverse customers to switch to DIRECTV, or DIRECTV Now, the company’s new live streaming service.
When the TV Answer Man asked AT&T for an official reason for the change, a spokesman said the company wanted to “focus our U-verse streaming application development on core platforms (apps).”
“We encourage our U-verse customers to take advantage of the other streaming applications available to them, including via IOS and Android platforms,” the spokesman added.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
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— Phillip Swann