DIRECTV on January 17, 2021 will raise prices on most programming packages for existing customers by $1 a month to $9 a month, but it will lower the rate for Showtime, Starz and Cinemax by $3 a month each.
U-verse, also owned by AT&T, will raise most programming plans by $5 a month to $9 a month.
DIRECTV (and other pay TV providers) has hiked prices on programming packages in January for several years in a row, blaming the rising cost of program acquisition. This year, AT&T again attributes the need to raise prices for U-verse and DIRECTV on increased carriage fees.
“Due to increased programming costs, we’re adjusting the price of our video packages. Periodically, TV network owners increase the fees they charge DIRECTV for the right to broadcast their movies, shows and sporting events,” the notice states.
DIRECTV’s January 2020 price increase for existing customers ranged from $1 a month to $8 a month. However, DIRECTV in January 2020 also raised the regional sports channel fee by as much as $2 a month, but there is no mention in the new notice of an increase in that surcharge.
Update: Jim Kimberly, an AT&T spokesperson, told the TV Answer Man tonight that there will be no increase in the regional sports channel fee in January. He added:
“We are adjusting the prices of our video packages to align with the costs of providing the entertainment options that our customers have come to expect. We have lowered prices on many popular premium channels,” he said in an e-mail.
While it’s accurate that programming costs have increased in recent years, this price hike will not help AT&T’s effort to stop more DIRECTV subscribers from dropping their service. Since AT&T purchased DIRECTV in 2015, the nation’s top satellite TV service has lost several million subscribers with many defecting customers complaining about high prices. Due to the losses, and conflicting company priorities, AT&T is taking bids to sell a minority or majority stake in DIRECTV, according to news reports.
DIRECTV’S current non-promotional prices range from $97 a month for the Entertainment package to $197 a month for Premier. (The satcaster offers first year promo prices as part of a two-year agreement for new customers.)
The DIRECTV rate increases coming in January 2021 will include the following plans:
* BASIC CHOICE — $1 a month increase
* PREFERRED CHOICE — $3 a month increase
* SELECT, ENTERTAINMENT — $5 a month increase
* MAS LATINO — $5 a month
* CHOICE — $7 a month
* TOTAL CHOICE — $7 a month
* TOTAL CHOICE LIMITED — $7 a month increase
* CHOICE XTRA CLASSIC — $8 a month increase
* PREFERRED XTRA, XTRA — $8 a month increase
* ULTIMATE, PREMIER — $9 a month.
DIRECTV says it will not increase the price of the Family plan. The satellite service will lower the prices for Showtime, Starz and Cinemax by $3 a month, but there will be no change for HBO or the DIRECTV Sports Pack.
U-verse is raising the price of the following plans starting January 17, 2021:
* U-FAMILY, U-100 — $5 a month
* U-200 — $8 a month
* U-300 — $9 a month
* U-400, U-450 — $9 a month
AT&T will not raise the price of the U-basic plan.
The AT&T notice says if you are on a current DIRECTV promotion, your discount will continue until it ends or expires. Once your promotional period ends, you will be charged at your new programming package prices, unless you change packages during the promotion. Then, the new pricing will become effective immediately.
— Phillip Swann
Have you ever heard of not maintaining the same profit level. How about taking a loss. Everytime you raise rates, you decrease my monthly income. I’m a senior and you don’t even try to offer senior rates for seniors on a fixed income. All you care about is profit and more profit $$$.
Respectfully, a customer who has always paid his DTV bill. I pay over $200 per mo. Ridiculous
I wont be a customer of theirs next year at and t has guided what was a good company
Every f-ing year. unbelievable
we really need more channel choice.
In canada they made laws forcing an basic price point and let you pick an choose what to add to that (price may not be that much better for an full plane but if you wants sports only or no sports then it can be a less) Also you can buy the box and not be forced to rent it.
Canada has their act together.
That is what we need here.
REGULATE TV.
CAP the programmers prices,
Offer AL-La-Carte programming.
Sports in a SEPARATE Package.
and SELL the Boxes.
I strongly agree with the replys , most of the channels you offer on certain packages I don’t watch, and trying to go down on the movie channels why they are nothing but repeats. I have been a paying customer for a long time and yes I think it’s rediculos. I ask for wireless boxes and you want to charge for that. Try to concider the customer’s you have had. STOP BEING GREADY! WE are going through enough.
Raising prices…again! What else is new?
When we left DirecTV a little over a year ago we were paying $179.00 per month with NO Cinemax, HBO, (premium channels). Four tv’s, dvr, and hd was it. Our contract had been $94 monthly until it expired. We then jumped to $179 for the same equipment and programming. The day after we canceled our service a DirecTV representative called and offered us a two year contract with the same options for $55 a month. The rep said since we had been a long term customer (14 years) they didn’t want to lose us. Funny thing, the day I canceled, they refused any type of discount!
The Dish installer was actually standing in our living room when DirecTV called. Of course, Dish has their own issues. At least our contract is the same amount ($107) for two years. We’ll reevaluate then…
LMAO… did you ever hear the term “nail in the coffin”. You have driven a bunch into your coffin. Nice knowing ya. Cancellation on its way🤣
We too are on a fixed income. It goes up every year. We are paying $203 a month. My husband and I do not watch sports and wish that they came as an add on package, but let’s not go up on sports!
Ditto to what Eliz said above. Furthermore, have you ever once considered that you’re already making enough profit? Join the rest of us and give us a break. Good grief.
DirecTV jacking up prices: “A tradition unlike any other.”
Gotta keep supporting the AT&T stockholders, I guess…
After being a DTV customer for over 29 yrs, am told that they no longer have a loyalty discount or one for seniors
we have had the same plan for many years and price and equip. prices keep rising…
no help from DTV
i looked into Dish and am worried that although prices are lower, Charlie drops channels every time there is a new agreement needed… is it worth it to lose stations every other month?
I cancelled DTV years ago and haven’t looked back. The costs, the content and the commercials were not worth the service. Now the quality of HDTV as good and I rarely had reception issues, but:
Costs – up every year with diminishing choices.
Content – out of ~150 channels I watched maybe 12-15. Too much irrelevant social BS – and Spanish channels?? Why am I paying for those??
Commercials – when 30 minute reruns are extended to 35 minutes just to cram more ads into the program that was it for me. Same for movies – 90 minute films are running 2 1/2 hours and the time slots are random just to keep viewers ignorant about more and more commercials.
Add to that the dozens of tele-marketing channels and no thank you. DTV should be free just from the revenue generated by ads alone!
I don’t even watch OTA TV anymore. it’s all crap.
Now if DTV cut their subscription costs in half and offered al-a-cart plans I’d reconsider….beyond that I’m done.
To many price increases. I’m definitely going to shop around. Paying nearly $200 a month for tv is insane. We don’t watch even a quarter of these channels. Customers should be able to subscribe only to the channels they want. We can customize our own package and therefore pay for what we actually watch.