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It seems AT&T really wants customers to try its new DirectTV Now service since it’s throwing a free year’s subscription to HBO in the mix. This is an addition to the free Apple TV that some customers can get with specific plans. While this may sound great, especially for fans of original programs by the network, the price discrepancy does seem rather staggering.
The added charge masquerading as a freebie is only available to customers willing to shell out the big bucks with AT&T’s most expensive TV package, CNET reports. Specifically, it’s only accessible via the Go Big package, which comes with 100 channels and a $60 monthly charge, along with the Gotta Have it plan, which comes with 120 channels and charges $70 a month.
When comparing what users would need to pay for in order to get HBO with the carrier’s cheaper plans, the discrepancy becomes even more glaring. With the DirecTV $35 plan, for example, users can have access to over 60 channels. If they wanted HBO, they would only need to pay an extra $5, which would bring the total to $40 a month.
That is $20 cheaper than what customers would have to pay for if they went for the more expensive options, making the HBO freebie hardly worth the asking price. For those who don’t really want the extra channels found on the higher tier packages, going for the cheaper options might just be the better choice.
Offering this package addition is a timely decision on the carrier’s part as well. As Droid-Life points out, the news season of Game of Thrones will launch this July and it can only be legally viewed via HBO. It would seem that existing DirectTV Now customers are also getting the same offer for the free HBO access, so AT&T isn’t leaving anyone out, at least.
