T-Mobile Bundles Free Hulu, Throws Shade at DirecTV Now
T-Mobile continues to get in its shots at AT&T, and it's using that carrier's DirecTV Now streaming service to make its point.
After AT&T launched DirecTV Now in late 2016, T-Mobile ran a promotion that promised a year's subscription to DirectTV Now for any AT&T customers who switched over their wireless service. Now T-Mobile says it's going to credit any customers who switched from AT&T with an additional free year of Hulu, with T-Mobile CEO John Legere calling AT&T's streaming service "barely watchable."
When it launched DirecTV Now, AT&T touted the service as a way for cord-cutters to get the programming they want without needing to pay for a cable or satellite subscription. It comes in several tiers and has more than 120 channels featuring live and on-demand content. AT&T wireless customers can watch the service without it counting against their monthly data allotment.
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Reviews of DirecTV have not been kind, including ours. In the initial Tom's Guide review of DirecTV Now, Marshall Honoroff called the service "buggy and busted" with "inconsistent video quality." We revisited DirecTV Now this month, and found some improvement, though there are still issues with the service.
Those poor reviews didn't escape the notice of T-Mobile's Legere, who never misses the chance to put the boot into a rival carrier. "AT&T spent $67 billion on DIRECTV and still couldn’t roll out a streaming service that worked," Legere said in announcing the Hulu promotion. Former AT&T customers who switched to T-Mobile will get a notification in the next few weeks with a code they can redeem for Hulu's Limited Commercial service.
And if the trolling wasn't enough, T-Mobile made clear in a statement why it chose Hulu for its customers, saying it's "an awesome streaming service that actually works."
Ouch.
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