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AT&T is launching another new streaming service this fall called AT&T TV

When you already have DirecTV Now, Watch TV, and are preparing to launch HBO Max, why not offer a fourth streaming option?

Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming,
Eli Blumenthal
2 min read
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AT&T is preparing to launch another streaming video service later this year.

Alastair Pike / AFP/Getty Images

AT&T's video struggles may be continuing to worsen, but that doesn't mean the company has stopped trying to find new ways to get people to watch television. During its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, the company announced that it will begin trialing a new over-the-top streaming service in the third quarter of the year called AT&T TV. 

It is currently unknown what will be different about AT&T TV, particularly compared to AT&T's other streaming options such as DirecTV Now or its mobile Watch TV, which is bundled with certain unlimited wireless data plans and offers over 35 live channels including AT&T-owned TBS, TNT and CNN (Watch TV is also available as a standalone option for $15 per month).

Watch this: Live TV streaming services for cord cutters: How to choose the best one for you

HBO Max, AT&T's forthcoming Netflix rival that will host programming from the company's WarnerMedia group, will also offer live programming in addition to HBO, Time Warner and Warner Bros. films and TV shows. 

As details are sparse, pricing is similarly not yet known for the new service. In an interview at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Telecom and Media Conference, last month AT&T Mobility and Entertainment president David Christopher said the new service, which will have an Android TV box, will be able to be self-installed by consumers potentially leading to cheaper prices. 

"We think it will be a very attractive product, a premium product, but because the acquisition cost is less, we will have the wherewithal to make it a price point that could be slightly below satellite if we choose to," Christopher said according to FierceVideo.

"This summer we will launch a new entertainment experience called AT&T TV," an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement provided to CNET. "We're piloting it in select markets this summer before expanding availability on a rolling basis throughout the year. We'll share more information in the coming weeks."