It looks like things are going to get worse before they get better for DirecTV Now. The service reported more losses in its latest quarterly report showing 1.5 million customers at the moment versus 1.6 million customers at the end of 2018.
Analysts keep pointing to the end of promotional pricing leading to the customer loss. But it’s also possible that people just don’t enjoy the service as much as I thought they would when they signed up. This could certainly turn around as people sign up for one of the new DirecTV Now packages in order to get HBO included.
All About The Winter
All the reporting has shown that Game of Thrones has been a runaway success so far this season as it wraps up its final stanza. The question will be how valuable is HBO once Game of Thrones is over? HBO was on top of the world with The Sopranos years ago but failed to find flooding after the show wrapped up for years. It wasn’t until Game of Thrones came along that HBO began to buzz again as numerous series failed to gain traction.
Another HBO hit the emmy-winning feet is also wrapping up its final season this year while hopes replacements like West World have left viewers puzzled. The company may come off looking like it’s grasping at straws with the idea of Game of Thrones prequels or spinoffs though in the end it may just work.
HBO’s original content has always been very high quality as far as production value and concept but recent statements by AT&T executives indicated that the company is willing to start throwing more stuff at the wall and see what sticks. The approach has worked for Netflix which has over 700 original titles with some of them being very successful and some not so much. But what Netflix has accomplished by having so many original titles is that it has become a true alternative to standard way that people watch TV with genre specific programming across the board.
As Reed Hastings used to say Netflix truly became HBO before HBO could become Netflix. Now HBO is looking to become Netflix after the fact.
Is HBO Now Doomed?
I have to wonder if AT&T will keep HBO Now as a separate offer now that it owns the whole kit and caboodle. It may be very tempting for AT&T to drop HBO Now and only allow customers to sign up for HBO through DirecTV Now. While that strategy may not work it doesn’t mean it might not be attempted. Quickster anyone?
