Who needs a press conference? On Thursday, AT&T boss Randall Stephenson unveiled details about a new streaming bundle while testifying against the federal government in his Time Warner takeover case.
AT&T’s “Watch” will cost $15 per month and is set to debut within weeks, Stephenson said from the witness stand. Compare that with the media giant’s DirecTV Now service, which runs $35 monthly.
Skinny bundle “Watch” is able to stay relatively inexpensive due to the fact that it does not contain any sports channels. It will be available to anyone, but free for AT&T Unlimited wireless customers.
Stephenson’s surprise announcement came about as a defense against the government’s assertion that allowing AT&T to buy Time Warner would cause price hikes for consumers. The executive assured the judge in the antitrust case that AT&T would not cease innovation should he allow the $85 billion deal to go through.
The United States Department of Justice has already rested its case against the pending AT&T-Time Warner merger. This week has been Time Warner and AT&T’s turns to justify their shared plans. Time Warner boss Jeff Bewkes took the stand on Wednesday — read about his testimony here.
Representatives for AT&T did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on this story.