Get DirecTV Directly to your iPad
April 6, 2012
Satellite TV provider DirecTV has updated their current iPad app with a feature that should be welcomed warmly by anyone who subscribes to their service- and might just bring some new members their way. They’re calling it “DirecTV Everywhere,” a name which denotes that yes, you can finally travel with your tablet and access DirecTV’s content wherever you have a Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G connection. Previously, DirecTV’s app was limited to in-home functionality only, meaning that you had to be on your home network to make it worth your while; and if you’re on the couch, why not just use your TV for watching TV? While you still can’t stream live programs from the road just yet, you can currently access a range of content (pretty much all movies) from premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Encore, Sony Movie Channel, Starz, and DirecTV’s own Audience Network.
We know that there are other great apps for streaming to the iPad, such as Netflix or HBO’s own HBO Go, so why does DirecTV’s admittedly limited initial offering matter?
As Kevin Sintumuang pointed out in his recent WSJ online editorial, people just don’t watch cable like they used to. Live programming has been made old-fashioned by time-shifted DVR viewing, and we like to know that we can put our beautiful new mobile devices to use by taking media on the go. Until now, cable companies have relied on customer confusion to keep them safe from the growing trend of cord-cutting, but those days are numbered. As individual apps increase in usability and bring more and more content to the table, a de facto a la carte solution is emerging organically. Providers such as DirecTV have no choice but to try and compete with the entirety of the internet as it vies for viewers attention, and DirecTV Everywhere is just a single step in that direction. Luckily for subscribers, it’s a promising one.
Alexei Bochenek is a lifelong tech nerd & film buff based in Los Angeles. When he’s not playing with his phone, it’s because the movie has started. Shhhhh!
