AT& T takes all video offerings to cloud

Telecom giant has eyes on speed and better innovation

AT& T is looking toward the cloud to help improve its video services.

The telecom giant, which delivers not only broadband and pay TV via U- verse, but also programming through DirecTV and streaming service DirecTV Now, is beginning a process to migrate all of its video offerings to a next- generation cloudbased platform.

This move will allow developers to more quickly add new features and result in better experiences for subscribers, says Enrique Rodriguez, chief technical officer of AT& T Entertainment Group. “That means not only are we going to launch a better platform, we are going to be able to continuously innovate and improve that platform at a much faster speed,” he said.

New features on the way include a cloud DVR, live TV pausing and parental controls. Additional features coming in 2018: downloadable content, user profiles and 4K HDR video.

Eventually, AT& T will offer a unified look across home satellite service DirecTV, DirecTV Now, NFL Sunday Ticket and U- verse TV.

“As we move to a single platform we will be able to better shape things like recommendations, even as you move across devices and across services,” Rodriguez said.

AT& T will begin testing the video platform this summer among select DirecTV Now subscribers.

The new interfaces will begin being rolled out this fall, initially for DirecTV Now and the DirecTV TV Everywhere app.

AT& T, which acquired satellite company DirecTV two years ago, is seeking to close its $ 85.4 billion merger with Time Warner.

Last month, AT& T more than doubled the number of local channels available on DirecTV Now, which it launched in November 2016.

AT& T AT& T will soon begin testing a user interface for its next- generation video platform.