T-Mobile has decided that it no longer wants to be in the streaming TV game — at least not directly.
The popular wireless phone provider just announced that it will shut down TVision, the streaming service it launched in November 2020.
But it’s not all bad news for T-Mobile subscribers: You’re going to get some discounts for subscriptions to a couple of popular live streaming TV services.
Here are the details.
When and Why T-Mobile Is Shuttering TVision
TVision will cease to exist as a subscription service at the end of April 2021.
In a blog post from T-Mobile president and CEO Mike Sievert, it was announced that both TVision LIVE and TVision VIBE will sunset on April 29, 2021.
The company is no longer taking new sign-ups for subscriptions to the service.
“Since launching the TVision initiative, we’ve learned a lot about the TV industry, about streaming products, and of course, about TV customers. We also saw trends that made us take a fresh look at how to best do in video what we always do: put customers first,” Sievert wrote.
“[Customers] don’t want more streaming services – they want help buying and navigating the services that already exist. And they want exclusive deals and special access. We’ll continue to play that role, giving our customers the best value with the best streaming services.”
And to that point, T-Mobile is not leaving TVision customers completely empty-handed.
Existing TVision users and all T-Mobile customers will have a couple of options for streaming discounts.
T-Mobile Announces Partnerships With YouTube TV and Philo
Now, for the good news.
T-Mobile has announced a multi-year agreement with Google to provide a discount for YouTube TV subscriptions.
It also announced an agreement with Philo, which will offer a discount on the lower-cost live streaming TV service.
Let’s check the details on each.
Details on T-Mobile’s New YouTube TV Discount
As part of a larger agreement with Google, T-Mobile announced that users will be eligible for YouTube TV discounts.
- T-Mobile TVision LIVE and VIBE customers can get $10 off YouTube TV every month. They’ll get that discount for as long as they’re T-Mobile subscribers, starting immediately.
- Existing TVision LIVE customers can also get a free month of YouTube TV to start (regularly $64.99/mo.) and three free months of YouTube Premium (regularly $11.99/mo). This is a limited-time offer to incentivize early-adopting TVision customers.
- All T-Mobile postpaid wireless and Sprint consumer customers are eligible for these offers starting April 6.
This means that T-Mobile customers will be able to subscribe to YouTube TV for what comes to $54.99 a month. That’s a nice reprieve from recent price hikes by the popular streaming service.
YouTube TV is one of the most popular streaming services in the market, thanks to more than 85 live channels, tons of live sports and unlimited cloud DVR storage.
Details on T-Mobile’s New Philo Discount
For those of you not keen on paying the high prices associated with YouTube TV, T-Mobile has a new deal with Philo that targets lower monthly streaming fees.
- T-Mobile TVision LIVE and VIBE customers can get $10 off Philo every month. They’ll get that discount for as long as they’re T-Mobile subscribers, starting immediately.
- Current TVision VIBE customers can get a FREE month of Philo to start (regularly $20/mo).
- All T-Mobile postpaid wireless and Sprint consumer customers are eligible for these offers starting April 6.
The discount cuts the bill for Philo in half from $20 per month to $10.
While not as robust as YouTube TV, T-Mobile users may find that Philo is a great low-cost live streaming option at that discount.
Philo gives you access to 64 channels including popular brands such as Nickelodeon, Hallmark and HGTV.
Final Thoughts
The news may sound disappointing on the surface, especially for those who are enjoying TVision. But in the long run, these new discounts with established streaming TV providers may actually be a win.
“YouTube TV offers more than twice as many channels as TVision Live, and Philo offers nearly twice as many channels as TVision VIBE,” Sievert said in his letter to TVision users. “Plus customers of both get unlimited DVR, can watch TV on more devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Chromecast, and more.”
If the T-Mobile CEO is admitting that his streaming service was an inferior product, we probably should believe him.
We do know that both services are highly regarded. You can click the links here to read Team Clark’s reviews of YouTube TV and Philo to decide which might be best for you.
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