DirecTV Now, its new online streaming TV service, debuted this week with significant customer problems and missing a major network, CBS.
Bloomberg reported without the network new subscribers "won't see CBS shows like 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'NCIS,' '60 Minutes,' and some NFL games. That kind of programming has attracted an average of more than 10 million viewers a night in prime time so far this season."
CBS CEO Les Moonves is keeping CBS out of DirecTV Now and has been demanding high fees for access to its valuable content, the New York Post reported.
Experts have questioned whether the DirecTV service can be successful without CBS in its lineup.
"The fact is all successful bundles, regardless of size or platform, have to have CBS," Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves said on the company's most recent earnings call.
AT&T, the parent company of DirecTV, launched Now to respond to its hemorrhaging cable and satellite subscriber base. The new streaming service offers up to 130 channels at rates starting at $35 a month.
Variety magazine reported the DirecTV Now launch has been "plagued with problems."
And the respected Consumer Reports warned potential subscribers from cord-cutting from cable too quickly in favor of DirecTV Now, noting the service's stream is "not always reliable."
Consumer Reports reported numerous complaints with DirecTV Now and suggested many customers would be unhappy to find out it also has a two-stream limit per subscriber.