Verizon Fios Becomes First Pay-TV Provider to Offer Customized Program Packages

[Go Skins]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/official-verizon-fios-becomes-first-790415?utm_source=twitter

 

Verizon Fios made official Tuesday its plan to let customers put together a personalized package of TV programming.

The "Custom TV" service, widely reported last week, lets customers choose channel packs from seven different genres: kids, pop culture, lifestyle, entertainment, news and info, sports and sports plus.

 

(More upcoming - story just broke on Twitter). 

[Go Skins]

http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/verizon-custom-fios-tv-espn-objections-1201476567/

 

Verizon Communications officially launched FiOS Custom TV, touting unprecedented ability for U.S. consumers to select genre-based channel packs over a baseline 35-channel lineup.

But ESPN, for one, says the service violates the terms of the sports programmer’s distribution contract with the telco, because it puts ESPN and ESPN2 on a separately priced tier.

Moreover, FiOS Custom TV — despite Verizon’s marketing claim that you can “pay for what you want and not for what you don’t” — is far from the a la carte idea that customers should get to choose exactly which channels they want to pay for. Users must select two optional genre packs on top of the non-optional 35-channel base; those are sports, sports plus, kids, lifestyle, news and info, pop culture and entertainment.

The new Verizon package “would not be authorized by our existing agreements,” ESPN said in a statement, responding to earlier reports. “Among other issues, our contracts clearly provide that neither ESPN nor ESPN2 may be distributed in a separate sports package.”

Verizon insisted that it’s within its rights to offer FiOS Custom TV. “FiOS Custom TV is a product consumers want, and it’s all about consumer choice,” a telco rep said. “We believe we are allowed to offer consumers and small businesses this choice and flexibility under our existing contracts.”

The telco and Disney/ESPN are in discussions about the issue, according to a source familiar with the situation.

[-GoBengals-]

I would think this would be a lot easier to accomplish..

 

every network should be ovvering a streaming app for apple tv/roku/internet/whatever... that has both live streaming and seasons of current shows on demand..

 

charge $5 or whatever...

 

im curious what apple tv channel options are going to be on the new apple tv tv service..

 

i am local sports(Altitude network) and sunday ticket away from cancelling my directv...

 

instead im stuck paying $1500-1700/year for tv i rarely watch...

[Go Skins]

The thing with sports channels is it depends on who the cable provider is to begin with.  Direct TV gives the opportunity to get the Fox Sports channels (all 20+ of them) which Comcast does not offer.  When college hoops season hits, I look for the obscure games which sometimes pop up on Fox Sports Atlantic, Central or Pacific.  

[-GoBengals-]

The thing with sports channels is it depends on who the cable provider is to begin with.  Direct TV gives the opportunity to get the Fox Sports channels (all 20+ of them) which Comcast does not offer.  When college hoops season hits, I look for the obscure games which sometimes pop up on Fox Sports Atlantic, Central or Pacific.  

 

 

yea i get FSO here in denver, great for most reds games, i still subscribe to extra inning to get the mobile access, etc..

 

sports are tough.. but fox could charge $10/mo to get ALLLLL fox channels.. would be great..

[Go Skins]

 

 

yea i get FSO here in denver, great for most reds games, i still subscribe to extra inning to get the mobile access, etc..

 

sports are tough.. but fox could charge $10/mo to get ALLLLL fox channels.. would be great..

 

No kidding....I get MASN and MASN 2, Comcast Sportsnet DC, Fox Sports 1 (Fox Sports 2 isn't on Comcast), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, CBS SN, NBC SN, SEC Network, and a few others. I could get MLB Extra Innings through cable or my blu-ray player.  

[Go Skins]

http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/espn-sues-verizon-over-slimmed-down-fios-tv-package-1201480445/

 

Disney’s ESPN has filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Verizon Communications, alleging the telco’s new FiOS Custom TV violates the terms of the sports programmer’s existing contracts.

“ESPN is at the forefront of embracing innovative ways to deliver high-quality content and value to consumers on multiple platforms, but that must be done in compliance with our agreements. We simply ask that Verizon abide by the terms of our contracts.”

Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment

[-GoBengals-]

verizon is gonna lose this one.