Verizon Communications is now offering more flexible TV packages under its FiOS service that allows customers to pay only for certain groups of channels that they want to access. Beginning on April 19, customers will now be able to purchase a slim package composed of channels which includes Fox, ABC, AMC, CNN, Food Network, and ..
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Verizon Communications is now offering more flexible TV packages under its FiOS service that allows customers to pay only for certain groups of channels that they want to access.
Beginning on April 19, customers will now be able to purchase a slim package composed of channels which includes Fox, ABC, AMC, CNN, Food Network, and a few others. Customers can then choose to add “channel packs” which cover various genres, including kids, sports, lifestyle and pop culture.
Verizon Fios Commercial feat. That Brooklyn Family
Verizon Offers More Flexible FiOS TV Packages Starting At $ 55 A Month
The cheapest plan under the new FiOS TV scheme will only cost a monthly fee of $ 55, including a pair of channel packs. For every additional channel pack, which could include between 10 channels to 17 channels, customers will have to pay a monthly fee of $ 10. Customers will also be able to change channel packs after every 30 days.
“Customers want flexibility to turn channels on and turn channels off,” said Verizon FiOS President Tami Erwin.
Verizon’s new FiOS TV package comes as distributors of pay TV services receive increasing pressure to provide consumers with more choices in how they purchase TV content, instead of forcing them to pay for a huge number of channels that include many ones that the customers do not watch.
Erwin, citing a 2014 report by Nielsen, stated that by 2013, Americans had been receiving an increased number of channels by 46 percent over the previous five years to an average of 189 channels. However, Americans on average only watch 17 channels.
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The figures explain why consumers are increasingly discontinuing their pay TV services and are instead looking to online service such as Hulu and Netflix, where customers only pay for the content that they access.
Sling TV, Dish Network’s streaming service, allows customers to choose the tiers of channels available to them in addition to a core package worth $ 20 monthly. Apple is also reportedly looking to offer a TV service in the fall.
Pay TV distributors have been trying to slim down their offerings to address the needs of cost-conscious consumers. The latest move of Verizon is not entirely a la carte pricing, wherein customers can choose exactly which channels they pay for, but it could come the closest for now.
Consumer groups and lawmakers have been clamoring for a la carte pricing on channels for years, but executives from media companies claim that such a model would only cause the downfall of the industry and would turn out to be worse for the consumers.
“While this is not all-the-way a la carte, customers have the ability to consolidate and collapse the kind of content they want to view,” said Erwin, adding that channels on a la carte pricing would be more expensive compared to purchasing channels in packages.
Verizon also offers bundles for FiOS TV and Internet, with the $ 75 per month plan packaging the FiOS TV’s base package and two channel packs with a 50 Mbps broadband Internet connection. For $ 10 more, a phone service is added.
Verizon FiOS Custom TV Bundles: A la carte pricing will be the future of idiot box
This Sunday, we will be getting something really exciting from Verizon. The American broadband and telecommunications company will be launching a new plan for making television viewing experience more fascinating and personalized for its users.
The new plan, which the company is referring to as FiOS Custom TV, will allow users to pick a bundle of channels they actually want to watch. This means, once users opt for this plan, they will no more need to pay for channels they don’t like watching or watch pretty rarely. Another fascinating news is that this plan can be enjoyed both by new and existing FiOS TV users.
When asked about the reason behind the company’s decision of launching this new plan, a spokeswoman of the company said that Verizon has come up with a more personalized TV viewing experience after coming to know about the demands of its existing and potential customers.
It would be wrong to term Custom TV as an absolute a la carte plan; however, it’s surely something very close to that. Verizon is not exactly allowing its users to pick a list of channels they like to watch, but is offering pre-curated packages.
The company has decided to offer packages at different rates starting from a monthly rate of $ 55. Verizon is currently offering packages in three categories; they are: Triple Play or a package that includes TV, telephone and Internet services for $ 74.99, Double Play or a package that includes TV and Internet services for $ 64.99 and Standalone or a package that doesn’t allow Internet usage for $ 54.99.
In each of the above packages, you will get more than 35 basic channels and a couple of genre-based bundles (such as lifestyle, news, sports and kids). How much exact amount you will have to pay also depends on the Mbps speeds you are enjoying.
Verizon jumping into streaming TV services
The move is the latest attempt by the television establishment to introduce more flexibility amid a flurry of new competition from streaming rivals. A growing number of people are forgoing traditional television service in favor of streaming options that can be cheaper and provide more choice.
Verizon’s new service, called FiOS Custom TV, starts at $ 55 a month and offers a base package with more than 35 channels, including local broadcasters and networks like CNN, HGTV, AMC and the Food Network. In addition, customers can select two of seven genre-specific packages — like sports, children or entertainment — that include 10 to 17 additional channels and are part of the $ 55 monthly charge. Customers also can add channel packages for $ 10 a month and change their selections after 30 days.
With the new TV service, available on Sunday, Verizon also will sell Internet and phone service in a bundle for additional fees.
Verizon’s new offering is a discount on the typical monthly cable bill, which comes to an average of $ 90 a household, according to the data firm SNL Kagan.
It follows a series of TV services introduced in recent months from media, tech and telecom companies: PlayStation Vue streaming TV service from Sony starts at $ 50 a month and includes more than 50 channels, and Dish Network has a $ 20-a-month service that includes about 20 channels in its core package.
At the same time, television networks like CBS and HBO have started stand-alone streaming services that do not require a subscription to a traditional TV service.
The companies are trying to appeal to a growing number of cord cutters, who have abandoned their traditional TV subscriptions, and even those who have never subscribed.
Established cable and satellite companies also are exploring new options. Michael J. Angelakis, chief financial officer at Comcast, the largest U.S. cable operator, said during a recent conference that the company also has thought about “more flexible packaging, more streaming, lighter packages in order to provide those alternatives and those choices to our customers.”
Verizon’s new offering could usher in a series of similar offerings from other traditional providers, analysts said. The cable and satellite industry negotiates deals based on “most favored nation” status, meaning that if some companies land distribution deals with TV groups their rivals often are entitled to reach similar terms.
“If Verizon has this ability, it implies that you will shortly see others do it to,” said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst with BTIG Research.
New choices could pose a threat to the established economics of the television industry. The business is built on big TV groups’ selling bundles of channels to cable and satellite companies, which in turn package those channels for subscribers. Fraying that bundle could disrupt that model.
There also are questions as to whether the new packages — while offering more choice — provide savings to customers, who could end up paying more once they add together all the channels and networks they want.
Tristan Gerrard
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Verizon FiOS TV™ Commercial – That Brooklyn Family – Starting at $ 55 per month |
Verizon FiOS TV™ Commercial - That Brooklyn Family - Starting at $55 per month - New York Recorder
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