Verizon To Offer Internet TV Service With Custom Programming In 2015
Could it be that a TV service provider finally 'gets it'? If you're like most people who subscribe to cable or satellite television, you have dozens if not hundreds of channels that you'll never watch, yet you pay for that tier of service because it's the only way to get the handful of channels you're interested in. Why not let consumers build their own programming package instead? Well, that's what Verizon is planning to do.
Verizon chief Lowell McAdam let it be known his company is looking to offer a TV-like service over the Internet by the middle of 2015, but unlike traditional TV service, it will feature "custom channels." Of course, this is dependent on big media companies playing ball.
As it stands, Verizon is still in discussions with content providers, and some of those providers fear that a virtual pay TV system would make it difficult to require cable and satellite subscribers to pony up for channels they don't watch. It's up to Verizon to convince them that this is in the best interest of everyone involved.
"There's no doubt in my mind we can make this a win-win...Over the last six months to a year that dialogue has changed dramatically," McAdam said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference, according to Deadline.
McAdam also feels that the bundled pay TV model is on borrowed time at this point. The way he sees it, everyone knows that the "a la carte" model is the way of the future, it's figuring out what that transition looks like.
Verizon chief Lowell McAdam let it be known his company is looking to offer a TV-like service over the Internet by the middle of 2015, but unlike traditional TV service, it will feature "custom channels." Of course, this is dependent on big media companies playing ball.
As it stands, Verizon is still in discussions with content providers, and some of those providers fear that a virtual pay TV system would make it difficult to require cable and satellite subscribers to pony up for channels they don't watch. It's up to Verizon to convince them that this is in the best interest of everyone involved.
"There's no doubt in my mind we can make this a win-win...Over the last six months to a year that dialogue has changed dramatically," McAdam said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference, according to Deadline.
McAdam also feels that the bundled pay TV model is on borrowed time at this point. The way he sees it, everyone knows that the "a la carte" model is the way of the future, it's figuring out what that transition looks like.
