Verizon FiOS Customers Get Flexibility

Read original story on: The Verge

Verizon FiOS is devising ways to make its cable programming more attractive to viewers who now have alternative streaming television options like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and HBO Now. Starting Sunday, customers can avoid cable package offerings and pay for a more customized set of channels. The new “Custom TV” packages will start with a $65 bundle that pairs with Internet service and 35 TV channels. The TV half alone can be purchased for $55 each month with the option to purchase $10 add-ons for additional channels. There’s high anticipation to see how cable networks begin to adapt to the growing OTT trend that we’ve been intently following.

What the Living Room Revolution Means to Brands

Download the whitepaper “OTT: What The Living Room Revolution Means to Brands”

Television has been the core medium for the advertising industry for decades. While other media such as web and mobile-based content have eaten into its share of audience attention, it still offers brands the widest reach. Moreover, the audience’s desire to relax on the couch with their families and be entertained by a big HD screen is a unique desirable experience that newer mediums can’t replace.

What is beginning to change, however, is the underlying structure of Television. The idea that TV shows are arranged in linear numbered channels is no longer a technical requirement. A generation is rising that is less receptive to the concepts of expensive bundles, traditional interruptive ad breaks, and being locked into accessing certain content on some screens but not others.

In an on-demand, de-bundled, cord-cut world, the big question is “What now for marketers?”

In this paper we attempt to lay out the current landscape, the promising technologies that are budding, and the exciting future possibilities that lie ahead.

Download the whitepaper “OTT: What The Living Room Revolution Means to Brands”

Roku Adds Live Disney and ESPN Content

As Americans begin to abandon cable TV providers in favor of streaming services, and those streaming services being to gain a foothold in the living room environment, content providers are aiming to distribute to the widest variety of services possible. Set-top box manufacturer Roku added new live broadcast programming to its selection in the form of WatchESPN and WatchDisney channels.  These networks are available widely to tens of millions of digital cable subscribers, and represent an effort on the part of content providers to accommodate varying user tastes to ensure they aren’t left behind by rapid developments in how people choose to consume media.

“Over-the-top” is the new black

(iStock)Recently I attended the TV of Tomorrow Conference which focuses on understanding how the interactive multiplatform television industry is structured. It also looks at the emerging business models in this space, and how user-generated content, social networking and other Web 2.0 phenomena are impacting the television space.  (Check out Tracy Swedlow’s blog for more on the evolving interactive television industry.)

As a speaker and panelist, I took some time to chat with some industry professionals.  Most prominent this year was the universal admission that cable is falling behind in terms of interactive deployments and broadband video or “over-the-top” video services (meaning they ride on top of the broadband bus, but they don’t require any business or technology affiliations with the underlying broadband network) are leading the way with true interactive capabilities.

From Yahoo to Hulu, to the new Boxee…over-the-top is exploding. Continue reading ““Over-the-top” is the new black”