Verizon at Home

[#1]

It’s a good thing we’re not all made exactly alike.  If that were the case, our personal and professional life would be incredibly boring not to mention weird.

Having played sports of all types since I was a kid, athletic events involving teams and individuals are very enjoyable for me to watch in person and on TV.

But sports is not everyone’s cup of tea.  In fact, we have many customers for whom watching sports is akin to me watching a fashion or dance program (not fun for me at least).  As my paternal grandfather told me hundreds of times about the importance of how all people are not alike, “Different strokes for different folks.”

And so it is with our FiOS TV offers.  Consumers interested in TV service, but not wanting to pay for more than they need have a new option starting today.

Our new FiOS TV Select HD package provides more choice programming and at a great value. With access to the most popular genres -- with the exception of sports of any type, TNT, FOX News, Travel Network and a few other notables -- consumers will enjoy top-rated channels like Disney, Nick, Cartoon Network, CNN, MSNBC, The Weather Channel, The Discovery Channel, USA, TBS, AMC, FX, BET, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV, TLC and more, plus access to thousands of video on demand titles, and at an affordable price.

When purchased in a stand-alone fashion, FiOS TV Select HD, with 100 plus channels including 30 cable networks, will cost $49.99 per month.  In contrast, our FiOS TV La Conexion plan with more than 185 channels including 69 of the hottest Spanish language channels is $54.99 monthly standalone, and our FiOS TV Prime HD package with more than 210 channels is $64.99 per month standalone.

In my home, TV watching is a big deal, and so our FiOS TV Extreme HD plan with more than 290 channels including 75 in HD, with more than 20 extra all-sports channels hits the spot for the four of us given our variety of video viewing tastes.

The new FiOS TV Select HD offer (145 channels in total) includes all of your local broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC), 46 Music Choice channels and 30 channels in HD.  You can review and compare all our FiOS TV packages online here.

What the new package represents is consumer choice and value.  We understand that many households are on tight budget, and we want to help make sure you aren’t paying for something you think you don’t need.  Regardless of your video package choice with us, you’ll always be getting crystal clear quality because the signal is carried over our industry leading all fiber-optic network.

As with our other video packages, you can bundle the new FiOS TV Select HD with our FiOS Internet or FiOS Digital Voice services to round out your in-home communication needs.

[#2]

Excellent idea in times like these.

[#3]

Great idea as I'm one of those who can gladly do without sports.  But...

It excludes to many entertainment channels.  When I switched to  FIOS I had to buy the Ultimate package to get a few must have channels.

I know ala carte program will not happen.  But making ESPN and other sports specific channels premium channels rather than including them in packages would be my cup of tea.

[#4]

I like where you are headed.  How about a Sports emphasized package that includes all local RSNs, ESPN Channels, NBCSports, CBS Sports Network (in HD of course), Fox Sports Channels, TNT (for NBA), TBS (for MLB and NCAA Basketball), League channels (like MLBNet, NBA, Pac-12, etc) and a few of the other popular channels like AMC, FX, USA, Bravo, Fox News, CNN, etc.  Just like people who don't like sports don't want to pay for sports channels, I don't want to pay for the MTVs, Disney Channels, etc

[#5]

I don't understand - why would the cheaper Select have BBC America, but the more expensive Prime not have it? Makes no sense, Verizon.

[#6]

My idea would have basically La connection without the spanish only channels.

This gives you the local RSNs but no other sports programming

[#7]

Bill

This looks like an option for those that do not wish to have sports, but wish to have a little bit more than just the basic locals. Sort of like a basic local channel package with some nice channels included. Excellent option!

[#8]

All of your comments this week post our launch of the new FiOS TV Select HD package have been very interesting.  The interest in the package, is starting to produce inquiries from media outlets about the overall industry situation in terms of content costs, and the role of regional sports network fees.

Our $2.42 fees will initially impact a small portion of FiOS TV customers, but expand over time as existing customers in a term contract roll off their bundle. The new RSN fee has been communicated to customers in a bill message, and we started mailing those in mid-December and all our customers will see that notice by the end of this month in their bill message.

Sure, sports content is costly, but so too are other forms of video content. With the FiOS TV Select HD package, we're genuine in our intent to offer consumers more choices, and keep the value high.

Discerning what other ways we slice and dice content, and create new packages is something on the front burner with product management daily.

By no means are we going to demonize any particular provider of content. To offer services consumers want, we have to pay to get it and then redistribute it.

For those following this thread, you'll be interested in knowing that only one major FiOS TV market does not have at least two regional sports networks. More than 90 percent of our FiOS customers have an opportunity to see 2 or more regional sports networks in their respective markets.

Keep the comments coming, and know all your input is read and shared for the betterment of delivering the best choices with value to our customers.

For those of you in the sub-freezing areas, stay as warm as you can. Just think, spring is in less than two months. The dasterdly groundhog in Punx, Pa. you know is laughing only the way a cruel varmit could

[#9]

I understand that I can't get any other DIsney/ABC-owned channels (which I believe includes Discovery/History and their related channels) if I don't want ESPN, but why doesn't the FiOS TV Select HD package not include IFC and Turner Classic Movies? Does Cablevision demand that you must buy MSG sports to get their non-sports programming? Isn't Rainbow Media (AMC/IFC) a separate company from Cablevision now? Does Time-Warner insist you must buy a sports channel from them to get TCM?

I will say, this offering is head-and-shoulders above what anybody else is offering, and may be the tipping point to finally move me from Cablevision. 

[#10]

Okay, one more thing. No CSPAN? Why? I thought as a cable provider, you were obligated to provide CSPAN. Not doing so is un-American.

[#11]

I just got the package and started watching it this week. I am really confused about the quality of the picture. We have netflix and get a nice crisp hd picture with that but the hd channels on Fios tv really don't seem to be as clear or crisp. The package is certainly reasonably priced and I am glad to not have to pay for channels I would not use but ideally we could move over to a la carte channel subscriptions. That would make life so much simpler for so many of us!

[#12]

I've been waiting a long time for a no sports option, but how DARE they remove FOX news?  Is it only liberals who don't want sports?  Or, more likely, this is a way to insure that they don't sell too many of te non-sports packages.   

[#13]

There's no mystery here. Verizon has moved many of the most watched channels out of the Select tier and replaced them with weird crap like "The Pentagon Channel" and "3 Angels Broadcasting," ensuring that they can advertise their "New cheaper offering" with "lots of channels!" knowing all the while that most people will go for the Prime tier because it has TNT, FoxNews, MSNBC, SiFy, CSpan, etc.

This is a textbook Verizon move. I'm not sure what's worse: the basic dishonesty of Verizon or the basic incompetence of Comcast.

[#14]

Count me in as another Verizon customer who would love to subscribe to FIOS Select except for the lack of the C-Span channels. I am also puzzled by the lack of CNN international, CNBC, and several science oriented channels (Science, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Smithsonian) even if just in SD. Could Verizon explain its choices for the Select package more clearly please? And especially the lack of C-span, C-span2, and C-span3 ?