Boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are about to get an interactive ringside seat on FiOS TV with Showtime Sports Interactive. For industry-watchers, it's the first HD Interactive EBIF offering (more about that later).

Starting this Friday (Feb. 26) at 11 p.m. ET with Showtime's "Strikeforce Challengers" mixed martial arts event, FiOS TV HD customers who also subscribe to Showtime have the first look at this high-def interactive experience. Read more...

Ever since the Internet boom, there's been ongoing chatter about what the Internet will overtake next. We've seen it swiftly knock out newspapers as the main source for current events and even outspend television ads in the United Kingdom. For a while, it seemed like it was only a matter of time until television was next to go on the Internet's hit list.

But hold your horses. A recent New York Times story is quick to point out, in TV's defense, that this year's Super Bowl broke records for most number of viewers, beating out the 1983 final episode of "M*A*S*H." Adding to that, award shows like the Grammys are reeling in their biggest numbers in years. In short, current television ratings for big-ticket events have been indicating an upward trend in viewership. Read more...

Amid a winter for the ages, Verizon is dialing up a dose of sunshine in the form of a new FiOS triple bundle, with a price of $89.99 a month that's guaranteed not to change for two years, saving you money now and down the road.

With our new online exclusive offer, the new low price is the one you'll pay for 24 months and amounts to a savings of $480 over the regular triple bundle price.

This new offer reflects the special deals we'll continue to extend to customers who order Verizon services online. Read more...

You're welcome!

That's Verizon responding to the thousands and thousands of customers whom research suggests prefer our self-help tools available online, on the TV screen and even on the voice response system. They're using these tools to get things done quickly and effortlessly, without the need for a phone call. Read more...

Verizon has been helping folks celebrate Black History Month this February. For example, Verizon Thinkfinity, our Web site with free educational resources, has been offering free lesson plans, teacher resources and student activities to bring the inspiring stories of black leaders to life. These resources give teachers lessons on everything from W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington to the story of the Underground Railroad. Read more...

As the dad of two young daughters, I'm well aware of how important technology and digital gadgets have become for youth in our hyper-connected society.

While I didn't touch my first computer until I was in college, my girls mastered their first mouse before they reached second grade. On certain occasions, including drive time, my wife allows them to text some of her friends on her Verizon smart phone. Read more...

Ever misplace your TV remote? You search the entire room and wish you could just use your cell phone to change the channel. Now you can and more with Mobile Remote, only available with the FiOS home network. And we're letting our at Home readers know about it first. Starting this week, FiOS TV customers who also have a Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio handset can use these devices to control their HD set-top-box. You'll have all the same functions of the standard FiOS remote and then some! You can change channels, manage parental controls, pause, rewind, fast forward or record a TV show - all through the cell phone.

Read more...

I love HBO and all it has to offer: original series, films, sports, blockbuster movies, documentaries - I could go on. So needless to say, I couldn't be more excited that Verizon FiOS and HBO are launching HBO GO, HBO's online video hub featuring over 600 hours of HBO programming.

Starting tomorrow, FiOS customers who subscribe to our HBO or HBO/Cinemax package will also get free, unlimited online access to HBO programming. Subscribers can access HBO GO any time, any place with their Verizon FiOS login-in credentials, by simply going to the FiOS TV Online Web site or www.hbogo.com.  Customers must subscribe to both FiOS TV and FiOS Internet. Read more...

Verizon's all-fiber-optic network really is special. We've commented here many times before on how fiber-based service creates superior TV and Internet experiences.

Did you know, though, how dynamic the Verizon fiber network is? And did you know that fiber is catching on all over the country among all kinds of service providers?

For starters, here are some figures regarding the Verizon fiber network.... Read more...

Payphones used to be commonplace. You'd find them in restaurants, bars, hotels, stores, gas stations and hospitals. They'd put you in touch with family in good times and bad.

Today, they've become rarer - a victim of the huge success of mobile phones and the popularity of sending emails from handheld devices. Verizon, which managed more than 2 million payphones several years ago, now operates about 150,000 across the country. Factoring other large payphone operators, there are almost 900,000 payphones still in use in the U.S. with each call costing either 25 or 50 cents, depending upon its location.

Read more...

Recently, we've had some good news here at Verizon from NBC Universal. First we told you about all of the great Winter Games content available from Verizon this year. Then we told you about MSNBC launching in the NYC metro area. Now, I'm here to deliver some very exciting news: MSNBC is now in HD.

Just in time for the start of the Games this weekend, Verizon has launched MSNBC in high-def in all FiOS TV markets. Available on channel 603, MSNBC HD is now part of all current Verizon FiOS TV packages - Prime HD, Extreme HD and Ultimate HD - as well as our previous Extreme HD package. Read more...

Three words typically come to mind when Valentine's Day comes around--flowers, candy and cards. While all of those are great gifts, why not try something different this year and let FiOS TV help you plan the day?

If you're still in need of a gift, browse the HSN Shop By Remote® Widget and check out the Verizon FiOS Deal of the Day, exclusive to our customers. Browse all the categories and see what you can buy with just a few clicks of the remote. Read more...

Hoping to catch all the action from Rio's Carnival this year? Look no further than FiOS TV. We now have our first Brazilian channel: TV Globo.

Available on channel 1768, TV Globo broadcasts in Portuguese and offers live news, sporting events, telenovelas, miniseries, kids' programming and variety shows - all for $19.99 per month. And, TV Globo has exclusive rights to air the Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo - the most famous Carnival events, for those who don't know. Read more...

While the Saints marched into the end zone to win Super Bowl XLIV Sunday, I wished for another pair of arms. Sitting on my couch among family and friends, I lived out what millions face these days as the line between work and home life blurred.

Toggling between home and work life reinforced to me that this blurry line requires consumers to have a reliable broadband connection. In today's era, reliable broadband powers the multi-tasking that millions of us do as work and home life often share the same bunk. If the broadband service you have, or plan to order, isn't reliable -- regardless of how inexpensive it may be -- it'll eventually cost you more in time and money. Read more...

Our guest blogger today is Todd Gebhart, who is McAfee's Executive Vice President and General Manager for consumer, mobile and small business products.

Welcome to the McAfee family, VISS users! Verizon is offering an upgraded Verizon Internet Security Suite (VISS) to its FiOS Internet and High Speed Internet customers, as well as other U.S. consumer and small-business broadband users. From everyone at McAfee, we'd like to say how excited we are about our partnership and providing users with top-notch security. Read more...

The Reyes family of Clearwater, Fla., is now experiencing life-altering technology, thanks to a FiOS 25 Megabits per second (Mbps)/25 Mbps Internet connection, FiOS HD-TV programming, some fabulous new electronic devices and a home designed to integrate the technology into the family's daily lives.

That's the idea behind My Home 2.0, a home-technology makeover show produced by Verizon that will air on three local Florida TV stations starting April 4. This is the third time Verizon has done a My Home project. The Clearwater family was chosen from among hundreds of families hoping for a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity - a total technology makeover, guided and designed by technology gurus, utilizing the industry leading broadband and TV services provided by Verizon's FiOS. Read more...

Tomorrow, I'll celebrate my 15th anniversary as a Verizon employee. Back in 1995, I left the transportation industry to join a sector I felt was on the verge of dramatic change and excitement.

My bet paid off 100 fold. Not once have I regretted the career move.

The time has flown by faster than the photos I upload of my family and friends to Facebook using my blazing fast Verizon FiOS Internet connection at home.

Read more...

I'm all set for the Big Game, and by the looks of it, so are the 1,400 FiOS TV subscribers hosting Verizon FiOS Game Day Viewing Parties. Verizon invited FiOS TV subscribers from across the country to sign up to host a few friends for the Big Game, allowing them to show off their FiOS TV in all its glory.

The response was overwhelming. Applications rolled in, host-packs were mailed out and the excitement started brewing.

One FiOS fan and party host tells us: "I think this whole House Party concept is pretty cool. FiOS has spoiled me for any other TV viewing and Internet experience." Read more...

Hey Wizards and Caps fans - we've heard your cries and we're answering. Starting today, FiOS TV customers in Maryland and Virginia will have Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus (CSN+), the CSN Mid-Atlantic overflow channel that gets you your Caps and Wizards games.

As many of you know, we've been offering these games on FiOS1 - a local channel that's available in the D.C. metro area, but does not include parts of Maryland and Virginia. We've worked closely with Comcast on this, and found a solution that gives FiOS TV customers all of the Caps and Wizards games they want.

Read more...

Verizon's putting a new age twist on old-school couponing with a new FiOS TV SpendSmart Widget.

I can use the SpendSmart Widget to electronically clip coupons and save them on my grocery store reward card while I'm watching my favorite shows on FiOS TV. When I go to the store, I simply use my reward card to redeem the coupons at the checkout stand. How easy is that? Read more...

 

Multichannel News shoots off skyrockets and throws confetti around its survey showing cable's rapid build outs of DOCSIS 3.0. And at Broadband Reports, there's much discussion of cable-provided Internet speeds of up to 105 megabits per second (Mbps), along with some commentary that the market is not ready for speeds that fast. And there is discussion of cable resetting its speed tiers in parity with Verizon's downstream speeds (NOT upstream, though; Verizon can do 35 Mbps upstream and cable can't touch that). Read more...

Our guest blogger today is Joe Ambeault , who is responsible for Verizon's entertainment products. Joe will be providing his perspective on FiOS TV strategy in this and future posts.

As FiOS TV progresses through its fifth year in service, it is worthwhile to take a moment and reflect. It has been an exciting four years of industry-first capabilities for your TVs, picture quality no competitors can dream of touching, an Emmy, multiple J.D. Power awards and many other awards for excellence. But the most exciting thing from the last four years has been the incredible collaboration with our customers that has led to the product we offer today. We continue to be amazed and extremely grateful for the time many of our customers have taken to help guide the evolution of FiOS TV. Read more...