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U.S. telco’s TV offering faces further delays due to lack of distribution agreements with major media companies, sources say
Verizon is facing further delays in its plans to launch an online TV service, which is now unlikely to come to market before the end of the year, it emerged this week.
The U.S. telco is now aiming to launch the service in spring 2018, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources privy to private information.
The timing of the launch of the Internet-based live TV offer remains tentative, and could be further postponed, the newswire’s sources said.
They explained that Verizon has shared its plans with TV networks, but has yet to finalise distribution agreements with major media companies, they said.
Verizon had aimed to launch online TV in the summer, but pushed back plans to autumn after struggling to sign up content partners, Bloomberg reported in August. At the time, the newswire said the operator was still ironing out uncertainties around pricing, programming mix and technology, issues that made media companies reticent to partner with it.
In addition, it explained that personnel changes had made the situation worse, with the telco losing some key figures from its video team.
The people issue has worsened since then.
Earlier this month Verizon announced the departure of its global media president Marni Walden, effective at the end of the year, although she will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until February 2018.
