Verizon pushing plans for OTT content, connected home hub - report

Verizon is developing an OTT content service offering and is also working on a connected home product that would let people manage all their connected devices, such as smart lights, heating and alarm systems, from a single hub, TechCrunch, citing a source inside the company, at CES. It is not clear when these products might be launched, nor what kind of pricing they might have. Verizon declined to comment. Previous reports had already said the company was working on a new video service; the latest souce said these plans were delayed in part because of executive changes, and because of ongoing negotiations around the content. The source estimates that Verizon has put a total of USD 4-5 billion into content deals, and as these get renegotiated, the company is working on a digital component for its new OTT service. 

The new service will likely focus on packaging video content in “channels” that could take the form of standalone apps, which would be distributed beyond the company’s FiOS broadband service. The channels would be designed around themes like news, sports and entertainment and will bring together content already owned by Oath (which includes TechCruch, but also Engadget, Huffington Post, and other online properties), with premium content from third party sources. It’s not clear if the service would be a paid offering or ad-supported. This new video service would be distinct from Go90, a free, ad-supported OTT video effort that Verizon has been running since 2015 aimed at millennial audiences. Each channel of the new service would feature “marquee” content, which would help drive subscribers and viewers and help differentiate the content other video competitors. 

Regarding the connected home strategy, Verizon wants to offer a service option for the monitoring of connected devices from a single hub, from phones to smart home gadgets, but also general electronica. Comcast recently announced a connected home platform for its Xfinity subscribers. 

Separately, Verizon CTO Hans Vestberg, also president of Global Networks at the company, said at CES that the company would be the first to introduce 5G. Both AT&T and Verizon announced earlier this month that they hope to launch 5G this year.