• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, 2 hours ago

On Tuesday T-Mobile unveiled TVision Live, a streaming service that will package television programs just like cable TV -- and a host of other similar streaming services. It goes live this Sunday.

The services are available in three packages, and there’s also the optional TVision Hub streaming device from T-Mobile, which calls itself the “Un-carrier” because it has a reputation for rocking the wireless industry with unusual consumer offers.

The cheapest version of the new offering is called TVision Vibe. It costs $10 a month and offers more than 30 entertainment channels -- but no sports or news channels.

The heart of the service is TVision Live, which runs from $40-$60 a month and offers 40 or so channels, including lots of sports and news channels. There are some local television channels offered, but no CBS stations. The TVHub device looks like a cable remote but includes quick access to streamers, like Netflix.

“The ‘cableopoly’ holds TV fans hostage, bundling live news and sports into expensive packages with hundreds of other channels that people don’t want, and don’t watch.,” said Mike Sievert, T-Mobile’s CEO. “Something’s gotta change. And that’s what the ‘Un-carrier’ does best: force change. Just like we changed wireless for good, today we’re going to change TV for good.”

To start, the TV services are only available to T-Mobile postpaid customers, but some time next year they will be open to consumers who get their phone service via Verizon or AT&T.

Why do this? These virtual MVPDs, short for multichannel video programming distributors, which are essentially like cable operators, are already in plentiful supply. There’s YouTube TV, Hulu +Live, Fubo, Sling TV and AT&T TV.

Still, as 5G gets built out, all the wireless companies will be increasingly marketing themselves as home broadband providers, taking on the domain once exclusively left for cable companies.

“I suspect that T-Mobile will bundle it with 5G broadband when they have it—the notion is that they will all sell 5G as a competitor to cable broadband with a modem for the homes,” said Alan Wolk, veteran TV analyst and founder of the website TV{R}evenue.

Still, he says, “There is a limited market for virtual MVPDs which is becoming more limited as all of the major broadcast networks open streaming services, which means there is more and better programming on streaming for less money.”

The T-Mobile announcement was made in a live stream, and the effort includes a humorous video featuring “Parks and Recreation” star Rashida Jones  on her phone stressing out as she tries to deal with her cable company.

Days continues to get dimmer for cable.  Analyst firm The Diffusion Group research group just reported one in four pay TV subscribers will quit this year, accelerating a trend that TDG says will result in 58 million pay TV homes in 2025 from about 77 million today.

But not all of them are picking up on virtual MVPDs once they cut the cord. In 2019, MoffettNathanson found that only one in four pay TV subscribers that left cable or satellite providers took up with an online replacement.

For wireless subscribers, though, digital inducements can be enticing. T-Mobile, which has become the second largest wireless company after Verizon, already offers free Netflix service to subscribers on some phone plans. AT&T-owned HBO Max is offered free to some AT&T phone plan customers. Verizon offers free Disney streaming plans to some unlimited access customers.