Verizon has announced they're shaking up their FiOS TV channel options by offering a "skinny bundle" of TV channels, onto which customers can add a variety of channel packs. The idea is not entirely unlike what SlingTV has started offering, or what Canadian regulators are forcing Canadian TV operators to offer next year. It's not pure a la carte, but it's certainly progress.
Reuters states that starting April 19, Verizon will begin offering "Custom TV" packages that start at $65 bundled with broadband service, or $55 as a standalone TV options without Internet.
This basic lineup will feature 36 fixed basic channels and two genre-based channel packs, such as a sports bundle or kids channels.
From there, users can add on any of a selection of seven extra channel packs for $10 each, swapping or unsubscribing from any pack after 30 days.
While many TV executives have buried their head in the sand at the very notion of cord cutting being real, Verizon has traditionally been more progressively minded on the subject, and it shows here. The telco clearly hopes the new, more flexible channel options will not only lure more customers over from cable, it will keep subscribers from fleeing to over the top video services.
Curiously, Verizon only leaked the plans initially to Reuters and hasn't issued a formal announcement on the service, making me wonder if there's some fine print or caveats the company didn't want highlighted. We'll take a closer look at the offerings next week when the new options go live for FiOS subscribers.
Update: Verizon has offered us a little more detail on precisely what pricing will look like: