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Sources: Verizon is Cancelling its New IPTV Service

Several Verizon insiders familiar with the company's video plans tell DSLReports.com that Verizon is backing away from a massive IPTV push it had planned in the new year. Originally, we noted how Verizon was cooking up the launch of a new ONT, a new gateway, and an entirely new IPTV platform different from the existing, coax-based offering. Customers that had been participating in the beta test of the new hardware and IPTV service had been offered a free year of bundled triple play service in exchange for putting the offering through its paces.

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But sources tell us Verizon's IPTV service has officially been cancelled as the company continues to shift its focus toward wireless and a looming over the top live TV streaming platform.

"The IPTV product was officially canceled," one source states. "Employees received an email in early December instructing those involved in the trial to choose new packages and schedule a subsequent tech visit to remove and replace the STB's."

A second source confirms the cancellation, noting that existing trial participants will soon be informed they're being migrated back to Verizon's traditional FiOS TV platform shortly.

"Today we're notifying all trial participants of potential new Fios TV features that the trial is officially coming to a close," an internal Verizon employee notification states. "Some of you have provided feedback and comments, and we appreciate the time you took to test the service for us. If you were a trial participant, you will receive a separate communication with additional details."

The rumored cancellation comes on the heels of reports back in October that indicated the company's IPTV efforts had hit a wall as executives bickered over the direction Verizon's video efforts should take. Many Verizon executives are arguably obsessed with the quest to offer a live TV streaming platform, though like many companies, Verizon attempts to secure the necessary licensing agreements for that effort has proven challenging. Verizon's struggles with Go90 also leave many wondering if the company has the comptency to actually launch a truly innovative, disruptive OTT video product.

It's unclear if Verizon will still be offering new ONTs and gateways in the new year, and Verizon has yet to respond for a request for comment. There's an additional, ongoing thread in our Verizon FiOS TV forum with some additional observations from existing users.

Most recommended from 35 comments



Anon96712
@ri.net

16 recommendations

Anon96712

Anon

No good investing in this especially with OTT looming and a small footprint

Too late for this product.

Zenit_IIfx
The system is the solution
Premium Member
join:2012-05-07
Purcellville, VA
·Comcast XFINITY

13 recommendations

Zenit_IIfx

Premium Member

CATV is dead

The concept of linear TV, approved by the government for operation in a local area over wired infrastructure, is obsolete. OTT is the future.

I would wager that VZ management canceled the IPTV migration of FiOS when they found out AT&T still needed TV franchises for their IP service after a municipality sued them.

I talked with a VZ tech who was familiar with this IPTV project. The hope was to use it to bring FiOS TV into areas that only have FiOS HSI and Phone due to franchise issues. It would have broken down the wall of franchises holding back deployment in areas with partial pothole FiOS coverage. The idea was flawed due to court prescedence.

Now that the service is dead VZ will either move past TV as a service and migrate away from the triple play or just let wireline languish more and chase some more wireless nonsense. VZ doesn’t need permission to deploy FiOS HSI or phone as both fall within the purview of ILEC.
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT

7 recommendations

tired_runner

Premium Member

I get to keep my Actiontec

.... and my networked QAM multituner after all.

Sweet
shmerl
join:2013-10-21

4 recommendations

shmerl

Member

CDNs win

Verizon at last came to terms with the idea, that it's better to invest in CDNs that to make a solution that bypasses regular Internet. It was kind of expected.
quisp65
join:2003-05-03
San Diego, CA

4 recommendations

quisp65

Member

Legally speaking....

Legally speaking I think ISPs also selling TV service would just open them up to more scrutiny, regs & oversight. ISPs should go out of the TV selling business IMO.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

4 recommendations

tshirt

Premium Member

well that didn't last long

Really bad product or confusion at the top end as what to do next?
not a sign of a coherent plan
dplantz
join:2000-08-02
Bradenton, FL

3 recommendations

dplantz

Member

To bad its being canceled, but if it sucked then it makes sense to kill it

I wonder if the new Gateway router will launch as it eliminates the need for a separate ONT and makes installs easier? It has a coax port for MocA and the existing set top boxes. I could see this making most installs take less than 2 hours. Less than hour if the fiber is all ready at the customers location.