Verizon Evolves FiOS TV

Looking to boost the allure of its IPTV offering, Verizon Communications Inc. announced at the 2007 International CES plans for enhancements and new FiOS features designed, in part, to enable subscribers to better navigate the service’s options.

Verizon said FiOS TV customers in New Jersey will be first to get the improvements and additions, but would not say specifically when, adding that all FiOS customers in markets served today will have them by the middle of the year.

The telco recently received a landmark decision by New Jersey state regulators who approved a Verizon filing to offer FiOS statewide, rather than have to gain approval on a town by town basis. Further FCC actions promise to greatly simplify and speed the deployment of telco TV services.

Tops on the list of improvements is a new interactive media guide that the telco said makes it easier to find, control and manage digital content including TV programming, movies, Internet video, music and photos.

“The search functionality they’ve added is great when it comes to customer usability and should serve as a solid weapon versus what cable currently has,” said Maribel Lopez, vice-president and principal analyst at Forrester research. “They’ve done a solid job with the media guide and it will pay off.”

Further additions and enhancements include the ability to remotely program their DVR from any Web-enabled PC, a convenience feature that AT&T Inc. already offers in 11 markets with its U-verse package.

Verizon said it plans to take this feature a big step further by enabling it through cell phones later this year, but would not say specifically when or through what vendors’ handheld devices.

The telco is also adding games along with the PC-based digital photos and music that it said FiOS TV customers can access on their TVs now.

At an unspecified date later this year, Verizon said it will deliver Internet radio and video content to the TV sets of its FiOS TV customers, including user-generated content like that from Revver.

Verizon plans to have customers in 3 million to 4 million homes by 2010. The package first became available in the fall of 2005 and is now offered in more than 200 cities in chunks of 10 states.

Verizon Communications Inc. www.verizon.com

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