T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
12-13-17, 06:19 PM
#1
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Details are vague other than that they acquired Layer3 TV.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/13/...rvice-in-2018/
Here's the announcement from T-Mobile's CEO
https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/13/...rvice-in-2018/
You'd think that telecoms would want to bail on conventional TV services given how many people are cutting the cord, but don't tell that to T-Mobile. The carrier has revealed that it's launching a TV service in 2018, and that it has acquired Layer3 TV (a company that integrates TV, streaming and social networking) to make this happen. It claims that it can "uncarrier" TV the way it did with wireless service, and has already targeted a few areas it thinks it can fix: it doesn't like the years-long contracts, bloated bundles, outdated tech and poor customer service that are staples of TV service in the US.
T-Mobile hasn't gone into detail about the functionality of the service yet. How will it be delivered? How much will it cost? Where will it be available? And will this affect the company's free Netflix offer? This is more a declaration of intent than a concrete roadmap, so it's far from certain that the company will live up to its promises.
Ultimately, the move represents a big bet on T-Mobile's part: that people like TV and are cutting the cord based on a disdain for the companies, not the service. There's a degree of truth to that when many Americans are all too familiar with paying ever-increasing rates to get hundreds of channels they don't watch. However, there's no guarantee that it'll work in an era when many people (particularly younger people) are more likely to use Netflix, YouTube or a streaming TV service like Sling TV. And being tech-savvy doesn't guarantee success -- just look at how Google Fiber dropped TV from its latest rollouts amid budget issues.
If T-Mobile create a compelling service, though, it could shake up the TV industry. Many Americans only have a handful of TV options at best, and often just one or two if they're not willing to go with satellite access. In theory, this could force cable and fiber rivals to offer more competitive pricing and provide more flexibility with their plans.
T-Mobile hasn't gone into detail about the functionality of the service yet. How will it be delivered? How much will it cost? Where will it be available? And will this affect the company's free Netflix offer? This is more a declaration of intent than a concrete roadmap, so it's far from certain that the company will live up to its promises.
Ultimately, the move represents a big bet on T-Mobile's part: that people like TV and are cutting the cord based on a disdain for the companies, not the service. There's a degree of truth to that when many Americans are all too familiar with paying ever-increasing rates to get hundreds of channels they don't watch. However, there's no guarantee that it'll work in an era when many people (particularly younger people) are more likely to use Netflix, YouTube or a streaming TV service like Sling TV. And being tech-savvy doesn't guarantee success -- just look at how Google Fiber dropped TV from its latest rollouts amid budget issues.
If T-Mobile create a compelling service, though, it could shake up the TV industry. Many Americans only have a handful of TV options at best, and often just one or two if they're not willing to go with satellite access. In theory, this could force cable and fiber rivals to offer more competitive pricing and provide more flexibility with their plans.
Here's the announcement from T-Mobile's CEO
03-09-18, 01:48 PM
#2
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
https://www.t-mobile.com/tv?irgwc=1&...mpname=VigLink
Some early information about T-Mobile's Live TV streaming service.
No specific timeframe when it's going to launch.
Some early information about T-Mobile's Live TV streaming service.
No specific timeframe when it's going to launch.
Why is T-Mobile offering a TV service?
We see a huge opportunity to disrupt and improve another important market that currently mistreats consumers, and Layer3 TV has an awesome team and great technology to help us do that.
Why Layer3 TV?
Layer3 TV is stacked with talent and great technology to create something truly new for people who love TV and improve the way we watch everything.
Will big content providers work with you?
Absolutely. Layer3 TV already has access and relationships with hundreds of channels, and we intend to leverage those relationships to build future offerings.
Will you bundle your new TV service with wireless?
We don’t believe in carrier bundles where you’re forced to pay more for things you don’t want. Instead, we always look for innovative ways to deliver great services to our customers.
Do I have to have T-Mobile wireless to get TV from T-Mobile?
No. Our vision is to launch a TV service that will work on any device with an Internet connection.
Will people in rural areas be able to use your TV service?
Our vision is that our new TV service will work on any internet connection, so yes—people can use it even if they don’t have T-Mobile coverage in their area, YET.
We see a huge opportunity to disrupt and improve another important market that currently mistreats consumers, and Layer3 TV has an awesome team and great technology to help us do that.
Why Layer3 TV?
Layer3 TV is stacked with talent and great technology to create something truly new for people who love TV and improve the way we watch everything.
Will big content providers work with you?
Absolutely. Layer3 TV already has access and relationships with hundreds of channels, and we intend to leverage those relationships to build future offerings.
Will you bundle your new TV service with wireless?
We don’t believe in carrier bundles where you’re forced to pay more for things you don’t want. Instead, we always look for innovative ways to deliver great services to our customers.
Do I have to have T-Mobile wireless to get TV from T-Mobile?
No. Our vision is to launch a TV service that will work on any device with an Internet connection.
Will people in rural areas be able to use your TV service?
Our vision is that our new TV service will work on any internet connection, so yes—people can use it even if they don’t have T-Mobile coverage in their area, YET.
08-01-18, 06:12 PM
#3
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
T-Mobile still plans to launch TV service this year
https://variety.com/2018/digital/new...18-1202892702/
https://variety.com/2018/digital/new...18-1202892702/
04-10-19, 10:16 AM
#4
Senior Member
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Check the monthly pricing. Trying to figure out how this is a deal at $90 per month plus $10 per month per connected TV.
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/tvision-home
Meet T-Mobile TVision Home: BS-Free TV That Learns You
Bellevue, Washington — April 10, 2019 — T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today introduced TVision™ Home, a rebranded and upgraded version of Layer3 TV. TVision Home is launching in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC metro areas, as well as Longmont CO, with other markets coming later this year. The Un-carrier is also launching Satellite Freedom and will pay off early contract termination fees for Dish and DirecTV customers, up to $500 via prepaid card, when they switch to TVision Home. T-Mobile also announced that Netflix and other streaming apps will be available on TVision Home, and the Un-carrier shared plans for TVision to run on popular third-party TV platforms in the future.
Following on its deal with Viacom last week, T-Mobile also announced they will launch nationwide streaming services later in 2019 as the Un-carrier brings its disruptive approach – listening to customers and solving their pain points – to cable & satellite TV (aka the Cableopoly).
“The Un-carrier has already changed wireless for good… and today’s news brings us one step closer to taking on Big Cable,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “And with the New T-Mobile, we can do more than just offer home TV service … we can offer millions of Americans more choice and competition for TV AND home broadband. I can’t wait to begin un-cabling cable and giving millions the opportunity to cut the cord with Big Cable forever.”
Meet TVision Home
TVision Home builds off the innovations in Layer3 TV and delivers an upgraded, premium TV experience for the 74% of American households still using traditional cable or satellite TV. TVision Home delivers what customers want most from high-end home TV with more HD premium channels available than anyone else, and the most 4K channels included at no additional cost. That’s 275+ available channels and over 35,000+ On Demand movies, shows and more, plus on-screen social content, a personalized home screen and DVR for each user, smart speaker voice control with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and even access to your security cameras.
One consistent price for a full channel lineup. TVision Home launches at $90/month (including a $9.99/month discount for T-Mobile customers … but available to everyone for a limited time) which includes 150+ channels, local broadcast, regional sports and more. Plus $10/month per connected TV, including your whole-home DVR for a limited time. Any premium TV packages – like HBO, Showtime and others – or on-demand rentals and purchases are extra. Compare that to the average cable bill of $107.30/month.
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/tvision-home
Meet T-Mobile TVision Home: BS-Free TV That Learns You
Bellevue, Washington — April 10, 2019 — T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today introduced TVision™ Home, a rebranded and upgraded version of Layer3 TV. TVision Home is launching in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC metro areas, as well as Longmont CO, with other markets coming later this year. The Un-carrier is also launching Satellite Freedom and will pay off early contract termination fees for Dish and DirecTV customers, up to $500 via prepaid card, when they switch to TVision Home. T-Mobile also announced that Netflix and other streaming apps will be available on TVision Home, and the Un-carrier shared plans for TVision to run on popular third-party TV platforms in the future.
Following on its deal with Viacom last week, T-Mobile also announced they will launch nationwide streaming services later in 2019 as the Un-carrier brings its disruptive approach – listening to customers and solving their pain points – to cable & satellite TV (aka the Cableopoly).
“The Un-carrier has already changed wireless for good… and today’s news brings us one step closer to taking on Big Cable,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “And with the New T-Mobile, we can do more than just offer home TV service … we can offer millions of Americans more choice and competition for TV AND home broadband. I can’t wait to begin un-cabling cable and giving millions the opportunity to cut the cord with Big Cable forever.”
Meet TVision Home
TVision Home builds off the innovations in Layer3 TV and delivers an upgraded, premium TV experience for the 74% of American households still using traditional cable or satellite TV. TVision Home delivers what customers want most from high-end home TV with more HD premium channels available than anyone else, and the most 4K channels included at no additional cost. That’s 275+ available channels and over 35,000+ On Demand movies, shows and more, plus on-screen social content, a personalized home screen and DVR for each user, smart speaker voice control with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and even access to your security cameras.
One consistent price for a full channel lineup. TVision Home launches at $90/month (including a $9.99/month discount for T-Mobile customers … but available to everyone for a limited time) which includes 150+ channels, local broadcast, regional sports and more. Plus $10/month per connected TV, including your whole-home DVR for a limited time. Any premium TV packages – like HBO, Showtime and others – or on-demand rentals and purchases are extra. Compare that to the average cable bill of $107.30/month.
04-10-19, 11:17 AM
#6
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Hmmm, I’m a T-Mobile subscriber and maybe I’ll give it a look after I see some video and reviews.
i have DirecTV, but it’s gotten horrendously expensive and keeps going up every year. YouTube TV and Hulu’s services lack some things I want to convince me to cancel. DirecTV Now is far from good as well.
i have DirecTV, but it’s gotten horrendously expensive and keeps going up every year. YouTube TV and Hulu’s services lack some things I want to convince me to cancel. DirecTV Now is far from good as well.
04-10-19, 11:22 AM
#7
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Originally Posted by E Unit
Ouch. This will be DOA. Absolutely no benefit by using their service.
well, if you compare it to DirecTV and cable those can run up to $200.
TV is expensive. The internet services can’t carry everything and many channels are missing due to cost.
04-10-19, 11:48 AM
#8
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Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Because an internet connection and one service like Hulu plus live TV covers 80%-90% of what they offer, if not all. And they don't charge per stream right from the get go. With my current Hulu subscription, I pay $50/month. That plus AT&T Gigabit, which is $80 for me, well that's already better than T-Mobile's base price (which doesn't include internet I'm guessing), even with the customer discount (I'm a T-Mobile customer as well). But the article does state, "American households still using traditional cable or satellite TV", so I guess they're not looking to steal away those who have already cut the cord.
04-10-19, 11:49 AM
#9
Senior Member
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
Originally Posted by DJariya
Because? Price? Compared to the live internet services? So you’re looking at the cost savings angle.
well, if you compare it to DirecTV and cable those can run up to $200.
TV is expensive. The internet services can’t carry everything and many channels are missing due to cost.
well, if you compare it to DirecTV and cable those can run up to $200.
TV is expensive. The internet services can’t carry everything and many channels are missing due to cost.
Yes, price. I personally believe that this is going to turn off a lot of people who were wondering what T-Mobile was going to come up with, and now that pricing has been announced, I think a lot (not all) of people will be disappointed with the price. Some might find this a value, but I believe many more will not. Just my opinion.
If I personally were to go with a streaming service solution for our television needs, I would do a combo of YouTube TV and Philo and get pretty much everything we watch now on DirecTV satellite service. $66 per month for both services including DVR, and no "per connected TV" fee.
The only reason we have stuck with satellite is we are grandfathered in for East Coast network feeds. If we were to lose that we would go with streaming.
We'll see...maybe this will really take off.
Last edited by parker63; 04-10-19 at 02:07 PM.
04-20-19, 09:54 PM
#10
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
A demo video from our local tech reporter here in Los Angeles.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NnTTvZ77uvs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So this service is reliant on a good internet connection for the video as that's the source for it. This will eat up a ton of bandwidth and obviously won't appeal to those who have data caps. To maximize the video quality and get 4K video on a consistent basis, I guess you need minimum a 100 MBPS download speed. He isn't clear if this is Ethernet required or if this can use Wi-Fi. I'm sure there are many who have their video devices not near an Ethernet connection. Also, those boxes are huge and it would be kind of cumbersome to put those in rooms not near an Ethernet cable.
The interface does look nice and it has a lot of channels.
I visited the website and it's not cheap for those trying save money off traditional cable/satellite. If you get it and decide to get all the premiums and cover multiple rooms in your house, you still could spend a minimum of $150/month not counting your already expensive internet connection.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NnTTvZ77uvs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So this service is reliant on a good internet connection for the video as that's the source for it. This will eat up a ton of bandwidth and obviously won't appeal to those who have data caps. To maximize the video quality and get 4K video on a consistent basis, I guess you need minimum a 100 MBPS download speed. He isn't clear if this is Ethernet required or if this can use Wi-Fi. I'm sure there are many who have their video devices not near an Ethernet connection. Also, those boxes are huge and it would be kind of cumbersome to put those in rooms not near an Ethernet cable.
The interface does look nice and it has a lot of channels.
I visited the website and it's not cheap for those trying save money off traditional cable/satellite. If you get it and decide to get all the premiums and cover multiple rooms in your house, you still could spend a minimum of $150/month not counting your already expensive internet connection.
Last edited by DJariya; 04-20-19 at 10:01 PM.
04-20-19, 10:07 PM
#11
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Re: T-Mobile to launch TV service in 2018
I guess they have enough of an inside scoop to give them the confidence enough to give it such a high price. I guess having CW is a big thing? I don't know, it's not in my demographic. It's a more pleasant interface, but I know Hulu is rolling out an all new one, so I'm guessing they'll be updating that to match the more common ones like the one TVision has. Either way that's a high price.
