Verizon FiOS TV is the latest provider to supply content for viewing through an Xbox 360. What’s initially on offer doesn’t seem to be particularly compelling, but at least it’s a further step toward consumer control over their entertainment options. It does make it possible to control TV channels with gestures and voice commands to the Kinect motion controller, too, which Verizon said was a first.
Taking advantage of the new collaborative service requires three subscriptions: one to FiOS TV, one to FiOS Internet service, and one for Xbox Live Gold Membership. Verizon is offering new customers a temporary promotional bundle of the two FiOS services plus phone service starting at $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years, and it also will throw in to the deal 12 months of Xbox Live Gold and a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary at no additional charge.
A maximum of 26 FiOS TV channels are available so far, depending on which TV package each customer has, a selection that includes MTV, Comedy Central, HBO, TBS, CNN, truTV and Food Network.
“Joining forces with Microsoft and Xbox, we are breaking the boundaries between TV and gaming, and furthering the borderless lifestyle Verizon customers enjoy with our new offers and services,” Eric Bruno, vice president of consumer and mass business product management for Verizon, said in a statement. “We are putting the controls in our customers’ hands, and giving them the ability to watch TV on another dynamic device that they can control with voice and gesture commands.”
Related links:
Verizon blog post – http://tinyurl.com/7ofkvwf
Promotional offer – http://tinyurl.com/cyux5r5
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Live
Interesting move by FiOS because they are definitely pushing the envelope.
Will be fun to see how Time Warner cable and the other major players respond.
Thanks
— Tom —
http://www.consumerfiber.com
This it is cool that you can watch TV through your XBOX 360 but I would need to have more than 26 channels. For 89.99 I can get America’s top 250, Dish Platinum and the multi-sports package from DISH Network. The biggest benefit that I can see from Verizon’s service is voice control but even at that you need to have the connect and that cost $150 and you need to have an XBOX gold membership! I think Verizon should have waited a little while longer before making the service available to the public. A co-worker at DISH told me that they are now offering customers Blockbuster Movie Pass for $10/mo and new customers can get it free for 12 months.