Verizon FiOS TV Hosting Free On Demand Marathon Nov. 10-20; Includes Nickelodeon Content

North America - Verizon is currently hosting a free On Demand marathon for customers of its FiOS TV service!

Running between Friday 10th-Monday 20th November 2017, customers can enjoy thousands of free On Demand movies and TV shows, including content from kids networks such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Kabillion and Disney.

Verizon FiOS TV are also offering free previews of premium channels, with content from HBO, Cinemax, SHOWTIME, STARZ and EPIX at no charge. While the premium channels don’t appear to be offering complete access to their On Demand library, there are plenty of shows to check out during the marathon.

On traditional set-top boxes, titles can be accessed easily via the On Demand button on the Verizon remote. On mobile devices the programming can be watched on supporting tablets, smart phones and other devices with the Fios Mobile app. Titles can also be downloaded for watching later offline.

Starting Tuesday 14th November 2017, Verizon will be offering a free preview of the HBO suite of channels through Monday 20th November 2017.

Original source: HD Report; Additional source: Wikipedia.

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Verizon's FiOS Mobile App Adds 24 Live Viacom Channels to Its Out-of-Home Lineup

Original Verizon Press Release via PR Newswire:

FiOS Mobile App Adds 24 Live Viacom Channels to Its Out-of-Home Lineup

FiOS Customers Now Have 88 Live Channels of Out-of-Home Anytime, Almost Anywhere Access to Hit Viacom Shows Including 'Punk'd' and 'Ridiculousness'

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TV watching isn't just for the home anymore. About 25 percent of pay TV subscribers watch TV out-of-the home, according to recent research by the NPD Group. Fortunately for FiOS customers, Verizon's FiOS Mobile App is adding Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, Spike and 20 other Viacom channels to its out-of-home lineup. This addition brings 88 the number of live channels FiOS TV customers can watch on the go. To date, FiOS customers have spent more than 125 million hours using the FiOS Mobile App.

The newest channels offer something for everyone, whether it's "Punk'd," "Ridiculousness," "South Park," or "SpongeBob Square Pants,"– anytime, anywhere on any compatible tablet, smartphone or mobile device. Here's a list of the 24 new out-of-home live-TV channels:

BET Gospel, BET HD, Centric, CMT HD, CMT Pure Country, Comedy Central HD, Logo, MTV HD, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTV Tr3s, MTV U, MTV2, Nick 2, Nick Jr., Nick HD, Nick Toons, Palladia, Spike HD, Teen Nick, TV Land HD, VH1 Classic, VH1 HD and VH1 Soul.

In addition to the 88 live out-of-home channels, the FiOS Mobile App, which is free* to FiOS TV customers, also boasts 168 channels in-home. Customers can watch TV via the FiOS Mobile app on the iPad, iPhone, select Android tablets and phones, Kindle Fire tablets, and more.

(Note: Read more about the FiOS Mobile App and download the free app).

Ben Grad, executive director of content strategy and acquisition for Verizon, said: "We're excited to give our customers the ability to watch even more great live content from channels like Nick, Comedy Central and MTV in the palm of their hand, on the device of their choice, at home and on the go. With FiOS Mobile, our customers can truly watch TV wherever they are, on their preferred device. Close collaboration with content partners like Viacom allows us to deliver a seamless customer experience. And we'll keep giving our customers more live, anywhere content in the coming months."

Samantha Cooper, senior vice president, content distribution for Viacom, said: "We are pleased to join the Verizon FIOS out-of-home lineup, continuing our push to be early partners with the most innovative platforms. With this deal, we are mirroring the behavior of our audiences and capturing great value for our brands."

The FiOS Mobile App* also offers On-Demand content, including more than 70,000 titles, from users' favorite channels, such as HBO, Food Network, HGTV, TNT, TBS and more. On-demand content from Viacom networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV will be coming to FiOS Mobile soon.

Additionally, FiOS Mobile makes organizing and managing content easy and convenient. The easy-to-use functions include Remote DVR, TV Listings, My Bookmarks, My Library, On Demand, DVR, Settings and Help. In addition, the FiOS Mobile App offers parental controls, so parents can decide what content they want to allow their children to access.

FiOS TV offers a broad collection of programming on TV and industry-leading picture quality with more than 625 all-digital channels including up to 185 HD channels and over 100,000 Video On Demand titles and growing, including over 40,000 in HD.

* Verizon FiOS TV subscription required and only available on select devices. In-home live TV streaming requires Internet and TV subscription and use of FiOS router. Subscription to premium movie channels or highest-tiered TV package required to access certain channels. FiOS On Demand service usage and content availability restrictions apply. Wireless data charges may apply.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 108 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide. A Dow 30 company with more than $127 billion in 2014 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 177,300. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at Verizon's online News Center at www.verizon.com/news/. The news releases are available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.

SOURCE Verizon

RELATED LINKS
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Verizon FiOS and Viacom Renew Carriage Agreement

Verizon and Viacom Inc. have announced in the following press release, from Business Wire, a comprehensive renewal of their FiOS carriage agreement, under which FiOS carries 25 of Viacom's industry leading networks, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, Spike, TV Land and CMT, in addition to Viacom joint venture services EPIX and Aapka Colors!

Under the terms of the new agreement, Viacom joins a growing list of major programmers who have entered into ground-breaking, active user agreements with Verizon, granting national rights to distribute marquee content to Verizon Wireless customers. More details will be made available in the near future.

Additionally, Verizon FiOS customers will enjoy full access to all of Viacom's networks, live and on-demand, in and out of the home. From early 2015, Verizon will enable live, out of home viewing of all of Viacom's channels via Verizon's industry-leading FiOS Mobile app. FiOS customers can already access live feeds of most of the Viacom networks inside the home via the FiOS Mobile app. FiOS TV customers will also be able to access Viacom's authenticated TV Everywhere websites and apps and the company's complete selection of video-on-demand (VOD) programming across multiple platforms such as smartphones and tablets. Additionally, Verizon FiOS will enable dynamic ad insertion in all Viacom TV Everywhere and VOD content.

The deal also enables Verizon to launch innovative new TV packages to better match content packaging with consumer preferences.

Original Viacom Inc. and Verizon Press Release:

Verizon FiOS and Viacom Renew Carriage Agreement

FiOS Customers Will Enjoy Viacom Programming Anytime, Anywhere with Out-of-Home Viewing; Verizon and Viacom enter into ground-breaking national wireless distribution deal

October 01, 2014 04:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verizon and Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today announced a comprehensive renewal of their FiOS carriage agreement, under which FiOS carries 25 of Viacom’s industry leading networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, Spike, TV Land and CMT, in addition to Viacom joint venture services EPIX and Aapka Colors.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Viacom joins a growing list of major programmers who have entered into ground-breaking, active user agreements with Verizon, granting national rights to distribute marquee content to Verizon Wireless customers. More details will be made available in the near future.

Additionally, Verizon FiOS customers will enjoy full access to all of Viacom’s networks, live and on-demand, in and out of the home. Early next year, Verizon will enable live, out of home viewing of all of Viacom’s channels via Verizon’s industry-leading FiOS Mobile app. FiOS customers can already access live feeds of most of the Viacom networks inside the home via the FiOS Mobile app. FiOS TV customers will also be able to access Viacom’s authenticated TV Everywhere websites and apps and the company’s complete selection of video-on-demand (VOD) programming across multiple platforms like smartphones and tablets. Additionally, Verizon FiOS will enable dynamic ad insertion in all Viacom TV Everywhere and VOD content.

The deal also enables Verizon to launch innovative new TV packages to better match content packaging with consumer preferences.

"People want to watch TV anywhere, not just in their living rooms. Disruption in the TV marketplace is happening and Verizon wants to reach agreements with content providers like Viacom that reflect that reality and give people what they want," said Ben Grad, Executive Director, Content Strategy & Acquisition, Verizon. "We are thrilled to extend our long-term distribution partnership with Viacom Media Networks, delivering some of the most recognizable and popular kids, music and entertainment programming available to our customers anytime, anywhere on a variety of platforms from TV to wireless."

"Verizon FiOS continues to be among the most innovative and consumer-focused video services on the market," said Samantha Cooper, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution, Viacom Media Networks. "We're glad to have reached an agreement with Verizon that covers the full spectrum of viewing options for their customers across platforms, including wireless, and extends our long-standing and productive partnership."

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 104.6 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 177,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Viacom

Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form video, apps, games, consumer products, social media and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 160 countries and territories. Viacom's media networks, including MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, SPIKE, Channel 5 (UK), Tr3s, Paramount Channel and VIVA, reach approximately 700 million television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures, America's oldest film studio, is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom's blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/viacom.

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Nickelodeon USA To Launch Brand-New Interactive Preschool Television Channel Called "My Nick Jr."

The The Wall Street Journal is reporting in the following article from their official website, wsj.com, the exciting Nickelodeon News that Viacom Media Networks, the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand, has unveiled plans to launch a brand new interactive preschool television channel in the USA called "My Nick Jr." that can be programmed according to parents' tastes and provide access to hundreds of episodes of popular Nickelodeon Preschool shows from Nickelodeon's archives such as "Dora the Explorer" in a novel TV-delivery approach that combines elements of streaming services Pandora and Netflix Inc.!

The new "My Nickelodeon Junior" interactive channel will be available in coming months to customers of Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS TV service, with Viacom planning to roll the network out to other U.S. pay-TV operators later, the companies say.

It will be adjacent in the TV menu to Nick's main "Nick Jr." preschool channel that is home to "Dora", "The Backyardigans", "Bubble Guppies", and other series targeted at a preschool audience.

TV viewers have two basic options nowadays: They can watch a channel with programming scheduled by a TV network, or sift through video on-demand services to find a show they like. The My Nick Jr. technology introduces a third way to deliver TV — giving each household a customized channel.

Parents will be able to personalize the content that airs on My Nick Jr. by indicating their relative preference for seven themes such as "word play", "super-sonic science", and "get creative".

Based on those preferences, My Nick Jr. will choose content to air from hundreds of episodes in the Nick Jr. library.

Children can rate shows by clicking on smile or frown icons, and the service will tweak the programming lineup accordingly. Parents can get reports on what their children watch and can program the channel to shut off after a set time period. The channel won't be ad-supported.

The new service highlights how media companies and pay-TV operators are trying to modernize TV viewing at a time when consumers want greater control over what they watch and services like Netflix and Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Instant Video are offering compelling alternatives to cable television.

Terry Denson, Verizon's vice president of content strategy and acquisition, said My Nick Jr. will help the company compete against these streaming-video services. He said other media companies and distributors could launch their own interactive channels.

For Viacom, streaming outlets are customers — it licenses shows to them. But the company also wants to ensure that the pay-TV ecosystem — which provides the bulk of its revenue and profit through carriage fees and advertising — is healthy and technologically advanced.

Viacom hopes the new channel will help it negotiate higher carriage fees and give characters in its shows greater exposure, helping its consumer products licensing business.

One risk for the media company is that the new channel could draw viewers away from existing Nickelodeon channels. In the U.S., the flagship Nickelodeon network has a preschool programming block that averaged 570,000 viewers among children 2 to 5 years old in 2013.

Like Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Junior and Comcast Corp.'s Sprout, the Nick Jr. channel caters to a preschool audience and shows repeats of episodes aired in Nick USA's preschool programming block. Viacom said it gained confidence before the U.S. launch by testing the service in France, where it thought the stakes of failure would be lower.

"You haven't seen that cannibalization effect" in France, said Bob Bakish, president and chief executive of Viacom International Media Networks. "Now it's starting to roll out around the world."

The interactive channel was a good fit for CanalSat, a unit of Vivendi SA, that was looking for ways to differentiate itself from the array of free over-the-air channels competing in France's TV market. It fit nicely with CanalSat's other efforts to personalize TV viewing, such as technology that recommends shows to viewers based on what they've previously viewed.

"The future of pay TV relies on personalization," said Claire Basini, marketing director of CanalSat. "We were convinced of the potential" of Viacom's service, she said.

Viacom could potentially extend the idea of a personalized channel to its other properties like MTV, executives said.

It is unclear how widely other companies will adopt the approach. One constraining factor: Many consumers still have set-top boxes hooked up to their TVs that can't support interactive services like My Nick Jr.

Verizon and AT&T have the most advanced TV set-top boxes since they are the latest entrants in the market. Eventually, Verizon will add support for mobile devices, so consumers can launch My Nick Jr. from a tablet or smartphone — a feature that is available on CanalSat.

From WSJ.com:

Viacom to Launch Customized Kids' TV Channel

My Nickelodeon Junior to Combine Elements of Streaming Services Pandora and Netflix

Viacom Inc. plans to launch a children's TV channel in the U.S. that can be programmed according to parents' tastes and provide access to hundreds of old episodes of shows like "Dora the Explorer," in a novel TV-delivery approach that combines elements of streaming services Pandora and Netflix Inc.

'Dora the Explorer' episodes will be available on My Nickelodeon Junior. Nickelodeon/Everett Collection

The new "My Nickelodeon Junior" interactive channel will be available in coming months to customers of Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS TV service, and Viacom plans to roll it out to other U.S. pay-TV operators later, the companies say.

It will be adjacent in the TV menu to the main "Nick Jr." channel that is home to "Dora," "The Backyardigans," "Bubble Guppies," and other fare targeted at a preschool audience.

TV viewers have two basic options nowadays: They can watch a channel with programming scheduled by a TV network, or sift through on-demand services to find a show they like. The My Nick Jr. technology introduces a third way to deliver TV—giving each household a customized channel.

Parents will be able to personalize the content that airs on My Nick Jr. by indicating their relative preference for seven themes such as "word play," "super-sonic science," and "get creative."

Based on those preferences, My Nick Jr. will choose content to air from hundreds of episodes in the Nick Jr. library.

Children can rate shows by clicking on smile or frown icons, and the service will tweak the programming lineup accordingly. Parents can get reports on what their children watch and can program the channel to shut off after a set period. There won't be ads.

The new service highlights how media companies and pay-TV operators are trying to modernize TV viewing at a time when consumers want greater control over what they watch and services like Netflix and Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Instant Video are offering compelling alternatives to cable television.

TV networks and pay-TV operators also are developing sophisticated mobile-TV apps and beefing up video on-demand offerings.

Netflix and Amazon have become particularly popular as an outlet for children's programming.

Terry Denson, Verizon's vice president of content strategy and acquisition, said My Nick Jr. will help the company compete against these streaming-video services. He said other media companies and distributors could launch their own interactive channels.

"It's a way you can quash the momentum of over-the-top players in the marketplace," said Mr. Denson, referring to Web-based video options such as Netflix. "There's no reason they should own that space—we should own that space."

For Viacom, streaming outlets are customers—it licenses shows to them. But the company also wants to ensure that the pay-TV ecosystem—which provides the bulk of its revenue and profit through carriage fees and advertising—is healthy and technologically advanced.

Viacom hopes the new channel will help it negotiate higher carriage fees and give characters in its shows greater exposure, helping its consumer products licensing business.

One risk for the media company is that the new channel could draw viewers away from existing Nickelodeon channels. In the U.S., the flagship Nickelodeon network has a preschool programming block that averaged 570,000 viewers among children 2 to 5 years old in 2013.

Like Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Junior and Comcast Corp.'s Sprout, the Nick Jr. channel caters to a preschool audience and shows repeats of episodes aired in that block. Viacom said it gained confidence before the U.S. launch by testing the service in France, where it thought the stakes of failure would be lower.

"You haven't seen that cannibalization effect" in France, said Bob Bakish, president and chief executive of Viacom International Media Networks. "Now it's starting to roll out around the world."

The interactive channel was a good fit for CanalSat, a unit of Vivendi SA, that was looking for ways to differentiate itself from the array of free over-the-air channels competing in France's TV market. It fit nicely with CanalSat's other efforts to personalize TV viewing, such as technology that recommends shows to viewers based on what they've previously viewed.

"The future of pay TV relies on personalization," said Claire Basini, marketing director of CanalSat. "We were convinced of the potential" of Viacom's service, she said.

Viacom could potentially extend the idea of a personalized channel to its other properties like MTV, executives said.

It is unclear how widely other companies will adopt the approach. One constraining factor: Many consumers still have set-top boxes hooked up to their TVs that can't support interactive services like My Nick Jr.

Verizon and AT&T have the most advanced TV set-top boxes since they are the latest entrants in the market. Eventually, Verizon will add support for mobile devices, so consumers can launch My Nick Jr. from a tablet or smartphone—a feature that is available on CanalSat.

Thanks to Twitter user ‏@Cameronskooner for alerting me to the news!

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US Mobile Network Operator Verizon Wireless Announces Plans To Close Down Their V CAST Service; To Focus On Viewdini

From Phones Review:

Farewell Verizon Vcast, so download focused viewdini

If you happen to be over in the USA and a Verizon customer that uses the Big Red's Vcast service, unfortunately as of the 15th of this month you will no longer be able to take advantage of what Verizon Vcast has to offer. This is because the Big Red has stated that they are to shut down the 7-year old Vcast service as of the 15th of this month.

Once the Big Red shuts down Vcast, the number one carrier in the USA will switch their focus towards a free video service known as viewdini, which is available as a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. However Verizon customers should be made aware that the closure of Vcast will not affect current data or calling plans.

The viewdini mobile application for both iOS and Android devices have been available for both platforms for a while, and is a free application that enables users to search for and browse TV shows, web videos, and movies on their smartphone or tablet.

The viewdini app offers such services as Netflix, Xfinity, mSpot, Hulu Plus and more, whilst when is comes to NFL content, Verizon has stated that users will need to download and subscribe to NFL Mobile.

Verizon Vcast was introduced way back in 2005, and then came to the Android platform back in 2010, and offered such things as live sporting content along with TV shows from such networks as CBS, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and NBC. However it appears that the Big Red feels the service is now getting on in years and has decided to shut it down.

The reason for the closure is apparently so that Verizon can better serve the demands of their customers, and the closure of Vcast will allow the carrier to focus on delivering the best video experience in wireless, namely viewdini, which they say is a new video service for 4G enabled Apple and Android devices.

For those Verizon user that will be downloading the viewdini app to their chosen device either from iTunes or Google Play, but would like to know a bit more about how the app works, we have a viewdini for iPhone review video for your viewing consideration below. So hit that play button to check out the footage.

However some users are not too happy with veiwdini, as some iOS users are saying the only carrier listed is Comcast, whilst some Android users are not too happy with Verizon taking away the free movie sites, and some have even found that the app stops and doesn’t play videos or even take them to where they can watch the content.

Thus is would appear that the viewdini app has some problems, so we’d like to hear from any of our reader that use the viewdini app to let us know their opinions by dropping us a line to our comments area [here on the official Phones Review website, phonesreview.co.uk].