Verizon FiOS snuck in six more HD channels recently, all from Viacom:
- MTV
- VH1
- CMT (Country Music Television
- Nickelodeon
- Spike TV
- Comedy Central
The channels were chosen because they are “some of the most watched channels on FiOS,” said Jon Davies, a FiOS spokesman. That brings Verizon’s HD count to 127, making it Orange County’s TV service with the most HD channels. Here’s my chart:
| TV company | Jul-09 |
|---|---|
| Verizon FiOS | 127 |
| DirecTV | 124 |
| AT&T U-verse | 112 |
| Dish Networks | 93 |
| Cox Cable | 62 |
| Time Warner | 55 |
Not sure when FiOS started offering the channels, but according to a FiOS forum board, some subscribers spotted them this week, although some folks had problems tuning in.
The new Viacom channels also are showing up nearly one month ahead of the rollout by Cox Communications, which plans to add nine new HD channels on July 28 (Read: “Cox Cable adding 9 HD channels in Orange County“). Now that I’m typing this up, I noticed that two channels Cox plans to offer aren’t available to FiOS users — Viacom’s BET HD and Time Warner’s Cartoon Network HD. The third channel, News Corp.’s FX HD, is already offered by FiOS. I’ll have to get an explanation on this.
Of course, Verizon isn’t available in most cities in Orange County. But Davies, with FiOS, wanted to clarify to readers that the fiber-based TV and Internet service isn’t really slowing down, as I’ve reported in the past (read: “Verizon’s FiOS TV rollout slows in So Cal.”)
The point, he said, is that FiOS started in Orange County and parts of Los Angeles back in 2004, or well before the rest of the country. Because FiOS is further along here, it’s not doing as much construction in O.C. as it is elsewhere. In O.C., it’s focusing on marketing the service to homes within its built-out area. FiOS is still expanding, he insisted. His quote:
“As we discussed previously, we were indeed focused more on selling and marketing FiOS in the first quarter of 2009 but in the second quarter and throughout the rest of the year we are continuing to build fiber in other parts of California. Because we started building FTTP (fiber to the premises) in Orange County in 2004, we are farther along with our build there and so we aren’t doing as much construction lately as we have been doing elsewhere. As evidence of our continued roll out of FiOS, I can tell you we’re getting ready to announce FiOS TV availability in some more cities in San Bernardino County.”
Here in Orange County, Verizon is available in some parts of these cities: Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster and certain unincorporated areas.
Recent Verizon FiOS news:
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Wow, Fios is really pushing out the HD channels. Looks like the cable companies can only do about half if Verizon, and the trend will probably continue. Makes living in a fios area that much sweeter.
Not sure when U-Verse rolled them out (past couple days?) but we’re up to 119 HD channels here in Brea.
So…..Verizon is the incumbent (not dominant) carrier in Laguna Beach where one would think that the take rate would be tremendously high for this high-end service. HOWEVER, not only do they NOT have Laguna on their forecast, the OC Register doesn’t even acknowledge Laguna as a VZ territory.
Cox has dominated the market with the triple play and Verizon would (in my humble opinion) crush them in Laguna. Most of town has their utilities underground with pull-strings out to the junctions. Is it really that difficult for VZ to pull fiber in neighborhoods that have new underground conduit infrastructure ?
VERIZON……..TAKE NOTE !!!!! YOU will win my business back if you’d get your act in gear.