Verizon cancels plans to create its own TV streaming service

Verizon logo
Verizon logo (Image credit: Android Central)

In mid-January, a report popped up claiming that Verizon was working on its own Internet-based TV streaming service to compete with the likes of Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and others. According to a Yahoo! Finance interview, however, it looks like these plans have been canceled.

Commenting on the company's intention to create a TV service, CEO Lowell McAdam said —

Our view is that we should partner with those that are in the linear game. Let them be very good at what they do. We'll add digital content into that mix, and we'll position ourselves for where we become more of an over-the-top video culture versus the linear model that we have today.

Verizon wants to integrate content from Oath into an existing service, and according to Lowell, a partner should be chosen for this deal soon with plans to launch by Q4 2018.

Despite this change of mind for Verizon, we're still expecting streaming services from competitors T-Mobile and AT&T. T-Mobile acquired Layer3 in mid-December last year to kickstart its plans in this niche, and AT&T recently announced that it'll soon come to market with a streaming plan that costs just $15/month as part of a new AT&T Watch service.

What do you think about Verizon's decision here?

These are the best deals from Verizon right now

Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.