Verizon’s go90 mobile video service has not been a runaway success, but nonetheless, the company is reportedly set to expand its content business this year. One of the media properties owned by Verizon, TechCrunch, is reporting that the carrier wants to add a new “over-the-top” video service, as well as a connected home platform for internet of things applications.
Sports is a likely area for Verizon’s expansion, since the carrier recently signed a deal to stream NFL games live. Through Yahoo and Yahoo Sports, in addition to go90 and the NFL mobile app, Verizon can stream NFL games on all major mobile networks in the U.S.
Verizon recently combined AOL and Yahoo into a media company called Oath, headed by former AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. Armstrong has said Verizon’s existing media brands engage more than 1 billion consumers worldwide.
Verizon has made it clear it sees ownership of content as the way to leverage its networks in the U.S. and tap markets outside the country where it does not own spectrum. In addition to Yahoo and AOL, Verizon has purchased a 24.5% stake in AwesomenessTV, which is controlled by DreamWorks, and has invested in its Go90 mobile video service that streams original content, including the popular teen drama “Guidance.”
Furthermore, Verizon’s first 5G network will use fixed wireless access points to connect to the Verizon network, making high-speed mobile broadband a more direct competitor to fiber. This will put Verizon in a good position to compete with cable companies and other wireline broadband providers in some markets.
Verizon also has its own fiber-to-the-home service, FiOS, which could leverage the company’s content offerings. With net neutrality out of the way, network operators are positioned to promote their own content on their own networks. Operators see this as a way to monetize the networks they are spending billions to build, while many consumers worry that their content choices will be limited and their preferred content will be priced out of reach.
