Verizon said Wednesday that its Fios TV app is now supported by Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV 4K connected TV devices.
The Fios TV service still requires subscribers to lease at least one proprietary set-top, the charge for which is built into the core service offering. Currently, the linear pay TV service includes one voice-remote-enabled Fios TV One box. The Fire TV and Apple TV support, however, expand the app's usage beyond mobile devices--it was previously only available for iOS and Android smart phones and tablets. Notably, it's still not supported in the top OTT device ecosystem, Roku.
"Now you can Mix & Match how you watch your favorite shows, too. The Fios TV Home App will be available on Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD and Amazon Fire TV beginning July 22, 2021, creating new ways to watch live television with Verizon Fios," Verizon said in a statement.
"With the voice-powered Fios TV One, now included in new Fios TV packages, customers get the first Fios TV box included at no additional charge, and can now watch live television on compatible devices throughout their home," Verizon added.
Verizon reported another 62,000 lost linear Fios TV subscribers in the second quarter, which was actually a deceleration from the 81,000 who cut the Fios TV cord in the second quarter of 2020.
But with Verizon focused on its "Mix & Match" strategy, which lets Fios Internet customers choose to bundle third-party live-streaming bundles like Google's YouTube TV instead of Verizon's linear TV product, if they so choose, the company's wireline internet business is expanding.
Verizon reported the addition of 92,000 Fios Internet customers in Q2, a quarter that culminated its best 12-month period for Fios Internet growth since 2015. In the second quarter of last year, Verizon only added around 10,000 Fios Internet customers.
Verizon reported total Q2 revenue of $7.8 billion, up 3.7% year over year. Fios revenue reached $2.9 billion in the quarter, up 5.4% year over year.
