Englewood, Colo.-based cable operator WideOpenWest (WOW) said it has expanded the rollout of its new Android TV-base pay TV system, WOW! tv+ to Chicago, Detroit and Evansville, Ind.
But it’s still tough to understand how the video system—deployed earlier this year in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, as well as Central Michigan—fits into WOW’s broader video strategy.
As Next TV reported in mid-June, WOW has stopped marketing WOW! tv+ on the internet, choosing instead to promote bundling of third-party virtual pay TV services with its high-speed internet offerings.
Simultaneous to its initial market trials of WOW! tv+, the cable operator in February tested a scheme of offering customers the choice of Sling TV, fuboTV, YouTube TV or Philo when they signed up for high-speed internet service.
Across the 19 markets WOW serves, including those where WOW! tv+ is available, clicking on the “streaming TV” tab on the company’s landing page menu will surface the option to bundle those third-party services. WOW! tv+ is not listed as an option.
“WOW! tv+ is an important choice we offer customers and we're committed to continuing to introduce it in markets across our footprint,” the company said in a statement. “Consumer behavior shows us they want the ease and flexibility of an HSD Only service. We've designed our marketing, including the offerings we showcase on wowway.com, to fulfill that desire.”
So how much is WOW charging for WOW! tv+? "Pricing varies depending on the package purchased," the company said in a separate email statement. "Pricing ranges from a low of $20 per month to $75 per month. Most of our WOW! tv+ customers choose a package priced somewhere in the middle."
WOW insists the platform remains part of its toolbox for addressing broadband customer appetites for OTT services.
"Our WOW! tv+ customers tell us how much they like the product and how easy it is to use. We are pleased to offer WOW! tv+ to our customers in these additional markets and provide an enhanced viewing experience backed by our reliable high-speed network," said Teresa Elder, CEO of WOW, in the morning press release announcing the expansion. "It is especially important in challenging times that we offer services to our customers that offer choices for where, when and how they want to access information and entertainment.”
