YouTube has signed a distribution deal with Windstream to have the telecom market its virtual pay TV service, YouTube TV, to the telecom’s Kinetic Internet customers.
Little Rock, Ark.-based Windstream recently began notifying customers that it will stop offering traditional linear pay TV service. The move, the company said, will allow it to instead provide its subscribers “advanced streaming video offering.”
“Partnering with YouTube TV gives our customers a way to cut the cord without sacrificing live, local coverage and seamlessly access the latest on-demand content,” said Jeff Small, president of the company’s consumer and small and midsize business segment, in a statement. “Fortunately, for our customers, the reliable high-speed network delivered by Kinetic is the best place to enjoy streaming video.”
YouTube TV has attracted more than 2 million subscribers for its virtual MVPD (vMVPD), which offers a base package of 70 channels for $50 a month.
YouTube TV has carved out similar distribution deals with Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telecom. YouTube TV is being billed as an option to another Kinetic-branded video service
A year ago, Windstream announced plans to launch an iteration of the MobiTV streaming platform under the Kinetic brand.
The new app-based MobiTV Connect-based technology was billed as a “direct replacement” for the legacy Kinetic TV product, which was based on Ericsson’s MediaRoom platform.
The new service initially launched in Windstream’s North Georgia footprint, followed by Lincoln, Neb. Kinetic TV was expected to be available across eight additional markets last year, the company said.
