CenturyLinks’ new live TV streaming service will only have 17 channels, which is unlike other services that seem to be committed to the “more is better” model.
“We believe it will be more profitable for us and we can handle 17 channels versus 200 or 400 channels and trying to manage those costs and be competitive in that area,” said CEO Glen Post of CenturyLink told Goldman Sachs’ 25th Annual Communacopia Conference. “We think over the top video is going to be a real positive for us and still drive the pull through.”
The 17 channels included in the service will include local channels, which is something many cord cutters have been looking for.
“We’re within 2 agreements of having a total package done to have the 17 channels, and that is what we need to bring it to market,” Post said. “It will still include local channels, but we’re taking a while to get all those done, which will be ongoing over the next several months.”
“Today, with our video product, we’re getting about 95 percent pull through of high speed internet and 50 percent of those customers are new to CenturyLink,” Post said. “We’ll continue with our video product and we think we can get the same impact with OTT that we get with our Prism product.”
For now details on the date of the official launch and the price are unknown, but with millions of Americans in some markets struggling to pick up local channels a streaming service primarily focused on locals could find a market with many cord cutters.
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