Skip to main content

France Telecom has Pay-TV Deal with Verizon

Finally, now there will be something to watch on a U.S. telco's pay-TV service that is distinctly different from the 'me too' services that have been offered thus far. I see this latest move by Verizon as a very positive step in the right direction.

GlobeCast announced at IPTV World that it has concluded an agreement with Verizon to supply GlobeCast WorldTV international television channels for distribution over the company’s FiOS TV and broadband platforms.

GlobeCast WorldTV will initially furnish Verizon with signal transport and licensing rights for up to 37 top tier international channels in 18 languages from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In addition to the 37 channels initially available to Verizon, GlobeCast WorldTV has plans to provide Verizon with access to another 40 channels during 2007.

The agreement allows Verizon to make GlobeCast WorldTV programming available to consumers on both a linear and VOD distribution basis, thereby positioning Verizon to have one of the largest multicultural video offerings in the United States.

A subsidiary of France Telecom’s global broadcast distribution and content management services company, GlobeCast WorldTV is the largest aggregator and distributor of international television in North America, currently broadcasting 206 global television and radio brands from 42 countries in 35 languages via direct-to-home satellite, cable, IPTV, broadband and mobile platforms.

GlobeCast WorldTV channels provide operators with highly differentiated unique content to target the estimated 23 million people in America that speak a primary language other than English or Spanish at home, enabling operators to grow their international channel lineup to meet consumer demand.

Popular posts from this blog

Decoding the Generative AI Global Surge

Commercial interest in Generative AI (GenAI) tools has reached a fever pitch, and the latest forecast from Gartner amplifies this emerging trend. Gartner predicts $644 billion in worldwide spending on GenAI in 2025, marking a dramatic 76.4 percent increase from the previous year. This surge underscores the impact GenAI will have across industries. It also requires a closer examination of the underlying dynamics of future potential. Generative AI Market Development This growth is fueled by the GenAI foundational model providers who invest billions into enhancing the size, performance, and reliability of their models.  Hardware also accounts for a significant portion of this spending, with ~80 percent allocated to servers, smartphones, and PCs equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities. This highlights the critical need for computational power to support the demanding workloads of GenAI. However, Gartner also injects a dose of reality into the GenAI hype cycle. There's a dec...