Great episode. Perhaps neither of you get your home internet and cell phone service through Verizon? Seems to me that Verizon is making a pretty logical play for its own customers, here. 1) They have cord-cutters who have only home Internet services through Verizon Fios (their fiber-to-the-home service). They want them to purchase various streaming services as add-ons to lock them in and not switch to Comcast or another home internet provider. 2) They have Internet & TV subscribers who can also add on streaming services - same deal; 3) They have some potential market for cellular-only customers who might add home internet if they thought that there was a cool enough bundle that included streaming services (unlikely, but possible). 4) Overall, however, the idea of getting streaming services through one’s Internet or cellular provider certainly doesn’t seem crazy. — we have Disney Plus / ESPN / Hulu right now because Verizon bundled it with our *cellular* plan when we upgraded to 5G service, for example.
Verizon has an extensive store that anyone who has cellular service would know about. They sell both services and physical products because it’s a virtual storefront for the brick and mortar Verizon stores, but also then can double as a way to sell other Verizon services. They are expensive and the store is, as one might predict, less than amazing. I see the storefront because Verizon has a rewards program that just naturally accumulates points that allow me to get free product every so many billing cycles, and thus I occasionally end up shopping in the store using points.
Great episode. Perhaps neither of you get your home internet and cell phone service through Verizon? Seems to me that Verizon is making a pretty logical play for its own customers, here. 1) They have cord-cutters who have only home Internet services through Verizon Fios (their fiber-to-the-home service). They want them to purchase various streaming services as add-ons to lock them in and not switch to Comcast or another home internet provider. 2) They have Internet & TV subscribers who can also add on streaming services - same deal; 3) They have some potential market for cellular-only customers who might add home internet if they thought that there was a cool enough bundle that included streaming services (unlikely, but possible). 4) Overall, however, the idea of getting streaming services through one’s Internet or cellular provider certainly doesn’t seem crazy. — we have Disney Plus / ESPN / Hulu right now because Verizon bundled it with our *cellular* plan when we upgraded to 5G service, for example.
Verizon has an extensive store that anyone who has cellular service would know about. They sell both services and physical products because it’s a virtual storefront for the brick and mortar Verizon stores, but also then can double as a way to sell other Verizon services. They are expensive and the store is, as one might predict, less than amazing. I see the storefront because Verizon has a rewards program that just naturally accumulates points that allow me to get free product every so many billing cycles, and thus I occasionally end up shopping in the store using points.