Verizon’s Go90 video streaming app reportedly has been downloaded almost two million times already since its launch late last year. The company recently also claimed that the service is gaining in popularity even on its competitors’ networks, helping the carrier monetize the platform itself rather than using it only as a freebie to draw more subscribers to its bread and butter telecom services. Now, Verizon is looking to further strengthen and expand the amount of original content available on the platform, as it looks to take that next step towards becoming a full-fledged mobile video service itself, with paid premium subscription tiers that the carrier plans to introduce soon.
With a view towards making that happen, Verizon has now announced that it has entered into a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Sony Music Entertainment to produce original content, including comedy, reality shows, competition series and live concerts. The carrier has already released a list of shows it has got lined up for viewers this year, which includes a hidden camera show called ‘Crashed’, a car competition series called ‘Car Star’ and a series of music concerts featuring artistes from within the Sony Music fold. Verizon has been signing content agreements with multiple partners of late to give its fledgling video streaming platform a boost. In another recently-signed content agreement, the nation’s largest carrier paired up with Warner Music for original, music-based video content for the Go90 platform.
In a prepared statement, the head of original content at Sony Music Entertainment, Mr. Lee Stimel, expressed his satisfaction at the deal, saying, “We are delighted to be partnering with Verizon to develop music-based original video content for the go90 platform”. As for Verizon, the carrier’s senior vice president of consumer product, Mr. Brian Angiolet, said a prepared statement that the carrier is deliberately and purposefully targeting specific niches by signing content agreements with entities like Sony and Warner Music. According to him, “With strong positioning in sports and original content, the music community is another key audience we are aggressively going after”.
The ‘sports’ reference in Mr. Angiolet’s statement refers to a $400 million deal that Verizon signed with the NBA late last year. The carrier currently also has various tie-ups in place with a number of other sports networks and leagues from around the world, including beIN Sports to broadcast live soccer games from Europe, as well as with the National Football League. The deal between Sony and Verizon also includes previously-announced shows like ‘Tawk with Awkwafina’ and extreme challenge series ‘Hey USA_X’.