We heard about a month ago that T-Mobile was in the process of “retooling” its TVision TV service, and now it sounds like TVision is ready to go. That doesn’t mean we’re going to see it launch any time soon, though.
The refreshed version of TVision is reportedly “tech-ready for launch” but likely won’t roll out until sometime this summer. That’s according to sources speaking to Light Reading, who say that T-Mo has made a new architecture for a pay-TV service that can be sent to homes and TVs while also prioritizing streaming on smartphones.
What’s holding back the launch of TVision is the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many of T-Mobile’s stores are closed due to COVID-19, and an in-store demo would be a great way to demonstrate a pay TV service for interested customers. Since most of T-Mo’s stores are still closed, T-Mobile may be opting to simply push the entire launch back rather than roll out the service without offering a way for most consumers to see what it’s like in person.
Plus, a summer launch would line up with that post-merger marketing effort that we recently heard about. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said last month that T-Mo is eyeing the summer timeframe to begin marketing with all of T-Mobile and Sprint’s stores and advertising and offers in a unified way. That big launch could be a good time to also begin pushing the refreshed TVision.
T-Mobile launched TVision a little more than a year ago in a handful of markets, including Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Longmont, CO. According to the TVision website, those are still the only markets where the service is available.
When asked about TVision last month, T-Mobile told TmoNews that “TVision and home entertainment remain important parts of our longer term strategy.”
We’ve heard previously that T-Mobile is working with MobiTV to retool TVision, but it’s unclear exactly how T-Mo is going to improve its TV service. The streaming TV space is pretty competitive with players like Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, and others, and TVision as it currently exists with its $90 per month price may have a hard time convincing consumers to choose it over those other options.
Source: Light Reading