Verizon’s Mobile Video Optimized for Its Network

Verizon’s coming “mobile-first” subscription video service will be network-agnostic, but will “work best” on those operated by the carrier, said Marni Walden, executive vice president and president of product innovation and new business at Verizon. Walden shed some light on that over-the-top (OTT) offering, noting it will feature on-demand and some live TV when it launches later in Summer 2015. It will run on any network, including those run by competitors, but “will work best on Verizon networks,” she said.

Walden also confirmed that “ad-sponsored data” will be part of Verizon’s new offering, and that the carrier believes it is “well within the ability to do that” in the wake of the Federal Communications Commission’s new network neutrality rules. In addition to ad-supported products, Verizon will also offer “some premium offers as we evolve the product,” she said, noting that there are no current plans to provide the service outside the US.