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Verizon FiOS customers will have more choices for TV viewing

 
Published April 18, 2015

Starting Sunday, Verizon will offer new FiOS TV packages giving customers more flexibility to purchase only certain groups of channels they want to watch. Called FiOS Custom TV, it's the latest sign of how pay-TV providers are adapting to rising entertainment competition and trying to appease customers contemplating "cutting the cord" and going without cable TV services.

FiOS Custom TV will be available to Tampa Bay area FiOS customers, even though Verizon is selling its TV business here to Frontier Communications, another cable provider, in a deal that will close early next year.

While not quite an a la carte option, Verizon customers can choose to purchase a base channel package with more than 30 channels that include local broadcasting networks as well as CNN, HGTV, AMC and Food Network. They also get to pick two of seven available genre-specific "channel packs" focused on sports, kids, pop culture and lifestyle to personalize their viewing.

The standalone TV package will start at $55 per month for residential customers or $65 per month for small business customers. Customers will be able to switch to a different channel pack after having one for 30 days.

Double Play and Triple Play packages — choosing multiple options such as TV, Internet and/or land-line phone services — also will be available.