WOW! extends Android TV-based service to nearly all subs

Large US cable provider says it has now rolled out its WOW! tv+ video offering to nearly 95% of the homes in its sprawling footprint across the country. Tightening its embrace of Google's Android TV platform, competitive cable operator WideOpenWest has expanded its IP-based "WOW tv+" service to almost all its homes across the US. WOW!, as the Englewood, Colorado-based provider brands itself, announced Tuesday that it now offers WOW tv+ to 95% of its footprint. The service, which launched earlier this year in Columbus, Ohio, is now available in such markets as Auburn, Huntsville and Montgomery, Alabama; Augusta, Columbus and Fort Gordon, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Evansville, Indiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; Mid-Michigan and Southeast Michigan; and Pinellas and Panama City, Florida. Operating on Android TV set-top boxes, WOW! tv+ is a contract-based IPTV service that features typical pay-TV packages, a big VoD library, a cloud DVR, voice search and navigation via Google Assistant and integrations with streaming apps, including Disney+ and Netflix, through the Google Play Store. The service is one of a growing number of Android TV-based offerings that cable operators and telcos have been deploying as they upgrade to next-gen video platforms. With the expansion of WOW!tv+ to virtually all its customers, WOW! appears to have boosted its commitment to the new video service. Earlier this year, WOW did not promote either the IPTV service or its legacy "Ultra TV" pay-TV product very aggressively, requiring customers to seek out those options on their own. Instead, WOW focused on promoting a "Streaming TV" option for broadband customers that ties in its partnerships with four OTT-TV service providers – YouTube TV, fuboTV, Philo and Dish Network's Sling TV. But that attitude seemed to shift in June when WOW changed its online marketing to focus on broadband service after noting that "most" of its new customers sign up only for broadband. Like most cable operators and telcos, WOW! has been shedding video subscribers while gaining broadband customers over the past several years. As a result, it now has more than 800,000 broadband subs but fewer than 400,000 pay-TV customers. WOW! officials were not available for comment today. "We're thrilled that our customers in these markets are enjoying our WOW! tv+ offering as their chosen alternative to the traditional cable TV experience," said WOW! CEO Teresa Elder in a written statement. "With families staying home now more than ever, customers can choose how and when they consume their entertainment with the satisfaction of knowing they are backed by our reliable high-speed data network. We're looking forward to expanding WOW! tv+ to additional markets and even more customers in the future." Related posts: — Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading