FiOS TV app set to go on Samsung TVs, Blu-ray players

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has reinforced the idea that TV is a downloadable app by making at least part of its FiOS TV service an application on Samsung (OTC: SSNLF) Smart TVs and Smart Blu-ray players.

Verizon subscribers with FiOS TV or FiOS Internet subscriptions can download the app free on compatible Samsung smart devices and shed the necessity of a set-top box--if they're willing to restrict their viewing to 26 live FiOS TV channels and what the provider estimated are "more than 20,000 FlexView on-demand movies and TV shows.

It's part of a TV Everywhere lineup that will expand as more content providers free up their programming.

"TV Everywhere applications like this new FiOS TV app push the boundaries of content delivery to meet consumer demand for more control, choice and access to their favorite content," Eric Anderson, vice president of content and product solutions at Samsung Electronics America, said in a news release. "By broadening accessibility through Smart TV applications, Verizon FiOS is providing consumers more flexibility for where they want to locate their Samsung Smart TV within their home without the need for a set-top box … another example of how Samsung is allowing the consumer to enhance their home entertainment experience."

It goes without saying, of course, that a set-top box gives subscribers access to literally hundreds more channels on the FiOS lineup, and a wireless set-top box Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) is building for AT&T (NYSE: T) U-verse offers the flexibility of locating the TV screen wherever the consumer wants.

Still, the FiOS-Samsung relationship, which forged what the two companies called a "first-of-its-kind app," is a step in the direction of opening content to more viewers on more devices within the household and without the set-top.

Verizon is "continuing to develop more ways for our customers to enjoy their FiOS TV experience on their own terms, meeting the needs of their borderless lifestyle," Maitreyi Krishnaswamy, director of product development for FiOS TV, said in the news release.

For more:
 - see the release

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