Verizon updates Go90, adds large screen casting, ditches registration to watch

Verizon said it is updating its Go90 online video platform to offer a number of new features, including the ability to cast Go90 to larger screens via set-top devices like Apple TV and Google Chromecast. Verizon also added curated networks including Action, Comedy, Drama and Reality for users to explore.

The carrier said the changes went in effect June 20 and are designed to improve design and navigation. A Verizon spokesperson told FierceCable that the new features will be rolling out widely over the next few days.

Perhaps most importantly, Verizon's new version of Go90 no longer requires users to register in order to watch Go90 videos. But registration will still be required in order to comment on or favorite videos, a feature that can now be used while videos are being viewed.

The carrier said it will also offer easier sharing of Go90 clips and full episodes through Facebook, Twitter, text or email in its new version.

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo, speaking earlier this month at a Merrill Lynch investor conference, said Verizon had to make some changes with the Go90 platform but that the updates had been finished, though he declined to share details on what changes had been made. Shammo said that Verizon would likely share more insights into the performance of Go90 by the third quarter of this year.

The new Go90 updates come less than one year after the platform's official launch. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said during a recent investor conference that Go90 had become a little bit overhyped at the outset, clarifying that the business is doing well but that Verizon did not expect Go90 to make a huge overnight impact on Verizon's overall business.

While Verizon seems confident that Go90 can continue to grow, some analysts still appear skeptical about Go90's ability to compete with other leaders in mobile video and social networking.

"We remain convinced that Go90 has an uphill battle if it is to become a meaningful competitor to the established mobile video and social networking leaders, namely YouTube, Facebook, Instagram (owned by Facebook), Snapchat, Netflix and Hulu," UBS analysts said in a recent report.

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Verizon's Go90 faces 'uphill battle' in competing with YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, analysts say
Verizon's McAdam on Go90: 'It did get a little bit overhyped'