Wallet-friendly virtual MVPD Frndly TV is expanding its video on-demand offering with the addition of A+E Networks TV shows and movies.
The additional content will join the streaming TV service before the end of year and doesn’t mean a price increase for Frndly TV subscribers. According to Frndly, A+E’s expanded on-demand library brings thousands more VOD and 72-hour lookback TV shows and movies to the service.
Some of the programming joining Frndly includes past seasons of “The Curse of Oak Island,” “The First 48,” “Storage Wars,” “American Pickers,” “Pawn Stars,” and “Married at First Sight.”
Frndly TV already carries linear channels from A+E Networks, and Michael McKenna, chief programming officer at Frndly, said in a statement that the company has been a great partner.
“The additional collection of shows from the A+E Networks library extends that relationship and is a nice holiday gift to our subscribers. We are excited to make available both current and past seasons of a wide variety of shows and movies to our customers at no additional cost to them,” McKenna said in a statement.
Launched just a few years ago, Frndly TV now offers 40 live TV networks with a basic plan that starts at just $6.99 per month. Even though the channel offering has grown from Frndly’s initial skinny bundle of 12 channels, since its debut in 2019 the company has only introduced a single, one dollar price increase, which followed an earlier distribution deal with A+E Networks. Among its programming lineup are channels including Hallmark Channel, A&E, the History Channel, Game Show Network, INSP, Lifetime, UPtv, Curiosity Stream, The Weather Channel, GAC Family and others.
Earlier this month the OTT TV provider boasted a subscriber milestone, topping 700,000 users. It reflects a bump since November 2021 when Frndly counted around 500,000 subscribers.
In July, McKenna told Fierce Video that Frndly isn’t “trying to be all things to all people.” Instead, it’s focused on a smaller package of channels targeted at its users, with an eye on those who have been priced out of larger linear video bundles.
“The by-product of the limited offering is that our targeted subscribers are loyal to both Frndly TV and its programming partners,” McKenna stated earlier this month. “The result is higher viewing consumption of our partners’ content and lower churn for Frndly TV.”
Other channels joining Frndly’s lineup this year include five networks from Weigel Broadcasting.