Verizon announced a partnership with Altice USA to bring hyperlocal, national, international and business news to Fios customers.
Starting in November, Fios customers will have access to content from Altice News properties, including local News 12 Networks, followed by content from i24NEWS and Cheddar in 2020. News 12 will be available in Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley and New Jersey. Early next year, additional markets will launch in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Connecticut and the Hudson Valley.
“We’re all about choice for our customers, and these channel additions bring our customers even more options for robust news and hyperlocal offerings on the Fios channel lineup,” said Erin McPherson, head of content strategy for Verizon, in a statement.
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For Verizon, the partnership with Altice USA comes less than one month after the company announced it is shutting down its hyper-local Fios1 News channel this fall.
"Later this year, Verizon will no longer be offering Fios1 News," Verizon spokesman Tony McNary told USA Today. "We have partnered with RNN for over 10 years to deliver award-winning hyper-local news coverage on Fios1. We wish RNN and their employees well during this transition."
The decision led to 150 jobs being cut at RNN, and left Altice’s News 12 as the only choice for hyper-local news on cable in the New York City area.
For Altice USA, the deal with Verizon arrives not long after the company acquired financial news network Cheddar, and tapped Cheddar founder and CEO Jon Steinberg to run its news division.