Verizon FiOS TV Launches Pandora App

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While it’s usually TiVo pitching the convergence of premium cable programming and over-the-top Internet content, Verizon delivers big today by bringing Pandora to FiOS TV. Motorola set-top boxes in California, Texas, and Virginia are the first to receive access to the free app… with other markets to follow. As you might expect, you can create or access your Pandora account, create or access stations, rate songs, etc. What you might not expect is that you can also launch and control the app from Verizon’s iPhone or Android apps. Yeah, maybe it’s not Netflix or Hulu Plus. But this is a positive trend and proves once again Verizon is the best “cable” company in my estimation.

14 thoughts on “Verizon FiOS TV Launches Pandora App”

  1. So now I can launch Pandora from my Blu-Ray player, my TV, my Set-Top box and my laptop. Probably from my Wii.

    Do any of them have advantages over the others? Not really. I’ll probably stick with my TV, because it seems to have the most responsive interface and network connection. (My laptop isn’t actually hooked up to my home theatre.)

  2. Well, I think most folks would prefer the apps/services on “Input 1” — in your case that’d be a smart TV or set-top box. But not everyone has a smart TV. And my Vizio smart TV is double crashy when accessing the (sluggish) apps. Presumably Verizon does better… and I intend to find out tonight. Not that I prefer music via my television, but Roku shared some insane stats with me once and there are those who clearly do.

  3. If I had a “one box to rule them all” Pandora would be a requirement, along with DVR and a few other apps.

    Xfinity Spectrum DVR has an apps section and they too created a Pandora App.

    I’d like to see all providers go the route of a more interactive music app rather than use linear bandwidth on something like Music Choice, DMX, SonicTap, etc..

  5. “Not that I prefer music via my television, but Roku shared some insane stats with me once and there are those who clearly do.”

    I’m always surprised that flat-panels haven’t implemented a “Screen Mute” button on the remote in the same way they have an audio Mute button.

    Radio (and jukeboxes) on the teevee make perfect sense if you could just easily mute the screen.

  6. In lieu of a “screen mute” button – or as an alternate option – music streaming services and the devices that support them should look to Xbox and its Zune music as an example of the right way to display graphics during audio playback. Zune shows full screen high resolution cover art images and text (scrolling up, down, sideways, diagonally, etc.) while the music plays. It is a nice touch. Contrast that with Pandora on Roku which is just a single lame cover art image – filling only about 1/5 of the screen – bouncing around.

  8. Well I have Pandora on my TiVos, blu-ray player, & HT receiver.

    I think the key to why people want it through these devices isn’t to have it on their TV but because they are all part of their home entertainment center.

    I use Pandora through my Premiere almost on a daily bases and usually turn the TV off after I start it.

  10. Yup, this is a good step. Certainly MOST people have cable STBs in their homes and DON’T have any media streamers, so this will make all of them happy. Though of course they still probably won’t use it.

    I’d advise not to assume that because this happened that anything video that competes with the cableco VOD assets they want to monitize will show up anytime soon. So yes to Youtube, but no to Hulu Plus etc.

    I know LOTS of people who use their TVs as their main audio source. Go to a party. Whether they have Comcast or Direct TV, they’re tuned to one of the digital radio channels and playing that. Doesn’t matter if they don’t have good speakers on the TV or a hookup to the receiver. That takes the least amount of effort.

    So this is good. Pandora is just that one step up from a radio station.

  11. Hulu Plus is less likely than Netflix, but these guys may be just barely be positioned in such a way as to not compete directly or significantly impact revenue in a negative way (versus potential gain). Netflix could be a big win actually. Whereas Amazon VOD or Vudu would never, ever fly. RCN has stated a few times that’d they’d like to offer Netflix on their TiVo Premiere variant…

  12. Dave,

    Yeah for current Netflix I guess. Problem is I see Netflix streaming continuing to evolve over time as the importance of physical media fades. Even now for example they have say “The Fighter” on Netflix streaming, which might be a title that Verizon would want to offer on their VOD platform for an upcharge since it isn’t on HBO or anything yet. I think you’ll see more and more of these conflicts as time goes on.

  13. What about Netflix w/o Starz (new release) movies… Hm. That’d confuse customers if they had different content on different platofrms. Then again, renewing Starz may be so cost prohibitive that it doesn’t get done.

  14. “I know LOTS of people who use their TVs as their main audio source. Go to a party. Whether they have Comcast or Direct TV, they’re tuned to one of the digital radio channels and playing that. Doesn’t matter if they don’t have good speakers on the TV or a hookup to the receiver. That takes the least amount of effort.”

    Exactly. Which is why I’m always surprised that no flat-panel manufacturer implements a “screen mute” button on their remote. Seems to me as if LOTS of consumers might want such a thing.

    (Personally, I have no need for such a button, but I’m not the average consumer…)

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