Verizon said today that it has added 23 new channels, including 18 in high-definition (HD), to its Pittsburg-area lineup.
With the recent additions, Verizon said that its FiOS TV service now offers more HD channels than Comcast in the Pittsburg area.
FiOS TV customers in the area now have more than 440 HD choices available at any time, with a total of 45 HD channels and more than 400 HD video-on-demand (VOD) titles offered each month.
Verizon said that it will continue expanding its FiOS TV channel lineup this year, with a major focus on HD content. By year-end, Verizon plans to offer all available major HD programming. The company has previously stated that it will have 150 HD channels by the end of this year.
Verizon also announced today that subscribers who sign up for its video service between today and Oct. 4 are eligible for a year’s free use of either an HD digital video recorder (DVR) or an HD home media DVR.
To further woo customers away from cable and satellite providers, Verizon is also offering new FiOS TV customers – or existing customers who upgrade to a bundled package – one free month of HBO and Cinemax, which includes more than 25 premium channels and access to hundreds of additional titles on VOD. Verizon said that new customers who take advantage of this offer could save between $200 and $260.
Verizon also announced that it is phasing out several duplicate analog channels on its FiOS TV service in California.
In April, Verizon announced that it would cease broadcasting analog channels on its FiOS TV service ahead of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated transition to all-digital signals, which is scheduled for Feb. 17. The telco said that it will phase out the analog channels on a regional basis, with the transition in California slated to start on Sept. 1.
Verizon has provided the duplicate channels so that digital subscribers can view limited programming in an analog format without using a set-top box. As for the telco’s customers who subscribe to a service that solely offers the duplicate analog channels, Verizon said that it will provide them with a free digital adapter.
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