Verizon FiOS Sets Date For Next VOD Binge-Fest

Verizon Communications is gearing up for its next on-demand binge-fest next month with the "Free On Demand Marathon," a set-top VOD tilt that will feature access to more than 2,300 movies and more than 90 full TV seasons.

The promotion is set to run April 1-7, and designed to coincide with an HBO free preview that starts April 4 and will feature full seasons of original hits from the premium programmer, including Game of Thrones, True Detective and Girls. Also on tap will be ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Nashville, NBC’s Chicago Fire and Parks and Recreation, among others.

Verizon will again use the promo to amp up VOD usage. One in four FiOS TV customers participated in last fall's FiOS Free On Demand Marathon, and 48% more VOD transactions took place during that promotion, the company said. The fall marathon also resulted in a 45% increase in VOD participants versus last May’s marathon, the telco noted.

Comcast has begun to set the table for its next “Xfinity Watchathon Week,” which will run from March 31-April 6 and offer free access to full seasons of TV shows on the set-top and its TV Go app for tablets, smartphones and PCs.  

Matt Strauss, Comcast’s senior vice president and general manager, video services, is expected to provide more details about what the MSO has in store on  Wednesday (March 19) morning when he keynotes the Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable Next TV Summit in New York.