Verizon’s FiOS TV Launches in Texas

Long-awaited pricing details of Verizon’s FiOS TV are available now that the company is taking orders in Keller, Texas, where it had been testing the fiber-delivered video service.

Expanded basic, with 180 music and video channels, will cost $39.95 per month. Basic service is $12.95 a month for local broadcast, public, education and government channels. One interesting aspect of the basic service is that subscribers can have a digital set-top box to access pay-per-view and VOD programming. Cable operators typically make those services only available to digital subscribers.

The service officially launched today and will be available to 8,800 homes in Keller, which is near Dallas. Verizon expects FiOS to be available in Wylie, Sachse, and Westlake, Texas later this year with Florida, Virginia and California also expected to have the service soon.

Other packages include a sports package with 15 channels for $5.95, a movie package with 45 channels of Starz, Encore, Showtime and The Movie Channel for $11.95 (or both sports and movies for $14.95) and a Spanish language package of 24 channels for $11.95. FiOS TV will also deliver 20 HD channels to subscribers who have an HD set-top box which costs $12.95 per month, three dollars more than leasing the regular digital set-top box.

As for premiums, 12 Cinemax channels can be accessed for $14.95 a month (along with Cinemax VOD) and 16 channels of HBO are available for $14.95. Subscribers can also get both by paying $24.95. OnDemand movies, which launches with 600 titles, are priced at $3.95 each with older titles available for $2.95.

The company also announced its bundling plans. Subscribers of either the voice or Internet service package will get $5 off each monthly FiOS TV bill. Subscribers to both save $10.