T-Mobile today announced that it will launch its own over-the-top TV service in 2018, which will be fueled in part through the acquisition of Layer3 TV. Details about the service are scarce, but T-Mobile CEO John Legere said that it will continue the company's theme of being a "disruptive" solution to its rivals, this time in both the internet TV and paid cable markets.
Layer3 TV will help T-Mobile build the service, which is said to provide solutions to lengthy contracts, increasing monthly bill costs, confusing bundles, outdated user interfaces, and more. T-Mobile will fold in Layer3 TV's current services and expand it to a wider audience. Right now this includes select TV channels, streaming online video content, and social media, but is only available in five U.S. cities.
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“People love their TV, but they hate their TV providers. And worse, they have no real choice but to simply take it – the crappy customer service, clunky technology and outrageous bills loaded with fees! That’s where we come in. We’re gonna fix the pain points and bring real choice to consumers across the country,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “It only makes sense for the Un-carrier to do to TV what we’re doing to wireless: change it for good! Personally, I can’t wait to start fighting for consumers here!”
T-Mobile's service will enter a busy streaming TV market, which currently includes DirecTV Now, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and many more. Companies are even beginning to offer internet streaming bundles that focus on catering to specific audiences, like Philo, which is aimed at viewers not interested in sports channels and offers much cheaper monthly costs.
T-Mobile and Sprint almost merged recently, but the companies called off the merger in November because they were unable to find "mutually agreeable terms." At the time, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said that while a deal with Sprint was a "compelling" idea, it would have needed to offer "significant benefits" for both consumers and shareholders.
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(View all)More stuff T-Mobile customers will think they're getting for free without realizing there is no such thing as "free" and everything offered is added in to the cost of their service.
Right now I'm paying T-Mobile exactly $70.00 per month for unlimited service, including mobile hotspot, inclusive of all taxes and fees. Previously, I wan paying AT&T upwards of $100 per month, in addition to a slurry of hidden and variable taxes and fees, and mobile hotspot wasn't allowed."Free" might be a BS marketing term, but the fact remains that T-Mobile is offering better service, at dramatically lower costs than their competitors.
More stuff T-Mobile customers will think they're getting for free without realizing there is no such thing as "free" and everything offered is added in to the cost of their service.
Of course it's not going to be "free". I do end up with quite a bit of "free" stuff from T-Mobile though. I pay $41 per month for 2 lines (unlimited talk, text, and 4 GB LTE) after taxes and fees [this is a family plan so there are other lines but each line ends up about $20/month]. That's not free but it's a better price than I've found elsewhere.Then there are T-Mobile Tuesdays promos (about $40 of Dunkin' Donuts gift cards over the past year or so, $0.25 off per gallon of gas, which has saved me about $60 so far, etc.).
So yes, nothing is free but I've looked at other providers and no one can provide the same benefit/cost ratio as T-Mobile (this includes MVNOs - Red Pocket comes close in value but not quite in benefits). The T-Mobile promos are perks on top of the already great value.
/I'm really not a T-Mobile shill (I'm in higher education and research) but I give credit where it is due.
More stuff T-Mobile customers will think they're getting for free without realizing there is no such thing as "free" and everything offered is added in to the cost of their service.
Why do people think they know better than everyone else? Nobody thinks its free. But there are good deals and there are bad deals. It remains to be seen what deal they offer. Its up to the individual to decide if they like the deal or not. People are not as stupid as you think they are, nor are you as smarter than everyone else as you think you are.