US: T-Mobile looks to join pay-TV market

The US’s number No. 3 carrier T-Mobile said it will acquire Layer3 TV, which has launched an alternative cutting-the-cord cable service in a handful of markets and plans to go national in 2018. The move will help T-Mobile compete with rival AT&T, which owns DirecTV and markets the pay service to its customers in bundles for lower wireless rates.

“People love their TV, but they hate their TV providers,” said T-Mobile CEO John Legere. “And worse, they have no real choice but to simply take it – the crappy customer service, clunky technology and outrageous bills loaded with fees!”

Legere vowed to change the way consumers look at pay TV, with fewer pain points and more choices. Layer3’s current offering is in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Washington DC. In Los Angeles, it offers 275 channels and a DVR box for US$75 monthly, which isn’t that competitive with cable. Spectrum, for instance, charges US$70 monthly for 200 channels, and unlike Layer3, Spectrum customers don’t need to already have an internet connection, which adds to the monthly bill.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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