Vidgo, a new streaming service in the market, is hoping to capitalize on customers who are looking to stream live local television and sports, in addition to on-demand content.
The Atlanta-based company, which introduced its service at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said it’s going to “offer the national programming customers want to watch, alongside live local broadcast and sports, at an affordable price.”
By giving access to live linear channels, Vidgo is hoping to separate itself from the competition.
To date, it has secured streaming rights for ABC-, CBS-, Fox-, NBC- and PBS-affiliated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco. The service is the first to secure streaming rights to linear PBS channels.
It’s still unclear how much the service will cost. Vidgo is in limited testing currently and will be “publicly launching very soon,” a company official said.
The service is going to allow subscribers to build their own programming packages, including content from Disney-ABC, Discovery and several sports networks, including ESPN, NFL Network, and MLB Network.
The service is also going to offer a cloud DVR, a favorites menu bar for quickly accessing most-watched channels and access to full programming on-the-go or at home via wi-fi or 4G LTE connections. It’s also going to allow for multiple streams simultaneously with each package.
At CES, Vidgo’s pitch made it appear more similar to a traditional cable operator rather than a new over-the-top streaming service. Mashable reported in January that the company is expected to have three separate tiers, “presumedly separated by price and access.”
What’s going to separate itself from the competition is its ability to offer live local stations. According to media reports, the company spent all of 2015 pitching the major broadcast and cable networks in order to strike streaming deals.
Robert Kostensky, former DirecTV sales and distribution executive, said his co-founder was “developing backend infrastructure for video streaming for the last seven years,” according to a report by Fierce Cable. “The fact that Vidgo is offering a fully baked, secure technology and has been transparent about it, has gained the trust of media conglomerates.”
Users can signup for Vidgo at Vidgo.com or by calling 1-800-977-8393. The service is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android and desktop. For more info, check out the press release here.
