X
Tech

T-Mobile gets into paid TV market

It's acquiring a TV tech startup that will help it get into the TV market, with service starting in 2018.
Written by Marguerite Reardon, Contributor

T-Mobile is getting into the the TV business with the acquisition of Layer3 TV, a TV tech company. The service will launch next year, according to T-Mobile CEO John Legere.

T-Mobile has billed the service as a breakthrough for people who "love their TV, but ... hate their TV providers." The new service will combine streaming TV and online video at a lower cost and doesn't restrict customers to lengthy contracts or bundles that include channels or content they don't want to watch.

"We're gonna fix the pain points and bring real choice to consumers across the country," Legere said in a statement. "It only makes sense for the Un-carrier to do to TV what we're doing to wireless: change it for good!"

T-Mobile's Binge On service already offers unlimited streaming to select video services. Legere said the company's move is the latest in its "uncarrier," which it claims offers customers wha they want without conventional constraints of competitors.

Layer3 TV service, which integrates television, online video content and social media, is available in five cities across the US, T-Mobile said. The company plans to build on this service for its own service.

This article was originally published on CNET.

Editorial standards