Family Broadcasting Co. said its Family Movie Classics (FMC) channel  has launched on streaming platform Vidgo.

FMC has been adding streaming distribution and is now carried by DirecTV Stream, Frndly TV, Philo and Freecast. It is available in 25 million homes, Family Broadcasting said.

“Vidgo has been a great partner and we’re delighted to extend the partnership to include FMC,” said Cara Conte, senior VP, Affiliate Sales of FETV and FMC. “FMC now joins our sister network FETV on the Vidgo lineup and provides us with the opportunity to deliver our beloved content to an even broader audience.”

FMC is best known for John Wayne Friday Night Feature, which draws is six-shooter every Friday at 8 p.m. ET.  The Duke’s films, Rio Bravo, El Dorado, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Sands of Iwo Jima appear.

FMC’s schedule also includes a Sunday Double Feature, Legends of the West, and Primetime Pictures.

Featured films for August include Gilda, Cowboy, Bye Bye Birdie and Suddenly, Last Summer.

Battling in the small-but-super-competitive realm of virtual pay TV operators focused on live sports programming, indie operator Vidgo has announced a new promotion to offer new and existing Sony smart TV users a 30-day free trial of its 150-channel, $79.95-a-month Premium tier. 

The promotion, which has already started, is being highlighted within the Sony TV displays at more than 400 Best Buy brick-and-mortar locations nationwide. The promotion will also surface via the Bravia TV OS homepage on all Sony TVs shipped starting in 2015.

Vidgo is also receiving prominent tile placement of its app icon next to the usual connected-TV app staples like Netflix within Bravia TV. 

In addition to a full complement of right-leaning channels (One America News, Newsmax, and Fox News Channel), privately backed Vidgo delivers perhaps the most robust selection of college conference-focused regional sports networks in the vMVPD ecosystem, not to mention ESPN, and FS1 and FS2, as well as major broadcast networks ABC and Fox. 

Conspicuously absent at this time of year across Vidgo's four packages — which also include the $64.95-a-month, 110-channel Plus offering — are CBS, as well as Turner Networks channels TNT and TBS.  

Since these networks will carry March Madness, the coveted NCAA men's college basketball tournament, starting March 14, Vidgo's aggressive promotion precedes what is undoubtedly a tough subscriber month for a vMVPD that doesn't disclose customer metrics, but does nonetheless heavily market itself around viewing access to live sports. 

Luckily, Vidgo’s promotional partner, Sony, ranked as the No. 3 shipper of smart TVs to the U.S. last year, controlling 9.5% of the market, according to Omdia. 

“We couldn't be more excited to partner with Sony, a global leader and innovator, to include Vidgo prominently on their Sony smart TV homepage, making it easier than ever to access Vidgo’s 40,000 titles live, linear and on-demand,” Derek Mattsson, CEO of Vidgo, said in a statement. ■

Value-priced streamer Vidgo said it reached an agreement to carry Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Tennis Channel to a lineup of more than 150 channels.

The launch of the Tennis Channels enables Vidgo subscribers to watch action from the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open.

“Vidgo’s streaming platform is a favorite for dyed-in-the-wool live sports fans,” said Derek Mattsson, CEO of Vidgo. “Tennis Channel is one of our most important additions to expand our lineup of live sports because it features some of the world’s best athletes, entertaining and thrilling fans for hours in what I believe it one of the most exciting spectator sports around.  Tennis Channel is the perfect complement extensive sports lineup, and I can proudly say we are now the best sports streaming service with the best value overall.” 

Vidgo said its lineup includes more than 35 sports channels, offering soccer, NFL, XFL, NBA and NASCAR action. ■

“We’re pleased to work with Vidgo to make Tennis Channel available to their growing subscriber base,” said Lee Schlazer, senior VP distribution, Sinclair Broadcast Group. “As streaming options continue to rise in popularity, our goal remains the same – to bring Tennis Channel’s unrivaled coverage to people wherever they want to experience it. With two of the biggest tournaments in professional tennis taking place here in the United States in March, this couldn’t have happened at a better time for Vidgo customers.”

Also Read: Streaming TV Service Vidgo Updates Graphics, User Interface

Vidgo packages include Vidgo Plus at $64.95 per month, Vidgo Premium at $79.95 per month, Vidgo Ultimate at $99.95 per month and Spanish-language service Vidgo Mas at $39.95. ■

Streaming service Vidgo will be able to make 10,000 films and television series available to its subscribers through a deal with Cinedigm.

Vidgo, which markets itself as a way for cord cutters to save money, offers more than 150 television networks along with a library of on-demand content.

“Our focus is to deliver an unbeatable value to our customers, while providing the content that excites audiences the most – whether it’s a major sporting event or the next Blockbuster hit,” said Derek Mattson, CEO of Vidgo. “Cinedigm is an ideal partner to help us achieve this goal. With more than 10,000 new titles, Vidgo can now offer even more of the programming our audiences love and crave, for the best value in the streaming industry. With more than 10,000 new titles, Vidgo can continue to deliver even more of the content our audiences love at the best value in the streaming industry.”

The Cinedigm programming becoming available via Vidgo includes Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie; New York, New York; Elvis: A Generous Heart and Daniel Boone, Trailblazer.

“This partnership represents increased accessibility of the entertainment we love most,” said Cinedigm CEO Chris McGurk. “By joining forces with Vidgo, we’re able to share our incredible pool of content with more customers than ever before, and at a price people can afford. We look forward to continuing to grow this mutually beneficial relationship.”

Vidgo packages include Vidgo Plus at $64.95 per month, Vidgo Premium at $79.95 per month, Vidgo Ultimate at $99.95 per month and Spanish-language service Vidgo Mas at $39.95. ■

Streaming TV service Vidgo said it is launching a new look and an improved user experience across all platforms.

"We have reimagined what easy access to an affordable streaming service should look like," said Vidgo CEO Derek Mattsson. "With Vidgo’s app available on the most popular connected TV and streaming devices – including Roku, Vizio, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices – our subscribers now have unlimited access to their favorite shows, sports and news at home and on the go."

A new red, white and blue logo and a slogan that promises viewers the "Freedom to be Entertained" are now incorporated into the Vidgo apps and website.

The interface features tile navigation and improved discovery that gives users search and filter capabilities to help fund live and on demand content by genre, title, popularity, language and geography.

Vidgo offers three tiers, with Vidgo Plus featuring more than 110 channels for $59.95, a premium plans with 150 channels for $79.95 and VidgoMás with 42 live and on-demand Spanish-language channels for $39.95.

Also: Vidgo Doubles Down on Far Right Content with New Bill O'Reilly Series

Vidgo recently announced that it was the first virtual MVPD to distribute the Cinedigm Cineverse of enthusiast channels including Fandor, The Bob Ross Channel, El Rey Network, Bloody Disgusting and Comedy Dynamics. ■

Vidgo said it launched VidgoMás, a new Spanish-language subscription streaming service featuring 42 live and on-demand channels.

Content is being provided by Univision and UniMás broadcast stations, Fox Deportes, Discovery Familia, Azteca TV, Estrella Media and others.

A VidgoMás basic subscription costs $39.95 with 42 streaming channels and on-demand programming. 20 hours of DVR viewing is included for the first 90 days.

Vidgo Plus at $59.85 offers 110 channels and a Premium plan for $79.95 provides unlimited access to more than 150 networks. 

“We aim to provide the best value to our growing and increasingly diverse audience,” Vidgo CEO Derek Mattson said. “More than 53 million people speak Spanish in the U.S., yet these audiences are often overlooked. We could not be more excited to bring thousands of hours of popular Spanish-language content as we establish Vidgo as the go-to streaming destination for the Latino community.”

The Vidgo service is available on CTV devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Vizio, Apple TV, Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as on the web.  ■

Cindeigm said it reached a deal under which subscriber to Vidgo will get access to Cinedigm’s Cineverse ad-supported streaming service 

Powered by Cinedigm’s Matchpoint technology, Cineverse is being integrated into Vidgo’s connected TV apps, mobile apps and website and available in the fall.

Vidgo is the first virtual MVPD to carry Cineverse.

“We believe in the Freedom to be Entertained and Cinedigm’s channels are just that – freedom to select from a broad range of titles, themes and fun,” said Derek Mattsson, Vidgo CEO.

Also Read: Vidgo Doubles Down on Far Right Content with New Bill O'Reilly Series

The Cineverse lets viewers  navigate through content on Cinedigm streaming channels including Fandor, Screambox, RetroCrush, The Bob Ross Channel, the Dove Channel, AsianCrush, El Rey Network, Bloody Disgusting and Comedy Dynamics.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Vidgo to offer the first bundling of our new flagship streaming service Cineverse with a top vMVPD,” said Cinedigm senior VP of Revenue Daniel Schneider.  

“Cinedigm remains focused on reaching new audiences and expanding distribution of our branded enthusiast channels and broad catalog of content across all genres. Vidgo’s innovative programming approach has enabled us to bring significant added value in premium entertainment content to their massive subscriber base and puts viewers in a position to benefit from the expanded content choices and innovative curation that Cineverse will implement to aid in content discovery,” Schneider said. ■

Fledgling virtual MVPD Vidgo, the only remaining  nationally distributed pay TV service still carrying the highly controversial One America News Network (OANN), is doubling down on right-wing content, giving former Fox News firebrand Bill O'Reilly  his own weekly show. 

O'Reilly, who was forced to end his high-profile 16-year tenure as a lynchpin commentator for Fox News back in April 2017 amid sexual harassment claims from six women, actually kicked off his new weekly Vidgo show, the hamfistedly titled Shock and Awe, last Friday, with an installment featuring former NFL stars Joe Namath and Rob Gronkowski discussing the physical toll caused by the game of football on its players. 

It's an interesting first topic, given that Vidgo pays the just re-retired Gronkowski to ply his well-worn knucklehead TV commercial persona to shill for the vMVPD in ads. Vidgo also markets itself as a key destination for college football live game coverage, with carriage of ESPN and Fox Sports 1&2, as well as regional sports channels The Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network. 

As for this Friday's upcoming Shock and Awe installment, O'Reilly will look at "how the Biden Presidency stacks up against others." (Despite a landmark series of key legislative victories, you can probably guess where that's headed.) 

Vidgo, which had "over 25,000 subscribers" according to one published report last year, has committed to 40 installments of Shock and Awe, with Vidgo founder Shane Cannon touting on social media Tuesday, "the best package for Middle America just got better." 

"Vidgo is the future of information and entertainment. It will provide reasonable cost streaming with smart, unique content. Shock and Awe will deliver timely interviews and analysis with the most intelligent people in the world," O’Reilly said in a statement.

“Bill is an American icon. We couldn’t be more excited to have Vidgo serve as the exclusive home for Shock and Awe,” added Vidgo CEO Derek Mattsson. “We believe this is exactly the kind of programming that will resonate with our base and substantially grow our subscribers.”   

Notably, after building his fading media brand via the powerful platform of the notably far right Fox News, O'Reilly has criticized his former network for downplaying the significance of the January 6 insurrection. He's also dismissed former President Donald Trump's assertion that the 2020 election was "rigged." 

These beliefs are in direct conflict OANN, which was -- perhaps as a consequence -- recently dropped by DirecTV and Verizon. 

For its part, however, Vidgo continues to carry OANN, alongside Fox News and Newsmax. 

Nexstar Media Group said it reached a multi-year agreement with streaming service Vidgo to carry Nexstar’s cable network WGN America.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

WGN America has recently completed deals with a number of virtual MVPDs, including Hulu Plus Live TV, FuboTV and YouTubeTV. Those deals have expanded WGN America’s reach by 8.5 million subscribers.

Also Read:Nexstar’s ‘News Nation’ Ready for Opening Night

“Today’s announcement continues the steady strategic expansion of WGN America,” said Sean Compton, president of the networks division of Nexstar. “We are excited to be adding Vidgo’s customers the network’s reach, and to be bringing NewsNation and Banfield to more viewers who can watch us whenever and wherever they desire.”

Vidgo is a privately held prepaid over-the-top television streaming service with local channels, live sports, news, entertainment, family, and Latino programming. 

Virtual pay TV service Vidgo announced a broad-ranging upgrade to its pre-paid streaming platform, including the doubling of ABC and FOX local channels, as well as a range of new viewing features. 

After deals with Nexstar and Tegna, Vidgo now has carriage of ABC and FOX affiliate in owned-and-operated stations in more than 100 markets.

The vMVPD, which already carries the full suite of Disney and Fox networks, also announced a range of new usability features. These include Timeshift, which lets users who join a show or sporting event late, or get interrupted, pause, rewind and fast-forward through the program. “Playback,” meanwhile, lets users watch shows on the program guide up to 24 hours after they ran. 

Meanwhile, an Adobe-powered TV Everywhere feature access hundreds of hours of additional content, movies, and recorded shows from ESPN, Disney, ABC, Fox, Fox News, NFL Network, Discovery, A&E, Viacom, beIN Sports and Hallmark apps. 

Vidgo users can now stream live content on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari web browsers. And they can cast from the Vidgo mobile app via AirPlay and Chromecast. 

Startup Vidgo’s “Core” base tier delivers more than 60 channels for $40 a month, bundling ABC and FOX in most significant markets, along with ESPN, Fox Sports 1 and 2, NFL Network, beIN Sports, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network and SEC Network.

“Vidgo has created an affordable skinny bundle of the best content and features compared to packages currently in the marketplace. Our customers value television worth watching at an affordable price below $50”, said Scott Aiken, Vidgo’s CMO, in a statement. “We are proud to deliver comprehensive packages which include the best live sports, local channels and news, at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

Harmonic says its VOS360 live streaming platform is providing the backbone to Vidgo’s $40 a month pre-paid virtual pay TV service. 

The platform delivers a range of tools in a cloud native environment, including live and file transcoding, packaging and origin, dynamic and real-time CDN selection, targeted advertising, time-shifted viewing and network DVR. The San Jose-base tech company says its DevOps team is providing the vMVPD start-up with 24-hour support and monitoring.

"New entrants to the OTT environment don't necessarily have massive budgets, and they need to launch services fast," said Eric Armstrong, VP of North American media sales for Harmonic, in a statement. "With our VOS360 Live Streaming Platform, Vidgo can cost-effectively scale its new OTT service on the fly and stream content ranging from on-demand to premium live sports events to millions of subscribers with exceptional quality, scalability and reliability, differentiating itself in this highly competitive arena."

Added Video CEO Shane Cannon: We chose Harmonic's VOS360 Live Streaming Platform because it significantly reduces our operational costs and complexity, making it simple to stream live events with high reliability and exceptional quality of experience. Harmonic provided outstanding support and expertise throughout the project, taking the guesswork out of live streaming.”

Looking to make noise as it fits its new crown as the lowest priced full service virtual MVPD, Vidgo announced today that it’s adding the full suite of Fox Corp. cable networks and local broadcast stations to its bundle.

The initial 15 broadcasts outlets include O&Os in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Tampa, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, Orlando, Charlotte and Austin. Start-up Vidgo said more local FOX stations are “forthcoming” to its $39.99-a-month base-tier “Core” package.

Also joining Vidgo Core are FoX News, Fox Business, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes and Big Ten

Network. Fox Soccer Plus is now available as an add-on.

“Adding Fox to Vidgo’s lineup delivers tremendous value to our customers at a very affordable price,” said Vidgo CEO Shane Cannon, in a statement. “Fox has consistently dominated television ratings year after year with some of the most watched sports, news, and entertainment on television.”

The addition of the Fox Corp. portfolio comes after Vidgo touted the addition of Disney networks, including ESPN and major-market ABC outlets, last week. 

It also comes as Dish Network’s Sling TV, previously the leader among vMVPD’s offering the full range of channels, upped its base price to $30 a month. The full iteration of Sling TV, which includes both its “Orange” and “Blue” channel packs, is now priced at $45 a month. 

Vidgo is streamable on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV OTT devices, as well as iOS and Android mobile tech. 

In addition to the The Atlanta-based start-up to the usual limited-time free trial instant sign-up option, Vidgo is carving a market among recent immigrants without credit cards, offering pre-paid service through a national network of wireless stores. 

The question now: How long can Vidgo, which lists only $500,000 in seed funding on its Crunchbase profile, keep up its current business model before it needs to raise prices?

Looking to make noise as it fits its new crown as the lowest priced full service virtual MVPD, Vidgo announced today that it’s adding the full suite of Fox Corp. cable networks and local broadcast stations to its bundle.

The initial 15 broadcasts outlets include O&Os in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Tampa, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, Orlando, Charlotte and Austin. Start-up Vidgo said more local FOX stations are “forthcoming” to its $39.99-a-month base-tier “Core” package.

Also joining Vidgo Core are FoX News, Fox Business, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes and Big Ten.

Network. Fox Soccer Plus is now available as an add-on.

“Adding Fox to Vidgo’s lineup delivers tremendous value to our customers at a very affordable price,” said Vidgo CEO Shane Cannon, in a statement. “Fox has consistently dominated television ratings year after year with some of the most watched sports, news, and entertainment on television.”

The addition of the Fox Corp. portfolio comes after Vidgo touted the addition of Disney networks, including ESPN and major-market ABC outlets, last week.

It also comes as Dish Network’s Sling TV, previously the leader among vMVPD’s offering the full range of channels, upped its base price to $30 a month. The full iteration of Sling TV, which includes both its “Orange” and “Blue” channel packs, is now priced at $45 a month.

Vidgo is streamable on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV OTT devices, as well as iOS and Android mobile tech.

In addition to the The Atlanta-based start-up to the usual limited-time free trial instant sign-up option, Vidgo is carving a market among recent immigrants without credit cards, offering pre-paid service through a national network of wireless stores.

The question now: How long can Vidgo, which lists only $500,000 in seed funding on its Crunchbase profile, keep up its current business model before it needs to raise prices?

Most virtual MVPDs blew past the $40-and-below price point two years ago, unable to hold the line against increasing program licensing costs.

Atlanta-based Vidgo, however, just licensed the entire suite of Disney Media Networks, including ESPN, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX, National Geographic and ABC in several major markets. It’s now bundling 60 channels in a prepaid vMVPD service priced at $39.99 a month.

Vidgo’s lineup also includes networks from ViacomCBS, including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. Discovery and A+E Networks channels are also bundled in, as are regional sports channels, including the Pac 12 Network. Sports-wise, the NFL Network, Fox Sports, beIN Sports and Stadium are also included.

And in terms of talking heads, Vidgo also bundles in Fox News and Cheddar. There’s no CNN or WarnerMedia channels as of yet.

Local broadcast access is limited. But the service, which is prepaid through local wireless stores, does carry local ABC stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh/Durham and Fresno through its just-announced Disney deal.

“Vidgo has smartly devised a robust channel line-up at a competitive price point compared to the limited economy package choices that are currently in the marketplace,” said Sean Breen, senior VP of Disney Media Distribution, in a statement.

Vidgo hasn’t released subscriber figures for its service. 

Most virtual MVPDs blew past the $40-and-below price point two years ago, unable to hold the line against increasing program licensing costs. 

Atlanta-based Vidgo, however, just licensed the entire suite of Disney Media Networks, including ESPN, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX, National Geographic and ABC in several major markets. It’s now bundling 60 channels in a prepaid vMVPD service priced at $39.99 a month. 

Vidgo’s lineup also includes networks from ViacomCBS, including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. Discovery and A+E Networks channels are also bundled in, as are regional sports channels, including the Pac 12 Network. Sports-wise, the NFL Network, Fox Sports, beIN Sports and Stadium are also included.

Related: Vidgo Finds Its Niche in the vMVPD Market

And in terms of talking heads, Vidgo also bundles in Fox News and Cheddar. There’s no CNN or WarnerMedia channels as of yet. 

Local broadcast access is limited. But the service, which is prepaid through local wireless stores, does carry local ABC stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh/Durham and Fresno through its just-announced Disney deal.  

“Vidgo has smartly devised a robust channel line-up at a competitive price point compared to the limited economy package choices that are currently in the marketplace,” said Sean Breen, senior VP of Disney Media Distribution, in a statement. 

Vidgo hasn’t released subscriber figures for its service. 

Vidgo, which offers a pre-paid virtual pay TV service targeting Latino customers, today announced a strategic partnership and investment with Kiswe Mobile, a company that makes applications for watching sporting events on smart phones.

Monetary figures were not disclosed.

“Vidgo’s unique customer acquisition model gives them a large physical presence in mobile storefronts and with prepaid customers in nearly every community in the United States,” said Mike Schabel, Kiswe Mobile’s CEO, in a statement. “Their go to market strategy and content rights fit nicely with our vision to provide consumers with an engaging and social mobile video experience centered around live sports.”

After numerous fits and starts, Atlanta-based Vidgo launched two bundles of Spanish-language channels late last year, base priced at $15 a month. Its two programming bundles focus heavily on Latino soccer fans.

Murray Hill, N.J.-based Kiswe Mobile was founded in 2013 by former Bell Labs engineer Jeong Kim. It specializes in user-controlled video experiences surrounding sports, such as allowing the user to control the camera angle.

Vidgo, which still insists its on the cusp of an English-language service launch, said it will work with Kiswe to create a “differentiated platform for users by enabling social features for live video that will increase interaction amongst friends and family: a virtual living room.

“We share Kiswe’s vision to bring friends and fans together to watch live sports and

television and believe strongly it will revolutionize the way people watch video” said

Shane Cannon, Vidgo CEO. “Bringing people together to watch video.”

After boldly announcing itself on the nascent virtual MVPD scene at CES 2016, then wandering into the startup wilderness, Vidgo is finally conducting a soft launch.

Now under different ownership and management, the Atlanta-based start-up this week made two skinny tiers of Spanish-language, soccer-rich channels available under pre-paid conditions to users of iOS and Android devices. (The company said apps for Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Apple TV will debut in the coming weeks.)

Related: Is Long-Gestating vMVPD Start-Up Vidgo Finally Ready to Launch?

The $19.99-a-month “Latino” base tier will feature 25 live-streamed channels, including beIN Sports, Canal Sur, Galavision, TV Azteca, TYC Sports, Univision and Univision Deportes. And the $29.99-a-month “Latino Mas” bundle will add Bandamax, De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clasico, Ecuavisa, Foro TV, Ritmoson, Telehit and TI Novelas.

The pre-paid service requires no credit card or credit checks and is targeted to a first-generation immigrant population acclimated to a cash economy—an audience of millions of consumers, Video CEO Shane Cannon noted, that is underserved in the pay TV market, even by suppliers like Dish Network’s Sling TV, which is rich in international programming choices.

Cannon said the company will add an English-language package later in 2018 if the launch is successful.

Vidgo introduced itself with a more mainstream-focused programming package in 2016, under the direction of Robert Kostensky, a former DirecTV sales and and distribution executive. In fact, a webpage still exist, touting a launch in 12 markets in the summer of 2016, and a national rollout by the end of that year.

But as Vidgo’s debut got delayed, the vMVPD market steadily saturated, with DirecTV Now, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV and fuboTV joining the ranks. Cannon replaced Kostensky as the lead executive last year, with new backers— described as a top five network—also stepping in.

According to Vidgo’s Crunchbase profile, the company has raised $500,000 in seed funding to date. But Cannon said a new, more sizable funding round is at hand.

Notably, Vidgo is marketing Sunday’s soccer game between Barcelona and Real Madrid, dubbed "El Clasico," which will be broadcast by beIN Sports. 

Having introduced itself all the way back in January 2016 at CES, at a time when the virtual MVPD market was at its infancy, Atlanta-based OTT start-up Vidgo has finally announced pricing and packaging for its live-streamed service.

The company has identified a niche in the Latino market, and is offering three vaguely sketched out product tiers for its vMVPD: the $19.99-a-month “Latino” bundle with “20 channels of the most popular Spanish entertainment and sports channels from Latin America”; the $29.99 Latino Mas package with “30 channels from the USA, Central and South America, and Spain”; and the $39.99 Core tier, which has few details.

Vidgo CEO Shane Cannon told Light Reading that his company will offer a slate of live and VOD programming consisting of both local broadcast and cable channels, with cloud DVR. The service will be playable, he said, on iOS and Android mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Vidgo hasn’t announced a launch date, but tweeted back on Sept. 1, “Internal Beta underway in preparation for launch.”

Truly, this startup has walked a long road.

In April, Vidgo Cannon touched on the company’s target market while announcing a deal with Harmonic to use the vendor’s VOS media processing platform.

“We’ve identified a significant underserved market in the United States, with millions of consumers that are currently not part of the pay TV ecosystem,” Cannon said.

Vidgo’s Crunchbase profile lists the company being founded in 2017 and receiving $500,000 in private funding to date.

However, at CES 2016, company cofounder Robert Kostensky, a former DirecTV sales and and distribution executive, told reporters that he and another unnamed cofounder had been developing the start-up for the previous seven years, and that Vidgo was preparing to launch in 15 cities.

"We're just dotting the I's and crossing the T's," Kostenky said at the time. Kostenksy is now working for Atlanta-based consulting firm Last Mile Inc., according to his LinkedIn profile, having departed Vidgo in August 2017.

At the time, the only vMVPDs in the market were Dish Network’s Sling TV and Sony’s PlayStation Vue. The virtual pay TV market, however, now has nearly a dozen participants.

Cannon, meanwhile, is a former AT&T wireless executive who is listed on LinkedIn as having joined Vidgo in 2015 as chief marketing officer. He was named CEO in January. 

Though there are lingering questions about pricing, packaging and a precise launch date for an OTT TV service being developed by Vidgo, the company has revealed two key technology partners – Float Left and Harmonic – in tandem with this week’s NAB show in Las Vegas.  

Among them, Float Left and its Flicast platform will help Vidgo bring its coming virtual MVPD service to major platforms such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, web browsers, and iOS and Android mobile phones.  

RELATED: Fragmentation Remains a Major Factor in OTT Video World 

Vidgo has also tapped Harmonic’s VOS media processing platform, including encoding and transcoding via the vendor’s VOS SW Cluster, to help underpin its OTT services. It will also use Harmonic’s PURE Compression Engine, a software-based media processing technology that will help Vidgo deliver high video quality across screens at the “lowest possible bitrates.”  

Though specifics about Vidgo’s offerings are yet to come, it does plan to offer a lineup of more than 40 linear channels and a “robust” VOD library under a no-contract model that’s also free of box fees. Vidgo, which had once planned to introduce services sometime in 2016, currently expects to launch a beta version of the service this summer across “all major platforms.”  

Still unclear is how Vidgo will be able to differentiate amid a competitive mix of virtual MVPDs that includes Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, fuboTV, and Hulu.  

Vidgo, a virtual MVPD in the making, came out of hiding in January at CES with claims that it would soon offer low-cost pay TV bundles and VOD services over-the-top, including local TV, sports fare and premium services.

But it didn’t offer much in the way then of what programming it will offer, how it will be priced, and which platforms it will support early on.

Not all the questions are answered yet, but Vidgo did shed some more light this week on what’s apparently on the way.

Per its announcement, Vidgo will feature “build your own programming packages” that will include access live linear local broadcast TV channels – including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS -- in “select initial markets” that  include New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco.

The service will also offer some national content from Disney/ABC, Discovery, as well as ESPN, NFL Network, and some still-unannounced local sports content.  

Also on offer: first-run movies, a cloud DVR, and access on several platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, PCs, and iOS and Android mobile devices.

Still missing from the picture: its full programming options, pricing (it will be “affordable,” which is subjective, so take your best guess), and a specific launch date. Notably, Vidgo said each of its packages will allow for multiple simultaneous device streams.

It’s already delayed. In January, Vidgo said the plan was to launch its contract-free, self-installable service in 15 U.S. markets in the first half of 2016, with national coverage to follow by Q4. Former DirecTV execRobert Kostensky is Vidgo’s president and co-founder, and Shane Cannon, president of Cannon Satellite TV (a Dish Network authorized dealer), is the startup’s chief marketing officer.

We’ve reached out to Vidgo for an update and will follow up with more details as they become available.

But Vidgo is coming on the scene as OTT distribution rights continue to open up.

Among recent examples, Sony PlayStation Vue offers the local feeds of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC in all of their respective owned-and-operated markets. Sling TV, Dish’s skinny-bundle OTT-TV service, has also begun to offer local TV options in select markets.

Add Vidgo to the list of companies that claim that they’ll crack the pay TV code by offering low-cost bundles of broadcast TV channels and VOD via an over-the-top distribution platform.

Vidgo timed its introduction with this week’s CES, promising it will offer “the most channels of live linear TV and video-on-demand, including premium, sports, local and international content” to a range of smart TVs, tablets and smartphones.

Among the other claims, no fees with equipment, no credit checks or contracts, and a plan to launch in 15 U.S. markets in the first half of 2016 and national coverage by Q4 2016. The initial batch of markets will include New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, per Mashable. 

Vidgo said it will be offered in “three competitively priced packages,” each with multiple simultaneous device streams. Its menu will span premium, sports, local and international content, it says.

So, how much will these packages cost? What channels will be offered? How will it all be delivered? Those details will be released sometime in Q1. In the meantime, consumers can sign up for updates.

Depending on packages it will be able to create, Vidgo will be entering an expanding virtual MVPD market that now includes Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. It’s also an area being pursued by Telletopia Foundation, a nonprofit that plans to offer an OTT streaming service, but succeed where Aereo failed, by factoring in retrans payments. Telletopia’s success also hinges heavily  on an upcoming FCC vote that proposes to define some streaming over-the-top services as MVPDs that are eligible for retrans.

As for what is being shared, former DirecTV exec Robert Kostensky is Vidgo’s president and co-founder, and Shane Cannon, president of Cannon Satellite TV (a Dish Network authorized dealer), is the startup’s chief marketing officer.

“VIDGO combines the best of existing online streaming services with live television and VOD,” Kostensky said in a statement. “VIDGO is the lowest cost solution to deliver the most expansive catalog of live linear television and VOD to all devices and connected televisions.”

Vidgo’s parent company is Gotham Media, which (hint, hint) runs a content delivery network that reaches into many parts of the globe, and develops streaming apps for platforms such as iOS, Android, and Roku. Gotham’s listing of partners include Comcast, Cisco, Internap, Level 3 Communications, Cogent Communications, Samsung, and Apple, among others.