Vizio Adds Streaming VOD to WatchFree Plus Service

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
last updated

Titles including movies, TV shows and Vizio exclusives

Vizio WatchFRee Plus
(Image credit: Vizio)

Vizio said it is adding ad-supported video-on-demand to its WatchFree Plus streaming service.

In addition to hundreds of live linear streaming channels, Vizio smart TV set users will be able to stream more than 5,000 hours of on-demand programming, including movies, TV shows and Vizio exclusives such as season five of Cold As Balls from Kevin Hart’s LOL Network.

Also: Vizio Adds Bingeable Content Based on Viewership Data

“Today’s audiences want quality on demand movies and TV shows on their own terms. Vizio’s AVOD offering  gives SmartCast users an extensive catalog of free programming for them to enjoy whenever they want, all with easy search and discovery capabilities,” said Mike O’Donnell, chief revenue officer at Vizio. “With the evolution of WatchFree Plus on demand programming, SmartCast users can now browse through hundreds of shows and movies to watch at any time, for free, and without any subscriptions or logins required.”  

The VOD content will help Vizio expand its advertising business. “We’re not only creating a more attractive streaming environment for our VIZIO audiences, but also for the many brands who want to reach the audiences who are increasingly moving away from linear TV,” O’Donnell added.

Also: Vizio Reports 3Q Loss Despite Streaming Platform Gains

The movies available on demand on Vizio’s WatchFree Plus include Daredevil, Confessions of a Shopaholic and Alien Resurrection from Disney; Southpaw, The Founder and Lion from Lionsgate; Air Force One and Stealth from Sony and The Boondock Saints, The Lazarus Effect and The Woman in Black 2 from Samuel Goldwyn. ■ 

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.