WOW at this point is leaning toward marketing someone else’s video service, not its own.
Englewood, Colorado-based WOW has stopped promoting in-house Android TV-based video service WOW! tv+ and is now instead marketing virtual MVPDs from other companies to WOW broadband customers.
“As more and more cable customers choose to cut the cord and demand more flexible options for where, when and how they consume news and entertainment, WOW has shifted to meet those demands,” the company said.
Currently, landing pages for specific regions within WOW’s footprint heavily promote WOW high-speed internet products. Clicking on the “Streaming TV” tab in those regions surfaces marketing for third-party virtual MVPD services YouTube TV, fuboTV, Sling TV and Philo, with nary a mention of WOW! tv+.
In February, WOW said it would conduct a trial in Charleston, South Carolina, where it would market those four vMVPD services to its high-speed internet customers in the region. That trial has apparently been expanded to other parts of the WOW footprint.
“Our strategic focus is on our broadband business and we have updated wowway.com to better serve consumers as they increasingly choose streaming services over traditional video,” the company said. “Most of WOW’s new customers are now choosing our HSD-only offering as they look for a viewing experience that better aligns with their budget and entertainment preferences.”
It was only early March when WOW also began testing WOW! tv+ in Columbus, Ohio. It expanded those tests to Cleveland and Central Michigan last month.
“WOW! tv+ is very much a part of our product and services portfolio that is designed to offer consumers maximum flexibility and choice,” the company said. “We continue to introduce WOW! tv+ in new markets across our footprint.
“If a customer requests a more traditional video experience, we are able to offer WOW! tv+ and our traditional video product, when WOW! tv+ isn’t available, through our call centers and sales teams,” WOW added.
