Verizon celebrates the first anniversary of its fiber-optic FiOS TV service this week, leading the industry in several categories and adding advanced services that give customers more control over their entertainment.

Citing Verizon research that shows the majority of FiOS TV subscribers were previously cable subscribers, Marilyn O'Connell, senior vice president - video solutions, said, "Customers have spoken loudly about the quality and value of FiOS TV as they've moved from cable to Verizon. We think 2007 will be an even bigger year for FiOS TV and our subscribers as we add advanced services and new markets."

Verizon launched the fiber-optic FiOS TV service in Keller, Texas, on Sept. 22, 2005, and now serves more than 80 communities in North Texas, California, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. Verizon is making FiOS TV available to more customers weekly, as it continues to build its industry-leading fiber-to-the-home network and open new video-serving facilities. Verizon expects to begin providing FiOS TV service in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey in the coming months, and it will expand deployment in the states where FiOS TV already is available. Verizon this week also announced it will offer FiOS TV in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 2007.

Verizon's TV Leadership
FiOS TV delivers more than 200 all-digital channels in its Premier Package plus access to thousands of on-demand programs and advanced interactive features. Service information and channel lineups are available at http://www.verizonfios.com/tv.

After its first year, FiOS TV leads the major cable companies in several key TV categories:

No. 1 among terrestrial TV providers in the number of national high-definition channels, with 16. Including local channels with HD programming, Verizon now provides 27 HD channels in Maryland and up to 25 in other states and will add more HD programming before the end of 2006.

No. 1 in the percentage of customers with digital service. With virtually 100 percent digital customers, Verizon leads Cablevision, its closest competitor in this category, by 26 percentage points (as of the end of the second quarter 2006).

No.1 in the percentage of total subscribers with high-definition or digital video recorder set-top boxes or both: 60 percent vs. leading cable companies.

No. 2 in video-on-demand titles: 2,900 titles on any given day and 4,700 titles throughout the month. By year-end 2006, the number of titles will increase to 3,330 on any given day and 5,500 throughout the month. "I won't be satisfied until we're No. 1 in this category," O'Connell said. In addition to increasing the number of HD channels and on-demand titles, FiOS TV plans next year to more than triple the 17 channels currently in its international channel lineup. Twenty-seven Spanish-language channels are also available in other programming packages.

Roadmap for Innovative Services
O'Connell said Verizon is adding interactive, personalized services to FiOS TV that cable companies don't match.

FiOS TV Widgets, introduced in June, is a free interactive feature that provides local weather and traffic information. Home Media DVR, which launched in August, features a multi-room digital video recorder that enables viewing of recorded programs on set-top boxes throughout the home without requiring customers to set up a complex home network or buy extra equipment. The Home Media DVR also lets customers easily access photos and music from their personal computers and play them on their entertainment center where they look and sound the best.

O'Connell said Verizon will introduce more applications to FiOS TV in 2007 and beyond that will give customers access on their TVs to interactive programming, games and Internet content.

"Our mantra in the first year was to give customers more channels and service choices with FiOS TV," she said. "Now we're beginning to also give them more control over where and when they access their entertainment. We're obviously thrilled with initial customer response to FiOS TV, and we look forward to delighting customers with even more innovation in the years ahead."