Verizon FiOS TV is now even better for customers in Maryland and northern Virginia as the company is launching 39 new channels, including 19 additional HD channels. FiOS TV customers in the area now have more than 540 HD choices available at any time, with at least 49 HD channels and more than 500 HD VOD titles offered each month.

As a result of this enhancement to the FiOS TV lineup, Verizon is now offering consumers here more HD than both Comcast and Cox offer. Verizon will continue expanding its FiOS TV channel lineup this year, with a major focus on HD content. By year-end, Verizon plans to offer all available major HD programming.

To make the offer even sweeter, Verizon is offering a year's free use of either an HD DVR or an HD Home Media DVR to consumers who sign up for FiOS TV by Oct. 31. With Verizon's unique Home Media DVR, customers can use one DVR to record programming that can be watched on up to six other TV sets in the home. This includes viewing up to three separately recorded programs simultaneously on different TV sets, and the ability to pause recorded programming on one set and continue watching it on another. FiOS TV's Home Media DVR is bundled with Media Manager, a feature that allows customers to access photos and music from their personal computers and play them on their TV.

Verizon is also offering new FiOS TV customers, or existing customers who upgrade to a bundled package, one free month of HBO and Cinemax, which includes more than 25 premium channels and access to hundreds of additional titles on VOD. New customers who take advantage of this offer will save between $200 and $260 the first year, depending upon the DVR customers choose.

Verizon Leads the Way with New HD Channels, and More to Come

FiOS TV customers in Maryland and northern Virginia now will get to see more of their favorite channels in HD, including Animal Planet, TLC, Science Channel and Smithsonian Channel. Other new HD programming that FiOS TV customers in the region now receive includes CNN, CNBC, Lifetime, Bravo, TBS, History Channel, Weather Channel, USA and SCI FI.

For sports fans in the area, Verizon has launched four new HD sports channels. Verizon has always placed a high priority on major sports programming and offering as much as possible in HD.

The company has now added top college basketball and football action with the Big Ten Network in HD. Hockey and golf fans will find NHL games, PGA Tour events and original sports-related programming on the high-definition Versus/Golf Channel. In addition, Verizon has launched the Outdoor Channel 2, which provides high-definition programming that promotes traditional outdoor activities like fishing, hunting and shooting sports; and ESPNU HD, a 24-hour college sports television network that will air all Thursday and Saturday college football games live as well as coverage of college basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, hockey and more.

New Standard-Definition Channels, Including Multicultural Content

In addition to the new HD content, Verizon has launched 20 new standard-definition channels for customers in Maryland and northern Virginia. New content includes Reelz, Veria TV and WAPA TV. Verizon also is now offering two new standard-definition sports channels -- Big Ten Network and Setanta Sports, a premium channel dedicated to bringing European and International soccer and rugby to U.S.-based fans. Currently, no other cable provider offers Setanta.

Verizon also is offering customers in the area 15 new multicultural channels, including leading channels for Arabic, Portuguese and Russian audiences, among others. These new channels continue to make FiOS TV an outlet for emerging and independent networks to showcase their diverse programming.

Much of the multicultural content comes from World TV, a division of content management and delivery company GlobeCast, which previously signed a distribution deal with Verizon for top-tier international channels. The new GlobeCast World TV international television channels include MBT (Arabic), RTPI (Portuguese) and RTR Planeta (Russian). In addition to the World TV content, Verizon will offer Filipino channel GMA Pinoy TV.

Customers in Maryland and northern Virginia join those in Indiana, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, southeastern Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington state and Pennsylvania, who are receiving new content on the FiOS TV channel lineup. Verizon soon will roll out this new content and more in other areas where FiOS TV is available.