April 6, 2021
Last week, we learned that T-Mobile's short foray into live TV streaming went belly-up. Just 6 months after announcing its T-Vision service, T-Mobile updated the world that T-Vision will be no more. This week, we'll analyze what this means, and more importantly, why we believe this happened.
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Streamer's Spotlight: T-Vision's Fatal Flaw Was Obvious From the Start
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T-Mobile announced its entry into the cord-cutting marketplace during the height of the global pandemic. Its new T-Vision service would be revolutionary (or so it promised). Live TV, over the web, and at a fraction of the cost of cable! What's more, T-Mobile even offered pricing tiers, with a service option designed exactly for the no-sports crowd that's Philo's bread and butter.
Given cord-cutters like choice, what exactly went wrong? Here are some thoughts.
1. You Needed a T-Mobile Phone Plan
T-Mobile's new live TV service was an exciting option in a market that's been getting smaller and smaller. But when it launched, we saw an immediate red flag: plan gating. This isn't an official term you'll find anyone using, but it's the best one to describe this marketing scheme. T-Vision came at an additional cost, but it was gated behind T-Mobile's mobile service plans. E.g., no matter how much you might want to use T-Vision, you couldn't get it without ditching your current mobile provider and signing up with T-Mobile. That, in itself, showed that T-Mobile wanted to use its T-Vision service as a loss leader to increase numbers where it really mattered (data plans).
2. Difficult-to-Access Details
T-Mobile made another wrong move with its T-Vision service by restricting access to details behind its plan gate. You could get some basics details, but the full channel lists were never available without going through the rigamarole of making a T-Mobile account.
3. Not Unique Selling Point
Every major player in the live TV cord-cutting market has a unique selling point. For Philo, that's targeting viewers who eschew sports and want entertainment-only plans at a much lower entry point. For fuboTV, the goal is the opposite: Giving fans as many sports as possible, including hard-to-find sports channels. Even little-known Vidgo (which started as a fuboTV clone of sorts) has a unique pitch to potential subscribers by offering a load of Spanish-language channels and a unique Social TV feature.
T-Vision had no unique selling points. Beyond a lower-than-average price, it was made to leverage the demand for over-the-top TV services...except it locked them behind a T-Mobile phone plan.
We've Been Here Before
Presumably, T-Mobile looked to AT&T and its now-defunct AT&T WatchTV service as an example. And presumably, T-Mobile decided AT&T botched its WatchTV service in ways that T-Mobile would not. Now, WatchTV had a number of problems, including the fact that AT&T didn't do enough to advertise it, but it was also plan gated behind an AT&T phone plan. That, in itself, was a huge issue for increasing its usability for cord-cutters, who aren't going to buy new phones and data plans in huge numbers just to cut the cord, especially when there are plenty of other options available.
T-Vision's New Life
T-Mobile didn't fully kill T-Vision. Instead, it decided to partner with YouTube TV and Philo to offer live TV through its service. This is absolutely the right move, as other providers have proven by offering Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu as feature-adds to their services. At present, T-Mobile is even offering a $10/month discount for subscribers who add YouTube TV through the service. It's still a bit gimmicky and won't drive huge phone plan signups by itself, but it could be the trigger some people on the fence about switching plans need to make the change to T-Mobile versus one of its competitors, especially if those users already have a YouTube TV account.
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This Week's Streaming Guide
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1. Netflix Takes on the Art of the Art Heist
The new Netflix series This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist provides a dramatic re-enactment of a famous 1990 Boston art heist. Streaming on Netflix this Wednesday (April 7). - Watch on Netflix
2. Get Ready for 'Kung Fu' Action on The CW
The CW's new season begins, including the launch of its show Kung Fu. A Chinese-American woman returns from China to discover her hometown has become overrun with crime. Stream live on The CW this Wednesday (April 6) at 8 PM EST. - Watch The CW Without Cable
3. ABC's New Show 'Rebel' Inspired by Erin Brockovich
The Erin Brockovich story lives on in ABC's new legal comedy drama Rebel, starring Katey Sagal as Annie "Rebel" Bello. Watch live on ABC this Thursday (April 8) at 10 PM EST. - Watch ABC Live Without Cable
4. HBO and Joss Whedon Dive Into Victorian-Era Super Powers with 'Nevers'
"Victorian women find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies and a mission that may change the world." Watch live on HBO this Sunday (April 11) at 9 PM EST. - Watch HBO Without Cable
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News and Industry Developments
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1. T-Mobile Making Big Changes to T-Vision
The company is no longer offering its own plans, will not sell YouTube TV and Philo subscriptions. - TMoNews
2. Here's Everything Coming to and Leaving Netflix in April
Another month, another around of film and show rotations for the 'Flix. - Time
3. Some Pixar Employees Unhappy with Disney for Making Content Free on Disney+
"We're not even good enough for an upcharge?" - CinemaBlend
4. AMC Networks' Growth Plan? Don't Take on Netflix
The network is instead focusing on providing a "boutique" service approach to attract users interested in unique content. - Hollywood Reporter
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