News Over Wireless Broadens Verizon Wireless Deal

Deal Will Provide More than 1,000 Local News, Sports Videos to V CAST Subscribers

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/1/2008 5:50:00 PM

News Over Wireless, a subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting that has partnered with more than 80 local TV stations to deliver news video to cellular-phone users, significantly expanded its service by striking a deal with Verizon Wireless to carry its stations’ video content as part of Verizon’s V CAST download service.

Now Verizon Wireless subscribers who sign up for V CAST -- which is available for $3 per day or $15 per month -- will automatically get access to more than 1,000 local news and sports videos from television stations across the United States on their phones, in addition to Verizon Wireless' ESPN MVP, Get It Now and Mobile Web 2.0 services.

The Verizon deal, announced Tuesday at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas, significantly expands the reach of the My Local TV News “video channel,” the News Over Wireless product that features specially formatted content from local stations owned by Allbritton Communications, Dispatch Broadcast Group, CBS, Gannett, Meredith Broadcasting Group, Media General and others.

The My Local TV News video service had previously only been carried only by Sprint Nextel. News Over Wireless does offer separate WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)-based services that incorporate text, graphics and video through all the major carriers, including Verizon Wireless; those products range in price from $2.99-$4.99 per month.

V CAST Video customers can access My Local TV News in the “News” category on V CAST, choose their U.S. region and city, then the individual station. MyLocalTV is currently provided by various CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates reaching almost 70% of the United States.

"The local news, weather and sports coverage that My Local TV News provides is perfect for the V CAST Video service,” said Sam Matheny, general manager of News Over Wireless, in a statement. “It gives Verizon Wireless customers access to the information they need and use every day, directly from the local stations they know and trust.”