T-Mobile today announced its TVision cord-cutting service that the company hopes will appeal to those looking for an alternative to traditional TV packages. TVision offers a number of different tiers with each focusing on the number and quality of live TV channels. In addition, there’s also an optional a la carte tier for premium networks. As to be expected, the different tiers vary in price, accordingly.
While T-Mobile’s announcement seemingly came out of nowhere, this is a service the company has been working on ever since its Layer3 purchase in 2017. Since then, T-Mobile has been focused on the relaunch of TVision with today’s announcement signaling the service is now a step closer to consumer reality.
The new TVision by T-Mobile service essentially comes down to three tiers, although the third is an extension of the other two. For example, consumers can opt for the cheapest “TVision Vibes” plan which, for $10 per month, provides access to a selection of popular live TV channels. In contrast, there is the “TVision Live” option that’s more akin to other live TV streaming services, with access to a wider selection of channels, including live sports. However, starting at $40 per month, the price is also similar to other options.
Those who find the 30+ channels not sufficient enough can upgrade to the “TVision Live TV+” plan which adds an additional $10 per month, as well as a small selection of extra channels, including NFL Network. Or upgrade once again to the “TVision Live Zone” which, for $60 per month, adds more channels, including NFL RedZone.
Then there’s the “TVision Channels” tier. This one acts as an option to build on either the Live or Vibes plans by adding from a selection of premium networks, with each network costing at least $5.99 per month. Technically, consumers can opt to use the Channels plan without a Live or Vibes subscription.
TVision not yet available to everyone
Although now announced as the company’s next un-carrier move, there are some caveats consumers will need to be aware of. The main one is the service is currently only available to existing postpaid T-Mobile (and Sprint) customers. Officially, TVision doesn’t launch until November 1 at which point existing T-Mobile customers can sign up. Likewise, on November 13, existing Sprint customers will also gain the option to subscribe.
While T-Mobile has confirmed that it plans to make its TVision services available to everyone in due course, the company has yet to provide any details on when.
Another point to note is that although no hardware is necessarily needed to access the service, due to Android, iOS, and streaming player app support, the company is going to release its own TVision Hub HDMI device, powered by Android TV, for those that want a device to access the service on
Alternatively, those who sign up to either the TVision Live TV+ or TVision Live Zone packages before December 31, can get an Apple TV+ subscription for free. As well as the option to buy a Apple TV 4K player with 32GB storage at a $99 discounted rate.
Source: T-Mobile
