Verizon CFO: Go90 Stats, User Metrics Coming in Q3

8 Jun, 2016 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Verizon in the third quarter will reveal data surrounding its mobile video app, go90, CFO Fran Shammo told an investor group.

Speaking June 7 at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2016 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference, Shammo said “some things” have been implemented with go90, which he said has resulted in improved performance for the service.

Last month, CEO Lowell McAdam characterized go90 as “patient money” in a business outside of Verizon’s “core competency.” The telecom appeared confident the app would continue to evolve slowly, incorporating content from AOL, AwesomenessTV, Comedy Central, music and live sports (NBA, NFL), among other sources.

“Now that we are through that, you’ll start to see some momentum gain again,” Shammo said. “The third quarter would be about the timing of when we’ll start to release some, if you want statistics or metrics around the go90 platform.”

The executive stressed that go90 — unlike other over-the-top video services — is not subscription-based. The free app can be accessed on any mobile device and is not dependent upon a Verizon-branded device or broadband subscription.

Shammo said go90, which is ad-supported, is about attracting eyeballs.

“Viewership matters, because viewership drives advertising dollars, which drives the top-line revenue,” he said.

The CFO reiterated go90 is an OTT video service targeting mobile device users with content appropriate to millennials and wireless users. Instead of trying to establish new competition to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, Verizon eyes the app as a solution to pockets of free time in a user’s day.

Indeed, go90 content (from AwesomenessTV, Liga Mexico, NBA, MTV, etc.) is focused on short-form video entertainment, news and information.

“I want to fill up the 10 times a day that you have 10 minutes free, I want you to come to my platform and digest 10 minutes of content,” Shammo said.

“That [SVOD] ecosystem is going to be there, but the question is, that’s going to be so congested and what we are trying to do is create something that’s very unique and different than everybody else with linear TV.”

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