Coming Soon: A Streaming Service For Non-Sports Viewers

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If you thought all of America was sports crazy, it appears you’d be wrong.


And, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a clutch of providers are set to take advantage of that fact by offering a new streaming service for viewers who aren’t interested in sports.

Involved are cable channels owned by Discovery Communications, Viacom, AMC Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive.

Sources report that there will be a “soft launch” in coming weeks. The new “skinny bundle” will come at a subscription rate of less than $20 and will start out as a direct-to-consumer streaming service, with the goal being to eventually get established pay-TV providers to offer similar packages.

The exact channels to be available is not yet known, but it is expected that the core channels of each company will be included.

The service will be called Philo — named for Philo Farnsworth, who developed the first all-electronic TV system.

— Adrian Zupp, from Boston