Verizon Adds 55 New Channels to FiOS TV Lineup - Including 53 in HD - for Hampton Roads, Va., Area Customers

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Verizon FiOS TV is now even better for customers in the Hampton Roads area as the company is launching 55 new channels, including 53 additional high-definition (HD) channels.  FiOS TV customers in the area now have more than 800 HD choices available at any time, with access to a total of 101 HD channels in the market and more than 700 HD video-on-demand (VOD) titles offered each month.

As a result of this latest expansion of the FiOS TV lineup, Verizon is now offering consumers here access to far more HD channels than Cox.  Verizon will continue expanding its FiOS TV channel lineup this year, with a continued focus on HD content. 

"FiOS TV is the only service to consider if you want the ultimate HD experience," said Mary Ellen Payne, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Verizon's Potomac region.  "With our increased number of HD channels, along with HD video-on-demand programming, we're blowing cable away.

"The addition of new HD channels is part of our commitment to lead the industry in the scope and quality of our programming," said Payne.

In Hampton Roads, FiOS TV is available to consumers and businesses in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Poquoson and Virginia Beach.  The service also is available in northern Virginia and Richmond, as well as in 13 other states.

FiOS TV customers in the Hampton Roads area now have access to a total of 101 HD channels and get to see some of their favorite channels in HD, including Animal Planet, TLC, Science Channel and Smithsonian Channel.  New HD programming that FiOS TV customers in the region now receive includes FX, The Biography Channel and Superstation WGN HD.

For those who want the best in news, Verizon has added Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel in HD.  Viewers who watch home and leisure programming can now enjoy QVC, the Travel Channel and Planet Green, while kids and teens can enjoy their favorite shows on the Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Family - all in HD.

In addition, movie buffs now can get MGM HD and the Hallmark Movie Channel in HD as well as 12 new channels from HBO and 10 from Cinemax in HD, plus FiOS TV's Movie Package, which now offers 13 new HD channels from The Movie Channel, Starz and Showtime, including The Movie Channel Xtra, Starz Edge, Starz Comedy, Starz Kids and Family, Showtime, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme and Showtime 2.

Verizon also has launched five new HD sports channels: ESPNews HD, a 24-hour sports news television station; The Tennis Channel, with comprehensive tennis coverage; World Fishing Network, which provides recreational and sport fishing enthusiasts with an entertaining and comprehensive lineup covering a wide range of programming; Mav TV, a 24-hour network targeting men that features wrestling, fishing, roller derby and gaming; and Speed HD, the nation's first cable television network dedicated to motor sports, with content that covers everything from racing to restoration to motorcycles, movies and more.

In addition to the new HD content, Verizon has launched two new standard-definition channels in the region: Current TV and RFD TV.

Customers can get much of this new HD content with Verizon's new FiOS TV Extreme HD service for $57.99 a month by itself, or in a three-service bundle for $109.99.  Other pricing options are available for new customers and for Verizon's current FiOS TV Premier customers.

In addition, consumers who sign up for FiOS TV between now and Dec. 31 are eligible to enjoy free access for 90 days to three premium entertainment packages - Cinemax, HBO and FiOS TV's Movie Package, which includes Showtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, Encore, Sundance Channel and IFC.  This package includes 40 HD premium channels as well as more than 9,000 free VOD titles per month.

For more information on FiOS TV, visit www.verizon.com/fiostv.  Consumers can also call their local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.

Verizon's FiOS TV service offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, with more than 500 total channels and 11,000 video-on-demand titles, 70 percent of which are free.  The VOD library also includes an increasing number of HD titles, and Verizon plans to have 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by the end of the year.  FiOS TV is currently available to 8.2 million homes in 14 states. 

[Note: A complete channel lineup can be found online at http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm.]