Sources familiar with the pending deal say that the agreement would include intellectual property and other traditional sponsorship rights but is centered on content — which Verizon wants for over-the-top programming efforts, especially its recently launched go90 product. As a mobile-first service, go90 is aimed at the growing audience of millennial cord-cutters.
Endemol Beyond’s Icon network is going to launch three original lifestyle series on the Verizon mobile app. They are expected to be available starting in September 2016.
Verizon Communications is hoping that millennials will start flipping their mobile phones 90 degrees and streaming live and on-demand television. The telecommunications company plans to announce this week the start of a free, ad-supported mobile streaming service called Go90, a reference to the behavior of rotating a phone to watch videos in landscape mode. Aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds, the service will be available to all users, regardless of whether or not they are Verizon customers.
