T-Mobile, the nation’s No. 3 wireless carrier, said today that it bought startup Layer3 TV to help it roll out a nationwide TV service next year. The service will target people who aren’t interested in traditional cable and satellite TV packages. T-Mobile didn’t disclose how much it paid for Layer3, which is available in five U.S. cities.
Startup cable service Layer3 TV has announced the addition of TV Everywhere access to its premium pay TV service offering. In all, the Denver-based operator is allowing customers to use more than 70 multiscreen apps, accessing top channels including ABC, NBC, Fox, ESPN, FX, Discovery, AMC, History, HBO and USA Network, just to name a few.
Layer3 TV CEO Jeff Binder wants to reinvent the way you watch TV. For the past two years, he and his co-founders have quietly constructed a takeover tactic for the biggest screen in your home. They’ve raised close to $100 million from a fund run by private equity outfit TPG and talent agency CAA. But instead of trying to build the next Netflix (which everyone is doing), they’re trying to build the next Comcast (which no one at all is doing).
