Philo announced the nationwide launch of a streaming video service featuring live TV, DVR and on-demand services, focused on entertainment, lifestyle and knowledge programming. The new over-the-top (OTT) service, priced at $16 per month, includes 35+ cable channels and can be viewed anywhere in the United States, on TVs, computers, tablets and phones. An additional nine channels can be added for $4 more per month.
Philo will carry content from A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, Scripps Networks, and Viacom with channels including A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, BBC America, Cheddar, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Food Network, GSN, HGTV, HISTORY, Investigation Discovery (ID), IFC, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon, TLC, Travel Channel, and others.
Philo features and functionality include:
- The ability to watch on up to three different devices at the same time
- Seven-day free trial
- Unlimited 30-day DVR, an on-demand library, plus the ability to pause any live channel, start programs from the beginning, and watch programs that have aired in the past three days
- Search and functionality to save and follow particular shows
Philo also plans to integrate a social platform to connect viewers with their friends and family to discover new content, share favorite shows, and watch shows together.
"Our goal at Philo is to build a television service that people love as much as they love their favorite shows. We're constantly looking for ways we can improve the experience because at the end of the day, we're also building Philo for ourselves," said Andrew McCollum, Philo CEO. "We started delivering streaming television at universities six years ago, and we've taken all of the unique insight we gained about this new generation of TV watchers in order to build a unique product and content package at an incredible value."
At launch, Philo is designed to support web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari), Roku devices, an iOS app, and Android via Chrome (app coming soon) with more platforms to come.
