--- description: Verizon is trying to upend the traditional pay-TV model by letting its customers have more control over exactly which channels they purchase title: Verizon Is Making it Easier to Pay for Only the Channels You Want image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Media](/tag/media/) ## Media Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Verizon Is Making it Easier to Pay for Only the Channels You Actually Want by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2015 2:54 PM CUT by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2015 2:54 PM CUT Verizon is trying to upend the traditional pay-TV model by letting its customers have more control over exactly which channels they purchase. The telco giant, which serves about 5 million pay-TV customers through its FiOS fiber-optic service, will begin selling a slimmed-down channel package on Sunday**. C**ustomers start with a basic package of channels like ABC, Fox, CNN and more. They can then add genre-specific “channel packs,” including a sports pack featuring ESPN, a kids pack featuring Nickelodeon and an entertainment pack featuring TNT, among others. The basic plan will cost $55 for the mandatory channels (about 35 total) and two channel packs. Additional packs will cost $10 each and can be switched monthly. Verizon will also continue to offer various TV bundles that include Internet access or phone service. The move comes as competitors like Dish Network are already offering cheaper, slimmed-down cable bundles. Sling TV and HBO are offering content without the need for a cable subscription at all. Apple is also rumored to be working on a smaller cable bundle that would stream channels over the Internet and cost $30 to $40 per month. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/"},"headline":"Verizon Is Making it Easier to Pay for Only the Channels You Actually Want","datePublished":"2015-04-17T14:54:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:28:46.290Z","description":"New bundles let customers pick and choose channels","url":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/","keywords":["Media","Television","Verizon"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/media/","name":"Media"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/","name":"Verizon Is Making it Easier to Pay for Only the Channels You Actually Want"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Tech School: Which TV Streaming Service is Right for You?","description":"With several new TV streaming options available, it can be hard to decide what to choose. Here's what you need to know if you're thinking of ditching cable.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dooN9OJv/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-04-15T17:59:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dooN9OJv.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/","duration":"PT2M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3826468/verizon-cable-espn/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```