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AT&T Pleased With Early Results From Video Launch

Apr 24, 2006  •  Post A Comment

After the first four months, the feedback from its controlled launch of video services in San Antonio indicates AT&T is on the right path with its strategy and user experience, said Jeff Weber, VP of product and strategy for AT&T, during a briefing at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.

Consumer feedback the San Antonio launch has given the telco the reassurance it needs to continue its rollout to 20 additional markets later this year, Mr. Weber said. AT&T introduced video service to a limited footprint of employees and non-employees in its headquarters market in December.

“A year ago when we were talking about San Antonio, there were questions of whether it would work,” he said. “The general question of ‘Can you do this?’ is behind us.”

Instead of focus groups and lab trials, the telco now surveys users for their response to the service. “Customers like it; they say it’s simple, easy to use,” he said. In particular, he said users like the instant channel change and the ability to use picture-in-picture capabilities in the program guide. That means when viewers scroll through channel listings, they also see a small window in the guide with the video from each channel listed.