Verizon bid to offer online TV said to snag

Verizon Communications Inc. is struggling to complete deals for the planned debut of a new online TV service, according to people with knowledge of the matter who said the company isn’t close to agreements for many of the most-watched networks.

A plan to start selling packages with dozens of channels has slipped to fall from summer and could be put off further, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private business negotiations. Executive turnover in Verizon’s video team and internal discussions over the specifics of the service are behind the delay, the people said.

Verizon has spent months trying to obtain rights to networks for a live online service to compete with offerings from DirecTV, Hulu and YouTube that include CBS and ESPN. The product would be separate from FiOS, a fiber-based TV package available in parts of the U.S. The New York-based carrier had planned to introduce the service by late September, Bloomberg News reported in March, but meeting that deadline would require a flurry of deals.

Verizon is still working through its plans for the business, including pricing, the programming mix and the development of the technology. That has complicated efforts to sign up major media companies that are reluctant to come onboard without such specifics, the people said. It still could be ready by year-end, one of the people said.