Philo, Inc. is a US-based Online TV streaming company, engaged in selling products on e-commerce websites. The company has a well-established supply chain and offers various services such as live streaming access of cable and broadcast channels to university students, which enables students to watch live news, prime-time TV, entertainment, and sports programs on their computers or smartphones. Investors in the company include HBO, Mark Cuban, and Facebook co-founder, Andrew McCollum. Philo is planning to incorporate a social platform that joins viewers with family and friends, discovers new content, watches shows together, and shares favorite shows.
Overview:
Philo was developed and designed in order to provide an enhanced TV experience to customers, and was developed by Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of electronic television. The company was started on a college campus as a laboratory for making a next-generation TV platform. In addition, Philo has received investment from various organizations, including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Xfund, Rho Ventures, Home Box Office Inc. (HBO), WME, CBC New Media Group, and Mark Cuban’s Radical Investments.
Media companies such as A+E, AMC, Scripps, Viacom, and Discovery signed an agreement with Philo to combine their channels into a single service package. For a baseline US$ 16-per-month subscription, consumers can access on-demand and live streaming from 43 channels. This includes A&E, AMC, AXS TV, Animal Planet, BBC America, BET, Cheddar, BBC World News, CMT, Discovery, DIY, Comedy Central, FYI, GSN, Food Network, History, Lifetime, IFC, ID, MTV, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nick, OWN, Spike, Sundance, Sci, Teen Nick, Travel, TLC, TV Land, Viceland, VH1, WE, and Velocity, among others.
In addition, credit card details are not required to register for free trials, and only a mobile phone number will suffice. However, credit card details can be provided after a few days, to access free service for a full week.
What are Philo’s key features?
Philo’s key feature is that it allows users to watch various streaming channels for just US$ 20 or less a month, which makes it the lowest costing channel amongst the various other service providers. In addition, consumers can access network channels using an affordable HD antenna.
Unlike various competing services, the base bundle comprises DVR support, letting users save any show for up to 30 days for viewing later on any other device. Moreover, with saved shows and live channels, and is also a sizable volume of on-demand content available online. This includes movies and episodes of shows that were recently released on bundled channels. Philo allows users to watch up to three real-time streams across different devices, and it is a standard feature on either of the packages.
Philo recently rolled out into TV Everywhere support, and users can access three different channels on dedicated apps using their Philo login details and access additional on-demand movies, shows, and various other content. Philo offers unlimited DVR features which allow users to pause, fast forward, rewind and save live TV. In addition, there is no limit on the number of shows users can save, but the recordings will disappear after 30 days. Look back feature offered by Philo keeps programs available for 72 hours to stream after broadcast.
Philo Channels offered:
- A&E
- Animal Planet
- AMC
- BBC America
- AXS TV
- BET
- BBC World News
- Cheddar
- CMT
- Cheddar Big News
- Discovery Channel
- Comedy Central
- Food Network
- DIY
- FYI
- Hallmark Channel (NEW)
- GSN
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (NEW)
- Hallmark Drama (NEW)
- HGTV
- IFC
- History
- Lifetime
- Investigation Discovery (ID)
- MTV
- Lifetime Movies
- Nickelodeon
- MTV2
- OWN
- Nick Jr.
- PeopleTV
- Paramount
- Sundance Channel
- Science
- TeenNick
- Tastemade
- Travel Channel
- TLC
- Velocity
- TV Land
- Viceland
- VH1
- American Heroes Channel
- We TV
- BET Her
- aspireTV
- Cooking Channel
- Discovery Family
- Destination America
- Law & Crime
- Discovery Life
- MTV Live
- Logo
- REVOLT
- UPtv
- Nicktoons
Compatible Philo Streaming platforms and devices
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Fire TV
Mobile devices
- Android
- iOS
Other
- In-browser app (Windows and Mac)
What’s new in 2018?
- Philo, Inc. announced its launch on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, where it offers consumers broader access to the top 58 channels for only US$ 20 per month. Philo announced funding of US$ 40 Mn from its existing investors, with the AMC Networks, Viacom, Discovery, and the leading company’s Series C round of funding. The launch of Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV adds to the list of the platforms Philo subscribers can utilize to access services that already include Roku devices, web browsers, Android and iPhone devices via Chrome, as well as over 35 television apps. In addition, Philo launched the industry’s first entertainment-focused skinny bundle, which added new features for users. Philo is planning to invest in product enhancements/ features and expand marketing efforts to reach out to an even larger audience. Philo is also engaged in additional advancements, including a socially-driven TV experience. Philo offers various powerful functionality and features such as the ability to watch up to three devices at the same time; a seven-day free trial that can start in a few seconds using a phone number; freedom to watch unlimited 30-day DVR, an on-demand library, start programs from the beginning, pause any live channel, intelligent search, streamlined interface, and ability to easily share favorite shows to others.
- In July 2018, Philo, Inc. announced its partnership with National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) in order to offer Philo, Inc. to NCTC membership of around 750 broadband and cable providers. With the help of this partnership, NCTC member organizations or companies are able to offer Philo’s over-the-top service to eight million TV consumers across the US.
- Consolidated Communications(CNSL), which is a US-based business and broadband communications service provider, announced its agreement with Philo, Inc. Philo service is available to all CNSL consumers and can be viewed on any Internet-enabled device.
- Philo’s TV streaming services added Hallmark Channel, along with the Hallmark Mysteries and Movies and Hallmark Drama, to line up another top lifestyle, entertainment, and knowledge programming.
- Philo TV was launched on Amazon Fire, and Apple TV and the company secured US$ 40 Mn funding
Philo Launches:
In 2019
- The company is expected to expand its packages throughout the year. In May, the company added cheddar Big News, Tastemade, and PeopleTV to its channel lineup and will be bringing a base package to 58 channels from 40.
- It is expected to add a few new smaller channels to its existing Plus packages.
- Philo is expected to addHallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and The Hallmark Channel to its base package without raising the prices
In 2020
- It adds Starz and Epix to its live TV service.
Philo Fun facts:
- It provides more than 50 channels just for 20$ per month.
- As of January 2018, Philo, Inc.’s service has approximately 50,000 subscribers.
