TVision may be dead but TVision Hub, the connected TV device accompanying T-Mobile’s ill-fated live TV service, lives on through a new Philo promotion.
The live streaming service, which charges $25 per month for a channel package focused around general entertainment networks, recently kicked off a deal where users who pre-pay for two months of Philo will receive a free TVision Hub. It's available to all new Philo subscribers regardless if they’re T-Mobile customers.
A Philo spokesperson said the offer is only valid while supplies last but that expects it the promotion to run for at least a couple of months.
The TVision Hub is a $50 Android TV dongle that comes with a Google Assistant-powered voice remote and dedicated buttons for YouTube, Netflix and TVision’s live guide, home page and DVR. The device also includes Bluetooth support, casting so users can view content from mobile devices on their connected TVs and Google Play for access to third-party streaming apps.
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T-Mobile earlier this year pulled the plug on TVision only months after it had launched. The service encountered problems early on including programmers questioning the rights around the slimmed down TVision Vibe package and technology partner MobiTV declaring bankruptcy.
“This shift may surprise some given last year’s TVision streaming services launch. But innovation seldom follows a straight line. Since launching the TVision initiative, we’ve learned a lot about the TV industry, about streaming products, and of course, about TV customers. We also saw trends that made us take a fresh look at how to best do in video what we always do: put customers first,” wrote T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert in a blog post.
The wireless carrier shut down TVision in April and began offering YouTube TV and Philo to its subscribers.