Having debuted its alternative to cable, IPTV, and satellite TV service in Los Angeles back in February, Sezmi announced yesterday its $4.99/mo. Sezmi Select service package is now available in 36 markets spanning 23 states. You’ll need another $150 or so to get started, however; that to purchase the Sezmi DVR used to receive and personalize the service.
Sezmi claims its service is a cheaper, ‘more personalized’ option than what’s being offered by traditional subscription video service providers. Sezmi combines available over-the-air broadcasts with over-the-top delivery of Web video and movies to a DVR equipped set-top-box. It’s a model being followed in one form or another by competitors like SkitterTV and maybe at some point, ZillionTV. There are a host of others as well.
“Today, cable and satellite are the two traditional choices for TV entertainment, but they come at a high price. Frustrated consumers across the country are voicing their dissatisfaction by either adding on piecemeal solutions, turning to the Internet, or by cutting the cord completely,” said co-founder and CEO Buno Pati in a news release
Along with DVR features, such as a 1 terabyte (TB) storage capacity that holds up to 1,400 hours of programming, the service’s set-top box is equipped with an antenna that brings in local and cable TV channels broadcast over-the-air. That’s where the basic Sezmi Select package’s local programming comes from. The remainder comes over the top, via the company’s on-demand catalog and the Web. Its antenna feature limits Sezmi’s potential appeal to locations where good over-the-air broadcast coverage exists.
At $20/mo., Sezmi’s also offering a second, higher service tier that includes access to some 60 local and foreign language stations, including around two dozen cable channels, according to a June KABC-TV LA news report.
