Tech startup TVWIZZ puts channel choice in consumers’ hands
September 7, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
You’ve heard it before: Millennials are killing the cable TV industry.
With millions of young people “cord cutting” in lieu of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, traditional cable viewership has dropped by more than 40 percent, according to Nielson.
For many, it comes down to price, said Michael Hockey, founder of TVWIZZ, a free, independent TV price comparison website allowing users to customize their cable plans by specifying the channels they actually want to watch.
Michael Hockey
An algorithm lets users select the channels, then the platform matches them with available packages, offering price comparisons from such providers as DirecTV, CenturyLink Stream, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Hulu Live, Sling TV, Fubo TV and Dish TV.
The technology, which Hockey launched as TVWIZZ earlier this year after relocating to Kansas City from London, is consumer driven with a goal to offer reduced prices, Hockey said.
“Cable prices are a hot topic at the moment,” he said. “It can be confusing for people to switch providers because they are unsure which TV providers carry their channels.”
TVWIZZ launched during the Labor Day weekend and generated more than 7,000 users in its first week, Hockey said.
“We had to double server capacity on Monday (Labor Day) to cope with the load,” he said.
The technology does not favor one cable company over another, Hockey said. The user-friendly design allows users to filter channels by genre and filter packages by price point or best match, he added.
“Millions of homes in America are starting to question the outdated ways of billing for pay TV, where you pay for 300 channels, but watch 10,” Hockey said. “Cord cutting is growing rapidly and TVWIZZ makes it easier for consumers to pay only for the channels they need.”
As the company grows, Hockey plans to launch similar price comparison services for the Internet, credit cards, insurance and cellular plans within one year. He’s looking forward to scaling the startup and recruiting technology jobs to Kansas City, he said.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kansas’ angel tax credits score first victory but hurdles remain
A bill extending Kansas’ popular Angel Investor Tax Credits scored its first victory Thursday, but legislators must make quick work of the measure if the program is to survive. The Kansas House Committee on Taxation unanimously approved a measure to continue the program, which offers accredited investors a tax credit of up to $50,000 on…
Sharing economy labors over lawsuits, paradigm shift for cyber security law
Here’s this week’s dish on the sharing economy, the issues with backdoor encryption, and corporate-to-startup collaboration. Check out more in this series here. AustinInno – The gig economy is at a crossroads as lawsuits, innovative benefits expand As the sharing or “gig” economy expands with companies like Uber and Lyft, it’s not just permit…
Kansas City scores $50K to inject innovation into education
Kansas City recently snagged a $50,000 grant that aims to fuel the development of a passionate, 21st-century workforce. The City of Fountains was named one of eight winners of the national LRNG City Challenge. As a result, the KC Social Innovation Center will use the grant to implement new programming this summer. The LRNG platform…
Kansas City creativity sticks out among the weirdest in Austin
At the tech and innovation conference South by Southwest Interactive, it’s as easy for companies to blend in as the flyers littering the streets of Austin. But amid the sea of commercial chaos — where hundreds of companies big and small fiercely fight for the most fleeting of interactions — Kansas City stood towering like the Liberty…