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“Millions of homes in America are starting to question the outdated ways of billing for pay TV, where you pay for 300 channels, but watch 10,” Hockey said.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
Arts summit’s three-year move to KC celebrates flyover country creatives (and the entrepreneurs who make it)
Great art stands on its own merits, said Diane Scott, but if the artist behind a piece can’t or doesn’t sell their vision to the world, their expression hasn’t achieved its goal. “Nobody makes art to not share it with other people,” added Scott, director of artist services for the Kansas-City based Mid-America Arts Alliance,…
How this ‘Hallmark town’ gets its country charm from a Main Street serial entrepreneur
Editor’s note: The following story was produced through a paid partnership with MOSourceLink, which boasts a mission to help entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state of Missouri grow and succeed by providing free, easy access to the help they need — when they need it. [divide] WARSAW, Mo. — Owning her own boutique —…
Landlord insurance startup using $30M round to invest in KC team; here’s where its hiring
An eight-figure funding injection is expected to allow Steadily to fuel growth in its greatest asset: talent, shared OverlandPark-based co-founder and COO Datha Santomieri. On Wednesday, the landlord insurance startup — with headquarters in Overland Park and Austin, Texas — announced a $30 million Series C round led by Two Sigma Ventures with participation from…
Community honors ‘relentless storm’ of Chicano culture (starting with its unsung women)
An emotional celebration of Chicana women leaders, artists, and advocates earlier this month centered on honoring resilience and reclaiming identity — something Deanna Muñoz once felt pressured to hide. “I used to shrink myself,” said Muñoz, founder of the Chicano Center for the Arts and the first-ever ¡Viva La Chicana! Awards. “To fit in, to…