Verizon shutting down V Cast video December 15th, will promote Viewdini instead
It looks like more V Cast-branded services are going the way of the dodo bird. Verizon has started notifying its customers about the shuttering of V Cast Video, a service for watching video clips that, 9 times out of 10, were of no interest to whoever was watching them. The deed will be fulfilled on December 15th.
Verizon Wireless is constantly working to bring the best experiences to our customers. To better serve the demands of consumers, on December 15, 2012, Verizon Video will be Shut Down from use. This will allow us to focus on bringing you the best video experience in wireless. With more choices and even more content, we introduce VIEWDINI, a new video service for your 4G Android/Apple device. Whether you enjoy exploring the universe of video for hours or quickly find exactly what you are looking for, viewdini is FREE to download and use.
Thank you for your continued support of Verizon Wireless.
The service was more relevant back when feature phones were still prominent and smartphones were just beginning to come out of the starting gate, but has since been antiquated in a few short years thanks to the likes of YouTube and mobile browsing in general.
Verizon will only maintain one video subscription service from here on out, and if you guessed that it was NFL Mobile then you would be right. The carrier has an exclusive agreement to be the official mobile sponsor of the National Football League so you had to imagine that NFL Mobile wouldn’t be going anywhere. That service will remain $5 for the privilege of watching live NFL Network coverage — including Thursday Night Football — and all the news, stats, clips and photos you can handle.
Verizon will focus on promoting Viewdini from here on out, a video discovery app that’ll point you to even more popular clips that V Cast never could. The app is already pre-installed on some of Verizon’s latest phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the HTC DROID DNA.
The service has powerful backing as it’s powered by TV.com, though the app itself leaves a lot to be desired from the little bit I did use. Regardless, it’s there if you need it and hardly in the way if you don’t so take that for what you will.
I’m personally curious to know how many of you out there actually used V Cast in any capacity — I can’t imagine the number in ranks is terribly large. If you are one of the folks who haven’t completely abandoned it, though, then prepare yourself as you will be forced onto greener pastures by the middle of this month.
[via Verizon]