Those looking for a streaming service to replace the bulky cable bundles have a new player on the market. It’s called Vidgo. And while it has been out there for the better part of 2020 it is now rounding into form as its apps have been tweaked to give it a premium look and feel. The service, which unlike traditional cable and satellite services is contract-free requires users to have a compatible streaming device or TV with a partner platform built-in. Users will also of course need access to high-speed internet.
Major Helping of Sports
People cutting cable often voice concern over losing sports channels. The service comes in as one of the least expensive options of any that provides the depth of sports coverage found on the service. While not offering every single channel that provides sporting events, the $45.00 ‘Core” package on Vidgo offers ESPN, ESPN2 FS1, FS2, The ACC Network, The SEC Network, The Longhorn Network, NFL Network, The Pac 12 Network, and BTN. It’s $55.00 Plus package includes NFL Redzone and school-specific subchannels of the Pac 12 network.
Those sports channels are part of a 45 dollar package that also includes a ton of non-sports channels including the new Curiosity stream channel making Vidgo one of the first to carry the channel which is sort of a mix between the Science Channel and History Channel with actual facts vs reality shows and Ancient Alien theory.
Vidgo’s deals with Disney and Fox for their sports content include all of their popular non-sports channels as well. Along with the Disney owned ESPN channels the company also offers Disney’s linear channels like The Disney Channel, Disney XD and Free Form while the Fox deal includes Fox News and Fox Business Channel, FX, FXX and others. Users will also find channels from Discovery Networks and A&E Networks such as History or A&E.
Does Vidgo give me all the channels I would get with cable?
Short answer, no. Some notable exceptions on the lineup include the package of Turner/Warner channels. These include TNT, TBS and CNN. There also appears to be no deal in place to offer Comcast-owned channels such as CNBC and MSNBC among others.
Outreach to the Hispanic market
The fastest-growing demographic in the US right now is Spanish speaking people. As political observers probably already know there is no one Hispanic personality or preference which means in order to cover the needs of the community it means you have to cover a number of communities and needs. This is why along with the two packages centered around traditional tv networks Vidgo has two “Latino” packages. Its intro Latino package features 14 channels for $15.00 including ESPN Deportes and History Espanol and 29 channels offered in the Latino Mas package for $25.00.
Non-traditional marketing
In a very different approach than most services on the market Vidgo actually has the ability to sell its services face to face via locations across the country. The company provides a tool that potential new customers can use to find locations where they can sign up or pay for Vidgo.
Does it offer Video On Demand?
Yes. Vidgo offers video-on-demand services via individual channels. For instance, if a user clicks on a channel like “The Food Network” they will be given a choice between watching the show airing at the moment or a selection of other programming from the network that will air that day. What it does not offer at the moment is a library of titles from any given channel. But a representative from Vidgo says the service is working on a robust on-demand offering that will meet the needs of its customers.
Does It Offer DVR?
No
Does it offer TV Everywhere apps?
Yes. For those unfamiliar with the term, “TV Everywhere” apps are streaming apps from cable and broadcast networks that offer users on-demand access to their programming and in some cases live access to their channels. Many TV Everywhere channels have extensive libraries of content.
Which Streaming formats is Vidgo on?
Vidgo is available on the vast majority of streaming platforms. They include Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Android/Android TV, and IOS. At the moment it is not available via LG or Samsung TV smart TV’s. The service is even featured in Roku’s special section dedicated to cable replacements.
The app experience on Vidgo has gotten better and better since its initial launch. We have tried Vidgo on all of its different platforms but feel like our favorite it the Roku experience. The app has a bold palate including a black background highlighted by orange and yellow accents so that users can see where they are navigating within the app. A click on the channel of choice will reveal both a watch live option and on-demand option. The interface also breaks down channels by grouping channels into like groups, Sports, Entertainment and Family. Users can simplify their experience by choosing favorites and search for programming and channels.
Finding channels is really as simple as using alphabetical order. Like other streaming services Vidgo does not use a number system. So if you want to tune into ABC it is at the top of the program guide under A&E. The ACC Network the fourth choice down in the all channels section but can also be found under sports right at the top.
The interface also allows users to scroll through the program guide days in advance to see what will be available ahead of time. One problem that Vidgo could fix though is that there could and should be a way to lock a user into the channel so that accidentally pressing a back button would not exit the app. being that it is used for so much basic navigation within the app one can esily tap their way out of the menu entirely. Many major apps actually have a pop up of sorts that says “do you wish to exit this app”. That tweak would be very welcome here I think.
So is Vidgo worth the cost? It depends on what you are looking for. Its sports selection is very strong even at just $45.00. Its selection of informational TV is strong too with channels like HGTV, Food Network, DIY, and the Cooking Channel. By offering Viacom’s package featuring Nick Jr and, Comedy Central the streamer covers a lot of bases with a lot of audiences. Where it lacks is in its news coverage. As mentioned earlier in the article its lack of relationship with Turner and Comcast means two of the top cable news networks are not offered nor are TNT and TBS for that matter. That means despite a bevy of sports options viewers do not receive TNT’s weekly NBA games.
