Windstream has added DirecTV Now to its Kinetic-brand services, Multichannel reported on Wednesday.
The company in September rebranded its premium internet offerings as Kinetic, including internet with network speeds of 25 to 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps over a fiber-optic network, as well as its Kinetic TV and Kinetic Business Solutions services.
The addition of DirecTV’s streaming service enables customers to choose between video options and to connect to pay TV. It is managed through the same options page as the rest of the Kinetic internet plan.
Windstream CEO Tony Thomas said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call last week that the move “enables us to be an entertainment provider across our entire footprint” and to appeal to customers looking for digital alternatives to cable.
In the previous quarter, Windstream posted a $68 million net loss amid lower subscriber numbers and service revenue. Thomas said at the time that the company would evaluate “significant opportunities to further drive down costs through reductions in network interconnection costs, upcoming synergies from the EarthLink and Broadview transactions, and initiatives to advance our organizational effectiveness.”
Windstream reported a $102 million net loss last week but said that its total service revenue of $1.46 billion was up 12 percent compared to the third quarter of 2016.
“As a result of our significant network investment over the past three years, we are transforming our ILEC Consumer and SMB business unit from a phone and internet provider to a premium broadband and entertainment provider,” Thomas said during the Q3 report.