Verizon could launch Netflix rival



US telco Verizon is planning to launch a rival to Netflix and is already talking to prospective content partners, according to wire reports.

The new service, which was not named, will offer customers streamed content and launch in 2012, according to Reuters.

It will only roll out in the areas where Verizon’s existing TV service, FiOS, does not have a presence and there is no suggestion that there are plans for it to launch internationally. However, that would still mean it could be available to 85 million homes in the US.

It is not clear what the content line-up would comprise, but the initial report of the new service suggested that it would have various movies and, possibly, kids programming. Viacom-backed cable service Epix has a package of movies from Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount and its syndication deal with Netflix runs out next year, making that a possible target for Verizon.