U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile on Thursday said its Binge On video streaming service has led consumers to watch more than twice the amount of video content than they were before the service’s debut.
The proclamation came as part of a release announcing four new streaming partners for the service as well as control tweaks that will allow Binge On users to change their settings more easily.
According to T-Mobile, customers have streamed 34 petabytes of video for free since Binge On’s November launch, with one major video service provider reporting a 79 percent jump in daily viewers.
“Binge On is our most disruptive Un-carrier move yet,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a statement. “It has literally changed the way millions of people are watching video – they’re watching more, more than twice as much as before, and most importantly, they’re watching without worrying about bigger bills or surprise overages!”
The Un-carrier said Thursday users of Binge On – which allows customers to stream video from participating providers without using their monthly high-speed data allowance – will now have four new video services to choose from, including Amazon Video, Fox News, Univision NOW and WWE Network.
T-Mobile said Binge On now includes more than 40 video streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Now, Hulu, SHOWTIME, Sling TV, STARZ and WatchESPN. Online video giant YouTube has notably not yet signed on as a partner, though T-Mobile executives have said in the past they’d love to add the service to the Binge On lineup.
But the lineup wasn’t the only Binge On feature to get an overhaul on Thursday.
T-Mobile, which has faced scrutiny about whether the Binge On service meets net neutrality requirements, also announced changes to the service’s controls that will reportedly make it easier for users to check and change their Binge On settings.
T-Mobile said new dial pad shortcuts will allow customers to check their settings and turn the service on or off by typing #BGN#, #BON# or #BOF# and pressing send. T-Mobile said these new codes will also allow customers to quickly toggle the service on or off when they need large-screen resolution to watch a movie on their home TV.
The Un-carrier also said Binge On settings will now be more readily available through MyT-Mobile.com and in a new T-Mobile app that starts rolling out to Android customers today. An iOS version of the app will be made available in February, T-Mobile said.
“Being the Un-carrier is all about listening to customers and giving them more choices and control,” Legere said of the changes. “We don’t make our customers jump through hoops to get our Un-carrier moves, and we won’t ever stop amping them up and making them even better.”
