U-verse cracks 100,000 mark

AT&T said today its U-verse IPTV service has now cracked 100,000 subscribers, based on additions of 97,000 this year, as the service expands geographically and is marketed more aggressively. AT&T is installing about 1000 U-verse customers daily, according to a company spokesman.

The company also announced new interactive features for the service, including delivering the Yellow Pages search capability via TV, along with customized weather, stock and sports information and more games. The features were developed internally, in partnership with Yahoo! and Microsoft, the spokesman said.

U-verse is now available in 25 markets in nine states. As it expands the reach, AT&T has become more aggressive in selling the service, both through mainstream media and even door-to-door sales, using college students hired for the summer. The company said today its fiber-to-the-node network now passes 5 million homes, about half of which can get U-verse. By year’s end, the network will pass 8 million homes, AT&T said.

One of the advantages AT&T is stressing is a rich high-definition lineup, and the company said it is adding five new HD channels by year’s end, for a total of 30. Earlier this year, AT&T lured new customers onto U-Verse and its Homezone service, which bundles DSL with DISH satellite video, using an offer of free HD for a year. The five new channels included are Lifetime Movie Network HD, History Channel HD, Animal Planet HD, TBS HD and Versus/The Golf Channel HD.

The new interactive features link the PC with the IPTV service. The AT&T U-bar will bring Internet content to the TV set, allowing consumers to check stocks, sports scores and weather/traffic reports based on their preferences which they set up on a PC, the spokesman said. YellowPages.com TV will enable viewers to search for local businesses in what AT&T says is an intuitive fashion on the TV screen.

The AT&T Yahoo! games to be available via TV include AT&T Yahoo! Games, available on the television screen, include Sudoku, Solitaire, JT's Blocks, Mah-Jongg Tiles and Chess.