Cable companies offer alternatives to the bloated bundle

Washington

THE best alternatives to the cable bundle may be coming out of the cable companies themselves.

Since Verizon Communications in April introduced cheaper, slimmed-down bundles of just dozens of TV channels - as opposed to hundreds - the company said on Thursday that 30 per cent to 40 per cent of its new Fios television customers have asked for the new packages. And in a new bet on mobile video, the telecom firm said it has signed up 25,000 people for the free streaming service Go90 that goes live later this month.

Just months ago, the idea of introducing alternatives to the fat cable bundle was anathema to an industry that has long fought to keep that profitable business model …