Sezmi Adds Nine Markets

Programming service Sezmi is expanding its service to 10 cities in nine additional markets--Boston; Detroit; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Miami, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and San Francisco. Sezmi's set-top box offers a mix of local station and nationwide cable programming using off-air broadcast spectrum along with movies and other programs delivered over the Internet. The device includes a DVR that learns viewers' preferences and proactively downloads and records content they are likely to be interested in viewing. Sezmi has been available to the public in Los Angeles since February.

“We have seen great initial success in Los Angeles,” Sezmi Co-founder and CEO Buno Pati. “We have strong consumer interest and outstanding subscriber satisfaction. We have experienced an ongoing stream of requests for the product in other markets and are thrilled to start meeting this increasing demand now in more cities across the country.”

Ryan Lawler's article Sezmi Expands to New Markets--But Is Anyone Buying? on the NewTeeVee web site notes that the $4.89 per month Sezmi Select offering in the new markets will not include the cable content--Bravo, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, USA and others--in the $10.99 Sezmi Select Plus package available in Los Angeles. These programs will not be available until Sezmi is able to obtain additional bandwidth from broadcasters in the new markets.

“While there’s a convergence component to Sezmi being able to blend broadcast and broadband content together, the startup will face some stiff competition on that front from products like TiVo DVRs and Google TV-enabled devices, which offer similar functionality,” Lawler said.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.