OCTOBER 26, 2016
Yesterday,
Richard and I signed the docs. Today we are announcing that Vessel
is joining Verizon! This is a big day for us, and we’d like to
share why:
Starting with
our launch 18 months ago, we’ve been fortunate to assemble an
amazing team and to build a service and company whose mission is to
make media better. It has been incredibly fun to brainstorm ways
technology can power a great video experience globally, to dream up
ways to improve video advertising and to make those ambitions a
reality. At the same time, Verizon, the largest wireless service
provider in the US, has made clear their convictions about the
future of online video. They share our belief that internet
protocol will inevitably become the dominant way consumers access
great video experiences. The Verizon team has backed this
conviction with material investments and a focus on what makes them
unique in a competitive marketplace. It’s easy for our team to
imagine the amazing ways customers can be served when Verizon’s
high speed wireless platform is combined with their strategic
commitment to video and our team.
At the heart
of this transaction is the Vessel technology, product and team that
we have built. These three things will be married with Verizon’s
ambitions in online video. Though the team and the actual tech +
product will live on at Verizon in ways that will become apparent
in the months and years ahead, sadly we will be sunsetting the
Vessel service at the end of this month (October 31). All
subscribers of Vessel will be provided complimentary access for the
month of October*, and subscribers of our annual plan will be
refunded back to the beginning of October. Richard will be leading
the charge on all things technology, product and team going
forward, whereas Jason’s focus will be to ensure a smooth
transition through the end of this year.
It is hard
for us to put into words how thankful we are to our customers, our
team members and our investors for their support. Our greatest
professional joys have always been a function of time spent
innovating and building. Thank you for making it possible for us to
do just that from the day we started Vessel. And our thanks to
Verizon for their commitment to online video such that this amazing
team continues on its mission, now on a dramatically larger
scale.
With excitement and thanks!
 |
 |
 |
| Jason Kilar | Richard Tom | |
| CEO & Co-Founder | CTO & Co-Founder |
* Users who
subscribed through iTunes will need to contact Apple customer
support for a refund. Subscribers will receive an email with
instructions.