STAMFORD, Conn.—In a move that highlights the growing importance of streaming apps on pay TV platforms, Charter Communications’ Spectrum operating brand has launched The Spectrum App Store, a new digital marketplace where Spectrum TV customers can activate, manage and upgrade the streaming apps included with their Spectrum TV plans.
Spectrum customers without a traditional TV package can also use the store to manage and purchase streaming apps à la carte.
The store, accessible on the My Spectrum App and on Spectrum.net, builds on the cable operator’s longstanding strategy of providing consumers with the most popular streaming services in addition to live TV for no additional cost to subscribers.
That effort has taken center stage in recent carriage negotiations with major programmers like Disney and has led to the creation of video packages that include direct-to-consumer apps like ESPN Unlimited, AMC+, HBO Max Basic with Ads and Disney+.
“Our new Spectrum App Store delivers what our customers want most—real savings with consumer choice and a simpler way to enjoy the up to $125 per month worth of streaming apps that our Seamless Entertainment experience provides,” said Rich DiGeronimo, president, product & technology, Spectrum. “At the same time, we’re also creating new opportunities for our programming partners to reach more households and connect with our large base of non-video customers. In today’s fragmented video landscape, Spectrum is combining value, choice and convenience, creating an experience that benefits both our customers and our partners.”
In addition, Spectrum announced it will partner with Apple to facilitate and distribute a selection of live Lakers games in the 2025-26 season for the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset.
Spectrum said that with “Apple Immersive, a remarkable storytelling format available on Vision Pro, Lakers fans will feel like they are sitting courtside for those games.”
Live games, available via streams of up to 150 Mbps, will be accessible to authenticated Spectrum SportsNet subscribers, as well as Spectrum Internet customers, via the Spectrum SportsNet app in the Lakers’ territory, the operator reported.
The game replay and highlights in Apple Immersive will also be available on demand via the Spectrum SportsNet app across the Spectrum footprint and on the NBA App for national and international fans.
In a separate announcement, Spectrum and Amazon also reported that they’ve entered into a new B2B partnership that allows secure auto-connection to the Spectrum Mobile Network for Amazon’s enterprise connectivity use cases with WiFi to optimize network options and reliability. This service applies to a wide range of connectivity deployments where the ability to use WiFi to securely route data to the cloud can reduce cost, improve performance and extend reach for Amazon.
