Lookie here, more of the same. With the current economic situation encouraging citizens to rethink their credit card-abusing habits, a Verizon-commissioned survey has (unsurprisingly) found that a majority of those polled will be turning to their TVs for low-cost entertainment. Out of the 1,026 adults surveyed, some 57% admitted that they were planning to spend "more time at home turning to their television instead of events outside the home." Naturally, Verizon took this opportunity to showcase just how cost efficient its FiOS TV offerings were in tough times, and if it would bother expanding its footprint to more than a handful of states, we'd probably be stoked about the notion. Instead, we're just bitter and envious.

It's a holiday week here in America, so we'd expect the employees at Verizon to be taking it halfway easy. To that end, just two new locales granted the company cable franchises over the past seven days: Maynard, Massachusetts and LaPlata, Maryland. Both cities are a major step closer to having yet another programming option, though there's no exact mention of a go-live date. Ah well, at least a pair of places get to be thankful, right?

Read - Massachusetts expansion
Read - Maryland expansion

We know -- everyone lacking FiOS just wants Verizon to push it out to more areas, but Verizon's hoping to secure more customers in the locations it's already in. For the second time in a week, we're being treated to a new Verizon store opening, and within is a test-drive kiosk where patrons can see first hand what the outfit's fiber-based programming / high-speed internet services are all about. The newest location is on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach, VA, and hey, even if you're completely uninterested in signing up, why not stop by just to check out the home theater setup and rest your loins in the plush chairs?

Remember that FiOS TV store we knew was coming to Reading, Massachusetts? Yeah, well it's about to welcome in a whole slew of potential customers this Friday. In an effort to draw foot-traffic on a day where most normal citizens will be out fighting each other for that last $3.99 blender, Verizon is offering store patrons a mildly delicious deal should they choose to sign up for FiOS. At the grand opening of the Verizon Lifestyle Store inside Jordan's Furniture, the provider will be giving away gift cards for one of 13 local restaurants and three free months of three premium entertainment packages to individuals who sign up. Personally, we'd prefer Guitar Hero World Tour, but maybe that's just us.

It's incredibly obvious that one of Verizon's main opportunities for growth in FiOS TV is locking down contracts with housing facilities and apartment complexes, and while we've seen some small to medium-scale rollouts before, this one takes things to a whole 'nother level. Last year, the provider inked a deal with Aimco that would eventually bring fiber-based FiOS services to residents of some 27,000 apartments in 11 states across the nation. Now, 100 Aimco properties from coast to coast will be lit up with FiOS TV / internet / digital voice services prior to the onset of 2009, and that should make for quite a few happy tenants this holiday season.

[Image courtesy of Apts247]

We heard earlier this year that Verizon would be caving to the FCC's request and phasing out any remaining analog duplicate channels that it was still hosting, and as of today, the carrier can claim that its fiber-based programming service is completely digital. For those affected, Verizon has been offering up free digital adapters to cope, and as of this very moment, each of its FiOS TV subscribers should be good to go with its 100% digital lineup. The impending digital TV transition has claimed another, but we won't shed a tear for the removal of analog. Coldhearted, but totally justified.

Verizon's not slacking off as the run-up to the holiday season continues -- probably because folks are apt to have all sorts of free TV watching time here in the next month or so -- so we'll get right down to the releases. Up first are the towns of Middleton, Massachusetts, and the corporately-stacked Wilmington, Delaware, which have just granted the company a video license. Next, we head to the Pacific Northwest to see that Camas, Washington and Gresham, Oregon have agreed to do the same. Finally, we're told that Philadelphia-area residents are being treated to 30 new channels (17 of which are in high-def). That's it for this week -- we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.

Read - Philadelphia channels
Read - Washington expansion
Read - Massachusetts expansion
Read - Oregon expansion
Read - Delaware expansion

One thing's for sure: Verizon is well aware of the importance of online video, and it's doing everything within its power to make sure it stays one step ahead of the curve. Hot on the heels of its recently announced Starz Play deal comes this, a similar agreement with a UK-based digital asset-delivery network provider. The agreement with Velocix puts Verizon in a position to "offer content owners and video distributors a competitive choice in delivering their services to our broadband customers." More specifically, the two have worked together to "offer content owners and video distributors a competitive choice in delivering their services to broadband customers," which leads us to believe that all sorts of new internet-based content could soon be coming to FiOS / FiOS TV customers. It's okay to be a wee bit giddy, we won't tell.

We've seen Verizon push its fiber-based FiOS TV and high-speed internet services in some rather odd locations, but at least store patrons won't be baffled when they see the demonstration kiosks in the carrier's new Columbia, Maryland store. Located at 8835 Columbia 100 Parkway in Suite B, the store offers up a "home theater setting where shoppers can relax in plush chairs and see for themselves what all the excitement is about as they experience FiOS TV on high-definition TVs." Better still, subscribers can swap or drop off FiOS TV set-top-boxes / remotes at the store, and they can even phone up friends in the southeast and brag about their proximity to the service. And you know they (you) will.

It's been a slow week for FiOS TV expansions, but we suppose the hard-working individuals responsible for 233,000 new net customers in Q3 deserve a little rest and relaxation before getting back to the grind. Up first we have the Tampa Bay, Florida area getting gifted with a new wave of interactive features on their DVRs. Next, we see three more Trump (yes, that Trump) Properties receiving FiOS TV and high-speed internet services, and if you're curious as to which ones we're referring to, they are: Trump Parc, Trump Parc East and 610 Park Avenue. Lastly, we're notified that Verizon and the City of Brotherly Love (or Philadelphia, if you prefer) are working together to grant the carrier a cable franchise; if passed, Verizon would work to deploy its fiber-based network throughout the region over seven years. That's it for this week, so we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.

Read - Tampa Bay
Read - Trump Properties
Read - Philadelphia

Anything you can do, I can do better. That's the mantra being carefully executed by Verizon as it launches its own Fantasy Football outlet just months after AT&T did the same. Oddly enough, the decision was made to go live with this well after the 2008 NFL season began, but we know hardcore football fanatics won't be complaining. Available now for free to select FiOS TV users, an ESPN Fantasy Football widget provides "instant on-screen access to personalized points and football statistics, including rosters, box scores, scoring leaders and player information." Check it out now if you're in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, or the Harrisburg / southeastern Pennsylvania areas; otherwise, you'll just have to be patient for an undisclosed amount of time.

Make room Comcast, Verizon's barged in on Project Infinity territory, staking its own claim of 1,000 high definition video on-demand titles available, two months earlier than it had previously planned. That puts it well ahead in the choices/channels debate, with the latest additions courtesy of Starz, Showtime and Sundance Channel. If you're willing to accept something less than HD for your VOD, there's a total of 11,000 items available every month (8,500 without an additional charge), but we're just settling in as the race to 3,000 high definition watch-anytime choices begins.

Way back in February, we heard that Verizon was attempting to cut a deal that would bring MLB Extra Innings to its fiber-based FiOS TV service. Now, it looks as if the Is have been dotted and the Ts crossed. Verizon has formally announced that the baseball lover's most favorite package will be available starting next year, and better still, MLB Network HD will be added on slot 586 (SD version on 86) when the channel debuts on January 1, 2009. For those unaware, the channel will air live games, original programming, highlights, classic games and coverage of baseball events, and it's sure to spark up all sorts of controversy à la NFL Network.

[Thanks, Pete]

Not only did Verizon pick up nearly a quarter-million new FiOS TV subscribers in Q3, but it's looking to make sure even more Americans have an opportunity to join in during Q4. This week, the carrier has received approval to light up its fiber-based TV service in several more New York communities -- Port Washington North in Nassau County, the Town of Fishkill / City of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, Schuylerville, Throgs Neck and Edgewater Park in the Bronx, and Sheepshead Bay and Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn. Additionally, it added in 53 new HD channels in Richmond / Hampton Roads, VA, 10 more in Harrisburg, PA and 16 in Rhode Island. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.

Read - New York expansion I
Read - New York expansion II
Read - Hampton Roads, VA additions
Read - Richmond, VA additions
Read - Harrisburg, PA additions
Read - Rhode Island additions

Man, this is just downright eerie. If you'll recall, AT&T managed to add 232,000 net U-verse subscribers in Q3. Lo and behold, its biggest fiber rival (that'd be Verizon) added 233,000 net new FiOS TV customers in the same quarter. Coincidences aside, Verizon's pretty proud of its current position in the market, now claiming 1.6 million FiOS TV subscribers and offering the service for sale to 8.2 million premises in the United States. Just for comparisons sake, the outfit only had 700,000 subs at the end of Q3 2007, and it added just 176,000 newcomers in Q2 2008. In related news, it also managed to acquire 225,000 net new FiOS internet customers, and with cable companies jacking up rates left and right, we wouldn't be shocked at all to see even more frustrated pay-TV users make the leap to fiber in Q4.