• by Erik Sass , July 21, 2011

Pandora's push to become a multiplatform service got a boost this week with Verizon's announcement that it will make the personalized Internet radio service available to FiOS TV subscribers in major media markets, beginning with California, Texas, and Virginia.

The companies plan to introduce Pandora in other Verizon markets in the not-too-distant future.

The new service will offer users all the interactive functionality of Pandora's online audio service, including creating new stations based on the individual's favorite artists, songs and genres, bookmarking songs for purchase, and rating songs, all through commands from FiOS remotes, including mobile devices with the FiOS TV Mobile Remote app.

Verizon subscribers who already have a Pandora account can access it by entering their email address and password as they would normally. The Pandora-less can also sign up for a new account through FiOS.

The deal should make it easier to access Pandora content on home entertainment centers. Previously, FiOS TV customers could stream a variety of online content from Windows PCs to TVs through Verizon's Media Manager service.

Over the last year or so, Pandora has mounted a concerted effort to bring its personalized digital audio service, originally online-only, to new platforms, including cars and mobile devices.

On the automotive front, in January Toyota announced that it will integrate Pandora into its new "Entune" multimedia system. Like previous auto integrations, users can connect Pandora to the Toyota Entune system via any cell phone with a data plan, including smart and feature phones.

Pandora already has partnerships with several major automakers, including Ford and Mercedes, along with radio manufacturers Alpine and Pioneer, whose after-market products allow drivers to access Pandora from car dashboards.