In a “more is more” strategy designed to keep customers from cutting their cable service, Comcast Corp. announced this week that subscribers can now watch several cable TV shows and movies over the Internet – a defensive move into the online video industry.
As the first cable TV operator to offer cable content online at no additional charge, Comcast’s new service, Fancast Xfinity TV, is initially offered only to those who subscribe to both of the company’s TV and Internet services. Customers must also download a viewing program, available through Fancast.com, before watching any shows.
“It’s our goal to allow a customer who buys a package of content from Comcast to access that content on any screen at any time,” said Amy Banse, president of Comcast’s interactive-media unit, during a demonstration of the service to reporters. “We think this is yet another step in that direction."
Xfinity will provide over 2,000 hours of programming from 27 cable and broadcast channels, including HBO, Cinemax, Starz, A&E, History, CBS, BBC, E!, Style, G4, Hallmark, MGM Impact, Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Univision, Music Choice, C-SPAN, Travel Channel, Ovation TV, AMC, WE, IFC, Sundance, TNT, TBS and Mi Cine.
This means full-length episodes of popular shows such as “The Sopranos,” “The Colbert Report,” “Glee,” and “The Simpsons,” as well as movies such as “Juno” and “Wall-E” will be available at any time on a choice of three devices – TV, computer, or hand-held device.
In addition, customers can access content anywhere – even outside of their home or through a rival broadband service. In six months, Comcast said cable TV customers using another Internet service provider will have access to Xfinity as well. Additional programming and parental control are also planned.
Xfinity is a similar service to NBC and Disney-owned Hulu, where viewers can search for shows, narrow them by network or category, and then click “view” to watch. But even with this competition, Comcast won’t have just one rival to go head-to-head with for long. Similar services are expected to hit the market from Time Warner Cable Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS service.
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