Comcast has inked deals to let subscribers tune in to 35 live cable channels through its updated video-player app for mobile devices over any Wi-Fi connection — including outside the home — aiming to give customers a new reason to keep paying for cable TV.
In the next few days, the cable operator will launch the renamed Xfinity TV Go, which replaces its previous Xfinity TV Player App.
The new app will let Xfinity TV customers watch up to 35 live TV channels — including ESPN, CNN, CNBC and Fox News — over any Wi-Fi connection on Apple and Android mobile devices, with availability depending on subscription level. That’s in addition to 25,000-plus on-demand titles currently available through the existing app, which also provides the ability to download several thousand movies and TV shows to watch offline.
“With Xfinity TV Go, we’re giving customers all the entertainment they want in one place, in the palm of their hand,” said Charlie Herrin, Comcast Cable senior VP of product design and development.
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The MSO, the largest pay TV provider in the U.S., has been steadily adding “TV Everywhere” access to programming as a way to retain video subscribers — which have been declining over the past few years because of competition from satellite and telco operators, and as a small but growing number of consumers drop pay TV altogether. Comcast reported 21.8 million video subscribers as of the end of June, down 342,000 from the year prior.
Beginning last year, Comcast let Xfinity TV customers watch select live programming online via Xfinity.com/TV.
Networks to be available in Xfinity TV Go at launch include: BBC World News, beIN Sport, beIN Sport en Español, Big Ten Network, CNBC, CNN, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, FX, FXX, Golf Channel, HLN, MSNBC, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, NBC Sports Network and Pac-12 Networks. The operator said more networks will be added in the future.
Comcast’s free Xfinity TV Player App and and Xfinity TV Remote have been cumulatively downloaded more than 13 million times. The TV Remote app lets subs schedule their DVR, change the channel on TV and search and browse content.
