Comcast has revealed plans to launch Now TV as a $20-per-month streaming video product aimed at the lower end of the US market.
“Now TV is becoming something we can have in addition to broadband. It’s a streaming product that really delivers the best of Comcast,” Dave Watson, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, told the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference during a webcast session on Tuesday.
TV, which is expected to cost $20 a month, will be unveiled in the coming weeks, Watson told the investor conference. The new streaming offering includes more than 40 live channels from A&E, AMC, Hallmark and Warner Bros. Discovery, plus 20 channels with integrated FAST channels from NBC, Sky and Xumo Play, and subscription to Peacock Premium at no extra cost.
Now TV is available to Xfinity Internet customers with no equipment required and subscribers can sign up and cancel at any time.
The low-end streaming product builds on Sky’s Now TV platform, which is billed as a cheaper version of Sky’s other more expensive streaming packages. And the new streaming package will be marketed as part of a package that includes fast broadband internet speeds and mobile phone deals.
“Now TV is a great video service for beginners, attractively priced, but will still be a financial benefit for us,” said Watson.
Now TV is Comcast’s latest innovation as video TV continues to go online amid burgeoning streaming competition for traditional media players and consumers increasingly cutting the cord for traditional cable TV packages.
“Obviously everyone has seen the data, where things have turned around and most of the engagement has gone to streaming… You look at all those devices, the sheer amount of engagement – you have to ask yourself where is broadband going? And broadband will continue to see more streaming, you’ll see more video games and more applications,” Watson argued.
“Wherever the network goes, we build the future. There is not this peak moment in a bubble that takes place. We’re preparing for where the customer is going,” he added of Comcast’s latest streaming pivot.
Elsewhere, Comcast and Charter Corporation have unveiled plans for a joint streaming offering Xumo, taking its name from the free, ad-supported streaming service Comcast acquired in 2010 that combines streaming devices, content and a streaming platform.
