Comcast is giving customers another platform to access their Xfinity TV subscription, announcing Thursday that a redesigned Xfinity Stream app has launched on the Apple TV platform.
Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD devices are the first to get the revamped Stream app, which touts a more intuitive user interface. Apple TV users can go to the App Store to download the Xfinity Stream app, which will now sit alongside the device’s other streaming apps.
As for the updated UI, Comcast said the design is meant to make content discovery easier via editorial recommendations and a personalized algorithm that enables customers to keep watching their shows and movies across different platforms and devices. The Stream app is already available on Roku, Amazon Fire, and LG and Samsung smart TVs, providing a way for customers to watch their pay TV service without a set-top box.
“We are always looking for ways to enhance our entertainment experiences as the needs of our customers evolve - whether that’s expanding to new platforms, launching new features, or adding more programming options,” said Michael DelCiello, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development, Comcast.
The addition to Apple TV devices follows a team up by the two companies in March, which saw the Apple TV+ subscription streaming service launch across Comcast’s video platforms including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TVs. That move came with a promo for Xfinity customers who weren’t Apple TV+ subscribers to get a free three-month trial of the service when they signed-up via their Xfinity device.
The crossover of Comcast and Apple wasn’t unexpected as the two companies reached a broad distribution agreement back in October 2021, which the cable operator said would bring its streaming apps to Apple’s platforms and vice versa.
In other recent Xfinity news, Comcast just added the SXM App from SiriusXM to its platforms nationwide across X1, Flex and XClass TV, delivering more than 425 audio entertainment channels. Future enhancements to the SXM app on Comcast platforms are expected to include SiriusXM Video, featuring more than 11,000 exclusive music performances, shows, interviews and clips.
Comcast is beefing up its pay TV and video aggregation platforms at a time when it’s eager to license its Flex operating system (which Comcast is contributing to a joint venture with Charter to further develop a streaming platform) to U.S. operators, taking it nationwide. NextTV recently reported that Comcast has been in discussions with NCTC to license Xfinity Flex, potentially opening the door to the cable cooperative’s more than 700 member broadband operators deploying the TVOS.
In a recent column for Fierce Video, TVREV lead analyst Alan Wolk discussed a potential agreement with NCTC saying this “should be a sweet deal” for NCTC members “and a great selling point for potential customers."
“The Comcast name alone should work wonders in getting prospects over the fear of a smaller provider, and the well designed and easy to use Flex interface will ultimately make them feel they are getting real value,” wrote Wolk.
Meanwhile, for Comcast and Charter it’s a good way to bring the Flex device and interface to a brand-new audience, he continued. Wolk suspects that Charter/Comcast “are betting on the fact that most NCTC members are too small to seriously take a bite out of [their] business and the profit [Comcast/Charter] get from the licensing deals will offset whatever subscriber losses [they] suffer.”