Forging into the new world of online TV, Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) became the first major cable company to launch its nationwide broadband on-demand offering over the Internet. Known as “Fancast Xfinity TV,” the new service is now available to customer who subscribe to both Comcast’s broadband Internet service and its cable TV service.
Comprising shows from about 30 cable networks, the initial version of Xfinity (still in “beta” mode according to the company) includes full-length episodes of shows such as “The Sopranos,” “The Colbert Report” and “The Simpsons,” plus recent movies such as “Juno” and “Wall-E,” totaling some 2,000 hours of programming. Xfinity is free to subscribers, at least for the moment.
Comcast’s foray into online TV will compete with Hulu, which is owned by NBC (itself soon to be a division of Comcast if the planned merger goes through), News Corp. and Disney, as well as upstart providers like Sezmi, which is conducting a pilot in Los Angeles of a personalized service that combines digital cable, on-demand movies and back episodes, and online video such as YouTube.
“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 conference call with reporters.
Comcast began testing its online-TV offering in a trial with about 5,000 customers last summer. Customers can access Xfinity from up to three devices, each of which must have a downloadable media player installed. Shows from premium cable channels like HBO, Starz and Cinemax will be available only to subscribers whose cable-TV service includes those channels.
Comcast’s Banse also indicated that the new service will be available on mobile devices within the year.
