Comcast Corp., the largest cable TV company in the nation, has launched live television over the iPad in two markets.
In parts of Denver and Nashville, Comcast's Xfinity HD Triple Play customers can view live TV on Apple's popular tablet computer in and around their home. The service doesn't cost those customers extra. Comcast plans to offer the service over Motorola's Android-powered XOOM tablet in the first quarter.
The move reflects the evolving television market and consumers' growing appetite to access content on multiple devices inside and outside of their homes. Analysts say the cable and satellite TV providers must keep up with consumers' changing tastes or else they will lose subscribers to the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
Philadelphia-based Comcast states on a website that the service is currently available on a trial basis to customers in select portions of the Denver and Nashville markets.
"This means that while someone else watches a program in the living room, for example, you can watch another show on your iPad from the backyard deck, kitchen or other places around the home," said Mark Hess, Comcast's SVP of Video Product Development, in a blog that was posted Tuesday.
Comcast is leveraging its "AnyPlay" device to support the iPad capability; the device, Hess said, functions as a set-top box, delivering a channel lineup to a Wi-Fi router on a person's home network.
The TV giant also offers an Xfinity TV app that offers about 8,000 hours of on-demand movies and TV shows inside and outside the home on the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. Comcast will soon support on-demand content on more devices like the Xbox 360 and Samsung connected televisions, Hess said.
That's not all. Comcast is working on delivering Disney-owned live content on wireless devices. Comcast last week announced a long-term distribution agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Thanks to the pact, Comcast's Xfinity TV customers will be able to view ABC, Disney or ESPN shows live or on demand across multiple devices. The agreement covers such networks as ABC Family, ESPN Classic and Disney XD, and Comcast plans to launch a new 24-hour basic channel -- Disney Junior -- for preschool-age kids, parents and caregivers.
Asked when customers will be able to watch live Disney-owned programming on such devices as smartphones and tablets, a Comcast spokesman, John Demming, said such "content will be available in the coming months." He added the company has not disclosed a more specific timeline.
