![]() ![]() As it turned out, the company decided to inch up the starting price a little more. But Comcast execs later noted that the pricing was still in flux. ![]() When Comcast’s top video exec Matt Strauss confirmed the new service’s name and a few details earlier this year, he had said that the entry-level pricing would be $15 per month. The service is largely a rebranding of Comcast’s existing Stream service, which has been in testing in select U.S. Premium cable networks HBO ($15 per month) and Starz ($12 per month) are also available as optional upgrades. And that will make the service a bit pricier ($30 + the base $18). While broadcast channels will have national sports, and some markets may air local sports on the PEG channels, the true sports fan would want the add-on package here. And the $30 “Sports & News” add-on includes top cable news stations plus ESPN’s channels, Fox Sports, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, NFL Network and Regional Sports networks. The $10 “kids and family” add-on offers Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, and TLC. To give you an idea: a $15 per month “entertainment” add-on will bring A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, TBS, TNT and USA. Meanwhile, Xfinity Instant TV subscribers get broadcast channels to start, then can opt to upgrade their bundle to include the networks they want by buying from a mix of add-ons. However, Comcast’s is different from the skinny bundle Sling TV offers, which makes cheap access (it starts at $20 per month) to several cable channels – like ESPN – a key selling point for its base package. That’s led to the rise of “skinny bundles” from traditional pay TV providers and over-the-top streaming service alike. “Cord nevers” may also avoid traditional cable because they don’t want to pay for larger packages with channels they don’t need. (A digital antenna can offer this, of course, but not everyone gets all the channels clearly, nor do they like the aesthetics of mounting an antenna in their home.) But it also largely appeals to those who don’t yet pay for cable TV – only broadband – but struggle to find ways to watch live, local programming. This should appeal to those consumers hesitant to cut the cord because they would otherwise be missing live sports and news. But access to top cable networks like ESPN, AMC, A&E, and Disney Channel aren’t in the introductory package. The differentiator between Xfinity Instant TV and some of its streaming rivals is that it packages all the major broadcast networks into its core offering, including ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, NBC, PBS, Telemundo, Unimas, and Univision, plus all public, education and governmental (PEG) channels. The service also includes a video-on-demand library, and DVR with 20 hours of storage. The service, Xfinity Instant TV, is only available to Comcast’s broadband subscribers, where it aims to take on other over-the-top offerings like Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV and others, by offering a cheaper “skinny bundle” of local broadcast networks, starting at $18 per month. Comcast’s own streaming service aimed at cord cutters and more so the ‘cord nevers’ who never sign up for cable, has now launched. ![]()
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