Comcast’s free, ad-supported service Xumo has become the first multi-platform streamer to offer broad access to all four major broadcast network news streaming channels, according to a review of the app by The Desk this week.
This month, Xumo quietly added a feed of the national CBS News streaming channel, as well as a handful of streaming news feeds operated by several CBS-owned local stations. In addition to CBS News, Xumo also offers access to ABC News Live, NBC News Now and LiveNow from Fox.
The addition of CBS News makes Xumo the first multi-platform free, ad-supported streaming service to offer 24-hour streaming feeds of every national news channel operated by a major domestic broadcast network (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC). While all four channels are also available on YouTube and Samsung TV Plus, the YouTube feeds are not continuous and Samsung TV Plus is limited to Samsung devices. Xumo, on the other hand, is widely available on Apple and Android smartphones and tablets and streaming TV platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Xumo’s closest competitor, Paramount Global’s Pluto TV, offers live news from NBC News Now and CBS News, but not ABC News Live or LiveNow from Fox. Haystack News, a startup news aggregation service, doesn’t offer NBC News Now.
Along with the four network news streamers, Xumo offers a diverse lineup of streaming news channels, including Newsy, Cheddar News, Bloomberg, BNC Go, NBC LX and a digital variant of CBC News. The streaming service is available to download for free on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV (Google TV) and on Apple and Android-powered smartphones and tablets. It is also available on Comcast’s X1-powered set-top boxes, Flex internet devices and XClass TV sets.
