Comcast is rolling out a new interactive platform for sports fans, which will include live odds from betting partner DraftKings, the company announced on Thursday.
The interactive sports hub will debut March 12 on Comcast’s X1 set-top boxes, with the launch coinciding with the Players Championship tournament on NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock, PGA Tour Live, ESPN Plus and the PGA Tour free, ad-supported streaming channel.
Comcast subscribers who say “The Players” into their voice-powered remote control will have access to the new hub, which will include an interactive tour of all 18 holes of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, as well as a dynamic scorecard that shows how the players are performing during any given round. A digital leaderboard will also offer real-time updates during the tournament.
The interactive feature is launching in partnership with Comcast Business, the company’s enterprise-level television and broadband solutions provider.
“The Players is one of the PGA TOUR’s premier and most anticipated tournaments, and I’m thrilled Comcast is able to bring this immersive experience to sports fans,” said Eileen Diskin, the Chief Marketing Officer at Comcast Business. “Comcast Business is committed to serving business leaders on and off the course, and we’re honored to be a Proud Partner of The Players Championship.”
“With Comcast Business as a Proud Partner, The Players Championship is a perfect opportunity to showcase the power of our platform to help customers find, watch and enjoy events that span multiple networks and streaming services, along with interactive features for fans who want an even deeper experience,” said Vito Forlenza the Vice President of Entertainment Apps at Comcast. “We are going to keep leaning into major sports moments like The Players to experiment with new features and functionality that raise the bar for modern-day viewing, especially as the sports landscape continues to evolve.”
In addition to the new interactive sports platform, Comcast is partnering with sports betting provider DraftKings to show real-time betting odds through its X1 set-top boxes. The new service, called Xfinity Odds Zone, also launches on March 12, the companies affirmed.
“X1 is the best seat in the house for live sports, and we’re continuing to innovate and create new experiences we know fans want – because it’s only live once,” said John Dixon, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Comcast. “For sports fans, there is no better way to track in-play odds than right next to the live event, so we’re working with DraftKings to bring customers a transformative experience that makes it easy to follow the action and initiate bets while the event unfolds.”
Xfinity Odds Zone will exist within the current Xfinity Sports Zone app on X1 set-top boxes. Customers can access Xfinity Odds Zone by launching the Xfinity Sports Zone, which is done by saying “sports app” into the voice-powered remote or by pressing the “C” button on the remote.
Comcast said the Xfinity Odds Zone will roll out to eligible X1 customers in “most markets,” but only subscribers who live in a state where sports betting is legal and where DraftKings operates its sportsbook will be able to place bets through the feature.
