Customers of Comcast’s broadband product Xfinity Internet now have access to sports-centric streaming service Fubo on the company’s lased streaming boxes.
Starting Thursday, Comcast is pushing out the Fubo app to supported Xfinity Flex and Xumo Stream boxes, the company affirmed in a statement.
Fubo offers more than 400 sports, news, entertainment and lifestyle channels for slightly more than $80 per month plus taxes and fees. The channels include those offered by Fox Corporation (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2), the Walt Disney Company (ESPN, FX, FXX, Freeform), Paramount Global (CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon) and Comcast’s NBC Universal (NBC, MSNBC, Bravo, E!, USA), along with local broadcast stations and regional sports networks throughout the country.
For now, the app will be available only on Comcast boxes that are associated with its home broadband Internet service — meaning it isn’t being offered on Comcast’s Internet-connected X1 set-top boxes. Which makes some sense, since Fubo is essentially a cord-cutter alternative to traditional cable TV, which Comcast still offers through its Xfinity TV service.
Still, it opens up more options for Comcast’s Internet-only customers who lease at least one Flex or Xumo Stream box from the company. Other pay TV services available on the device include Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. Comcast also sells its own streaming-only TV services through Flex and Xumo Stream, including Xfinity Stream (available in most areas) and its price-conscious TV product called Now TV.
“Live sports is best enjoyed on the big screen – in fact, 95 percent of Fubo viewers are watching their favorite content on connected and smart televisions,” Isaac Josephson, the Senior Vice President of Product Management at Fubo, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to add Comcast’s Xfinity Flex, Xumo TV and Xumo Stream Box streaming platforms to Fubo’s suite of TV devices. A big shout-out to the many teams across Fubo and Comcast for their hard work in bringing our premium user experience to Comcast streaming customers.”
“For many consumers, one of the first things they look for in a streaming service is whether it provides access to their favorite sports,” said John Dixon the Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Comcast. “With a huge collection of sports-focused channels ranging from local broadcast to national networks covering the biggest and smallest of sports, Fubo is a great addition to the growing catalog of streaming options available on our platforms.”
Comcast customers who want a Fubo subscription can open the app on their Flex or Xumo Stream boxes, where they will be presented with a QR code that will lead them to the sign-up page on Fubo’s website when scanned with a phone or tablet. Once a subscription is paid for, the Xumo Stream or Flex box will generate a six-digit code that customers can enter into the Fubo website on their phones or tablets to log in. Subscribers will be billed through Fubo, and can modify or cancel their service through the Fubo website.
The addition of Fubo on Comcast’s streaming boxes will help it reach more consumers who have switched away from traditional cable, but still want options for certain cable networks. It comes less than two months before the start of pre-season football, which tends to be one of Fubo’s busiest times for new and returning customer sign-ups.
Fubo currently counts slightly more than 1.5 million subscribers in North America, according to the company’s latest financial report.
