Key Points
- Comcast has overhauled its Xfinity TV service with simplified, all-in pricing that starts at $55 per month with an included X1 box and a generous allotment of cloud DVR space.
- New plans span basic TV Core to sports, news and premium tiers, with bundle discounts that drop monthly prices by $10 for customers adding Internet or mobile service.
- The streamlined lineup follows Comcast’s similar Internet overhaul and signals continued investment in pay TV as the company faces competition from wireless and streaming rivals.
Several months after relaunching its Xfinity Internet packages with streamlined, all-in pricing, Comcast has done the same with its pay television service under the Xfinity TV brand, the company announced on Wednesday.
Starting this month, new and existing customers can take advantage of the revamped Xfinity TV plans, with prices that start at $55 per month for live channels with an X1 box and 300 hours of cloud DVR included.
“Like we did with Xfinity Internet, we’ve simplified and reimagined our video packages, making it easy and hassle-free for our customers to enjoy great content on the best and most innovative entertainment experience,” Steve Croney, the Chief Operating Officer and incoming Chief Executive Officer of Comcast’s Connectivity & Platforms business unit, said in a statement. “When combined with Internet and mobile, our new video packages offer unmatched value, plus there’s even more opportunity for savings with bundles like Xfinity StreamSaver.”
In June, Comcast moved to eliminate the headaches and friction for customers shopping for broadband Internet by eliminating separate fees for equipment and unmetered data usage. Those plans start at $40 per month for base service with 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds on a one-year promotion. Special pricing for customers who opt for a five-year price-lock guarantee or who want service without a promotion are also available. None of the Internet plans require contracts.
Comcast has brought the same idea to its Xfinity TV service, charging $65 per month for its basic cable plan that includes local channels with 150 hours of cloud-based DVR accessible through the Xfinity Stream app and an included X1 set-top box. Local channels, including major broadcast affiliates (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW Network, Ion, Univision, Telemundo), are available in the plan, as are local PBS member stations and public access channels.
For sports fans, the Sports & News Package costs $90 per month for national networks like ESPN, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), CNN, Fox News and NewsNation, plus all the local channels available in TV Core. World Soccer Ticket includes everything in TV Core and News & Sports, plus Spanish-language networks like ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes and NBC Universo at $95 per month.
Xfinity TV’s two core plans — TV Plus and TV Premium — are also getting streamlined pricing, starting at $105 per month for all channels in TV Core and Sports & News, plus entertainment and lifestyle networks like TBS, TNT, USA Network, Food Network, Bravo, HGTV and Cartoon Network. More channels, including Paramount Network, NHL Network, MLB Network, NFL Network, NBA TV and CBS Sports Network, are available in TV Premium for $135 per month.
Aside from TV Core, the other four Xfinity TV packages include 300 hours of cloud-based DVR and an included X1 set-top box at no extra cost. Peacock Premium is included with Sports & News TV and World Soccer Ticket, but not TV Plus or TV Premium. Some Xfinity Internet customers get Peacock Premium free for two years.
All Xfinity TV plans announced on Wednesday include a $10 price discount for customers who bundle at least one other Xfinity service, like home Internet or Xfinity Mobile, dropping the price of TV Core down to $55 per month and lowering the price of TV Premium to $125 per month. And all Xfinity TV subscribers will have access to the StreamStore, which includes the unique StreamSaver bundle that pairs Peacock Premium, Netflix and Apple TV Plus for $18 per month, a 40 percent discount based on the retail cost of each service.
The streamlined pricing for Xfinity TV signals Comcast’s ongoing commitment to offering pay TV service to customers, even as some of its peers pull out of the business in order to focus on their more-profitable broadband services.
Stock Price
Over the past few years, Comcast has faced tougher competition from fixed wireless home Internet products and streaming cable-like replacements, which have poached its customers with lower-priced offerings. During its most-recent financial quarter, Comcast reported 11.52 million Xfinity TV subscribers and 31.44 million Xfinity Internet connections, most of which are residential customers.
“We’re making steady progress as we reposition the company for long-term, sustained growth,” Brian Roberts, the Chairman and CEO of Comcast, said in a statement following Comcast’s third quarter (Q3) earnings report in October. “In connectivity, we’re strengthening our broadband foundation and accelerating wireless as a meaningful growth engine.”
