Another Broadband Provider to Offer Xumo Streaming Box as Mediacom Signs up for Comcast, Charter Joint Venture
Another Broadband Provider to Offer Xumo Streaming Box as Mediacom Signs up for Comcast, Charter Joint Venture
The cable provider won’t offer any of its TV plans through the Xumo Stream Box initially, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see that capability added in the future.
Ever since the new Xumo Stream Box launched in early October, Comcast and Charter have been eager to distribute the device as widely as possible. Just this week, it was announced that Charter’s cable brand Spectrum will do away with cable boxes for new customers, and instead, provide them with a Xumo Stream Box to access their cable plan over the internet.
- Xumo Stream Boxes will now be available to Mediacom internet customers.
- Mediacom is the fifth-largest cable provider in the United States, and will continue to offer its own plans outside the Xumo box.
- Mediacom cable channels won’t be available through the Xumo Stream Box, but it does come equipped with Xumo free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels.
The More, The Merrier!
It makes sense that Comcast and Charter would be the first two companies to offer users the new Xumo Stream Box; after all, Xumo is a joint venture between those two media giants. This week, the two companies announced that they’ll be joined by a third provider in giving customers the new box: Mediacom, the fifth-largest cable operator in the United States.
One key difference in the way Mediacom customers will experience the Xumo Stream Box is that they will not purchase cable plans directly through the box. Instead, the Xumo Stream Box will be made available to Mediacom Xtream Internet customers, so it will be used purely as a streaming player by Mediacom users. Both Comcast and Charter customers can purchase pay-TV plans directly through the Xumo Stream Box, and use the device to watch their cable subscription.
“Through our partnership with Xumo, we will be able to significantly enhance the value of our broadband services by combining our market leading-speeds with a new world-class streaming experience,” said Tapan Dandnaik, Mediacom’s SVP of Operations, Product Strategy and Consumer Experience. “Xumo Stream Box is incredibly versatile and consumer-friendly, and we are excited to be among the first companies to bring this cutting-edge device to market.”
Packed with Preloaded Content
The Xumo Stream Box may not allow Mediacom customers to watch their cable channels on the device currently, but it would make sense for the company to add that ability in the future. In the meantime, however, users will find a wealth of free entertainment available on their new Xumo device.
Upon startup, Xtream Internet customers will see live video from Xumo Play, the device’s primary free video service app that comes with more than 300 channels out of the box. Additionally, the built-in channel guide makes browsing through Xumo channels a seamless part of the experience. That’s before mentioning the hundreds of subscription streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and all of your other favorites that come ready to go with the Xumo Stream Box.
Users can even set up personalized watchlists using the “My List” feature. This allows a customer to set up a watchlist of shows and movies —whether live or on-demand— across streaming platforms, ensuring that a show won’t be hidden because it’s on a competing streaming service. The Xumo Stream Box will still be a powerful and important tool for Mediacom Xtream Internet customers, even if it doesn’t import their pay TV plans as well.
Xumo Play
Xumo Play is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to several movies and TV shows. Xumo Play offers 290 free virtual channels, including those focused on reality TV, vintage TV, and game shows.