Comcast is currently in the middle of prepping to launch Peacock in April, but that doesn’t mean the company is taking a back seat in the streaming wars until then. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Comcast is currently in the advanced stages of buying XUMO — a free ad-supported streaming service, which offers 160-plus channels including CBSN, Fox Sports and Stadium.
XUMO announced earlier this year that they reached 5.5 million monthly users and revenue growth of 300% year-over-year during Q1 of 2019. The company was founded in 2011 as a joint venture between Panasonic and Meredith-owned Viant.
Just like Pluto TV and Tubi, XUMO takes library content and turns it into linear channels featured on a grid guide — as well as offer content on-demand. They have been able to partner with smart TV makers, including LG for a white-label streaming product. In June, XUMO announced it was officially available on Android TV devices like NVIDIA SHIELD and Xiaomi Mi Box.
Since Peacock is reportedly going to have a free tier, the purchase of XUMO would be an asset to build out that audience. The Wall Street Journal also suggests that the purchase of XUMO would help in providing technical and business support.