Charter Cable App Launches on Comcast-Made XClass TVs, Continuing Corporate Partnership
The partnership between Comcast and Charter Communications — the two largest cable companies in the U.S. — is continuing to expand. In April, the two companies announced that they were joining forces in a joint venture to launch a streaming platform.
Comcast and Charter will split the costs of developing the platform 50/50, and their goal is to “develop and offer a next-generation streaming platform on a variety of branded 4K streaming devices and smart TVs, providing consumers with a world-class user experience and navigation, all the top apps and more choice in the streaming marketplace.”
The new partnership between Comcast and Charter will not include aspects of either company’s broadband or cable video business, but will instead focus on making the process of streaming easier for the two cablers’ combined customers while providing an enhanced ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) experience.
The yet-to-be-named venture will offer more than 200 free streaming channels via Xumo’s existing AVOD service and NBCUniversal’s multi-tiered subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)/AVOD hybrid platform Peacock will be included among hundreds of other apps as well.
The launch of that service took another baby step forward this week, as the companies announced that the Spectrum TV app would be launching on Comcast-made XClass TVs.
“We are focused on providing more choice to our customers by constantly enhancing the Spectrum TV App and expanding its reach,” Charter’s EVP of Digital Platforms Jodi Robinson said. “Providing the app on XClass TV shows our commitment to delivering service wherever and whenever our customers want.”
The Spectrum TV App is the most-viewed streaming service in the U.S. on an hours-per-household basis and the highest-rated pay-TV streaming app in the country. With the Spectrum TV App on XClass TV, customers can access their full channel lineup and thousands of on-demand shows and movies; they can also take advantage of Spectrum’s Cloud DVR service.
The Spectrum TV App is now automatically available on every XClass TV and can be launched by saying “Spectrum TV” into the included voice remote or by finding it within the device’s app menu. Customers will be auto-authenticated when the TV is connected to their Spectrum home network and can immediately begin enjoying their Spectrum TV lineup.
The move to launch the Spectrum app on XClass TVs is something of a trial balloon for the two companies. The XClass TVs are currently only sold at Walmart, and Comcast has not released any of its internal numbers tracking the sale of the TVs, so it’s unclear exactly how many new customers the Spectrum app will reach. What is clear, however, is that Charter and Comcast’s joint foray into the tvOS marketplace has just begun.