Comcast Launches Now TV, A $20-A-Month Streaming Service With 40-Plus Entertainment Channels, FAST Offerings And Peacock Premium

Dade Hayes
·3 min read
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Comcast is rolling out Now TV, a streaming offering aimed at what it calls “the value-conscious consumer who wants an entertainment product.”

For $20 a month, the service includes more than 40 live channels, among them A&E, AMC, Hallmark and selections from Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio, along with 20-plus free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels from NBC, Sky and Xumo Play. A subscription to Peacock Premium is also included at no extra charge. Now TV is available to customers paying for internet service from Comcast’s Xfinity brand.

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As a leading provider of broadband and cable TV, Comcast has been experimenting with various packages in recent years as the number of video subscribers continues to decline across the industry. Its Flex offering for Xfinity subscribers bundles streaming outlets at no charge for customers. A new joint venture with Charter Communications is also aimed at keeping cord-cutters in the fold.

The new service, which was unveiled by Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson at an appearance at an investor conference hosted by Wall Street firm JP Morgan, is unique in that it combines linear TV, FAST and subscription VOD. In the pay-TV marketplace, it most closely resembles Philo TV. Unlike other internet-delivered pay-TV outlets, Philo has avoided carrying sports networks, which has enabled it to keep its monthly price at $25 as it has accumulated nearly 1 million subscribers. Others in the streaming pay space, which is paced by YouTube and Hulu, have had to hike rates significantly as programmers charge more and their pricing has ended up more than three times the level of Now TV.

Across the aisle at Comcast, Sky has operated its own internet-delivered subscription service in the UK and Europe called Now (formerly Now TV) since 2012. It differs somewhat from the new U.S. offering in that it features multiple tiers, including a top-end one with sports programming. The offering was cited as a key streaming asset by Comcast and NBCUniversal execs after Comcast outbid Disney to acquire majority control of Sky in 2018.

“With content and connectivity at the core of our company, we are uniquely positioned to build and deliver streaming entertainment offerings unlike anything else out there today,” Watson said in a press release. “Now TV is a great example of how our company brings together its collective video
experiences, innovative technology, and superior broadband service to deliver some of the best
entertainment into one affordable steaming bundle.”

Channels available on Now TV when the service launches in the coming weeks include the following: A&E, Afro, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC News, Comedy.TV, Cooking, Crime + Investigation,
Discovery, Discovery Life, Food Network, FYI, Great American Family, Great American Living, Get TV, Game Show Network, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, The
History Channel, Investigation Discovery, IFC, Justice Central, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network,
Magnolia Network, Military History, MotorTrend Network, OWN, Pursuit, Recipe.TV, Science Channel,
Sony Movies, Sundance TV, TLC, Travel Channel, Vice, WEtv and Weather Channel.

Now TV will be accessible through the Xfinity Stream app and includes a 20-hour DVR and access on three concurrent streams.

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