Comcast preps ‘XClass’ line of smart TVs for launch
Comcast appears closer to launching its own line of smart TVs as new details emerge about the company’s upcoming “XClass” product lineup. Protocol’s website contains information about Comcast’s smart TVs, which will extend its Xfinity X1/Flex platform beyond its pay TV footprint. The smart TVs will support apps from Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Showtime, Paramount+, Disney+ and Peacock, which new customers will get 12 months of free Premium access to at launch. The company is also touting more than 10,000 free shows and movies from free apps like Xumo, Tubi and Pluto. Early signs indicate XClass TVs will come in 43- and 50-inch 4K UHD models manufactured by Hisense and will include voice remotes.
The NPD Take:
- Comcast will be entering a highly competitive market that includes Amazon, Google and Roku, who battle over space in the third-party smart TV OS landscape.
- Comcast will need strong retail distribution strategy to succeed.
HBO Max cuts sub price in half
HBO Max has cut its $14.99 monthly subscription fee in half to try to offset the service’s departure from Amazon Prime Channels which gives Prime members access to third-party streaming services. The limited-time $7.49 Max subscription fee is for new and existing HBO subscriptions and available through September 26th. The temporary price cut now makes Max less expensive than Prime Video and Netflix both priced at $8.99 each.
The NPD Take:
- While HBO Max’s exit from Prime Channels could cost the company millions of subscribers, promotions such as this will help offset losses.
- While HBO is priced at the high end of competitive options, the company is showing that old school promotions can and will be used to attract customers. In fact, that pricing structure provides more opportunity than most have to discount their offering and still maintain fair ARPU.
Fox’s new weather forecast
Next month, Fox News Media division will formally launch Fox Weather, a new, free ad-supported streaming service dedicated to weather coverage. Fox Weather will utilize a slate of high-tech weather radars, including an immersive mobile 3D radar. The service will also use more than 100,000 HD cameras located across the U.S., as well as meteorologists and reporters at Fox-owned local stations and affiliates. The service is the latest push into the DTC streaming space for Fox since its acquisition of Tubi in 2020. But unlike Tubi, Fox is building Fox Weather from the ground up.
The NPD Take:
- As more viewers continue to migrate away from cable TV we’re seeing the final bastions of linear programming come over as well, sports, news and now weather.