Comcast might be giving Disney a one-two punch soon. During the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference webcast, Dave Watson, CEO of Comcast Cable, presented plans for a $20 monthly streaming and live TV service called Now TV.
It will be offered as a “companion to broadband.” Now TV will be available for Xfinity Internet customers. No extra equipment will be necessary to use the service, and customers can cancel anytime.
Now TV will cost $20 a month and will include more than 40 live channels from Warner Bros. Discover, Hallmark, AMC, A&E, and 20 FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels from NBC, Xumo Play, and Sky as well as an included subscription to Peacock Premium.
Here is a list of channels from Verge:
“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”
These are the FAST channels:
“NBC News NOW, Sky News​​ and the following genre-based channels from Xumo Play: Action Movies, Black Cinema, Bollywood & Indian Cinema, Comedy Movies, Comedy TV, Crime TV, Documentaries, Drama & Action TV, Family Movies, Food TV, Movies, Game Shows, Her Movies, Horror & Thriller, Kids TV, Reality TV, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies, Travel & Lifestyle TV and Westerns“
The new service will be part of new streaming packages with “fast broadband internet speeds and mobile phone offerings.”
Waston feels that the new service is a great starting and price point for the company:
“Now TV is a great starter video service, priced attractively, but still will be financially accretive for us.”
This news comes after reports that Comcast will ask Disney to buy out their remaining 33% of Hulu in 2024 at no less than $27.5 billion. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told those in attendance at last week’s SVB MoffettNathanson Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference that they would likely require Disney to complete the buyout.
“It’s more likely than not we will go through with what we’ve said all along. The vast majority case is that we’ll put and they’ll call at the beginning of next year.”
Comcast will sell its stake in Hulu to Disney, but they are not out of the streaming game with this new, affordable option coming.
Disney, Comcast, and Fox each initially held 33% of the shares of Hulu. When Disney purchased Fox, they acquired 66% of the streamer. Since then, the cost of Hulu with live TV has skyrocketed. Initially, the price was $39.99 a month, but that has ballooned under Disney to almost double the cost in just a few years.
It will be interesting to see where this all goes and if this new service will cut into Hulu.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Verge
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