Comcast to stream live TV to iPad, Android tablets

Comcast will allow for in-home streaming of its live and On Demand content to the iPad and Android tablets later this year, the company announced today.

So far, details on the streaming option are slim. Comcast only revealed that users "will be able to watch live news, TV shows, and movies in their homes whenever they want." The company didn't say how it will stream content to those devices nor if it will charge an additional fee for the service. It plans to unveil a few more details at the Citigroup Investor Conference later today.

In addition to the new streaming service, Comcast announced its plans to update its Xfinity TV offering.

For one, the company has initiated plans to roll out its "play now" feature in the next couple weeks, which allows users of its Xfinity TV iPad app, which launched in November, to "watch nearly 3,000 hours of On Demand content, including popular movies and hit TV shows, either in the home or on-the-go." The service will offer more content "in the weeks and months ahead," Comcast said.

The company's Xfinity TV Web site, which offers access to more than 150,000 pieces of video content, has been updated with the ability for Comcast subscribers to search for programming and change channels on their television from their computers. Users can also program their DVRs from the site.

Comcast finds itself in a battle with competitors over delivering content to tablets. Last December, Dish Network offered subscribers the ability to watch live TV and DVR recordings on their iPad with the help of Sling Media's Sling Adapter. Time Warner Cable showed off an iPad app prototype last year that the company hoped, would eventually allow users to watch shows while on-the-go, and finish watching them on their televisions when they returned home.