For the first time, the country's biggest cable company is adding mobile live streaming of channels, with Comcast set to allow customers to pull up programming as it's happening on 35 channels on a revamped Xfinity app.
Several of the channels, such as the panoply of ESPN properties, have allowed live streaming of their programming mobilely before through their own apps. But consumers overwhelming prefer the concept of getting their mobile TV in one place from their pay-TV provider. Jonathan Hurd, who directed Altman Vilandrie & Co.'s annual consumer survey, found 80 percent of respondents this year preferred a single app from cable TV provider.
Comcast said its app, to be redubbed Xfinity TV Go, will let Xfinity TV customers watch up to 35 live TV channels depending on their subscription wherever they're on Wi-Fi.
Participating networks at launch include news channels like BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX Business Channel, and FOX News Channel; sports networks like FOX Sports 1, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Network, Pac-12 Networks, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and other ESPN properties; and channels known for scripted content like Disney Channel, Disney Junior and FX.
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