Comcast plans Instant TV launch later in ’17

Comcast unveiled more details about Xfinity Instant TV, its upcoming streaming TV service aimed at millennials who don’t want to pay for traditional cable packages or use set-top boxes.

Comcast Chairman and Chief Executive Brian Roberts said on an earnings conference call late last week that the entertainment giant hopes to launch the service later this year.

Xfinity Instant TV is a reworked version of Comcast’s Stream service, which has been in trials in regional markets.

It is expected to offer a bundle including premium channels, local broadcast channels and DVR func- tionality for a lower price than traditional cable packages.

Reports earlier this year said that the service would cost $15 a month and include packages of up to $40 a month, but Comcast said it is still in the process of testing various pricing models.

When it is launched, Xfinity Instant TV will compete with Dish’s Sling TV service and AT&T’s DirecTV Now for cheaper and more convenient ways to watch TV that correspond to the shifting viewing habits of millennials.

Executives again confirmed that Instant TV would be sold only where Comcast has an existing cable TV footprint.

Younger generations of viewers increasingly prefer streaming video on demand via mobile devices and standalone broadband services than conventional cable or satellite video packages.

According to a recent study by Toluna, in 2011 the average 18- to 24-yearold watched 25 hours of traditional TV per week; today they watch closer to 14 hours.

Comcast said it had lost 45,000 residential video customers in the second quarter, compared with a drop of 21,000 a year earlier, although it gained 11,000 users from its business services.