Comcast to Hold 6th Annual ‘Watchathon’

Comcast next week will offer its annual ‘Watchathon,’ which allows video subscribers to watch On Demand programming from more than 50 channels regardless of whether they subscribe to them.

The cable operator, which has held the ‘Watchathon’ event for six years, says the participating channels will include HBO, Showtime, Starz, AMC, FX and NBC, among others. Original shows from Netflix will also be available.

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Select shows from those channels, and streaming services, will be free on the Xfinity On Demand menu from April 16 through April 22.

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And for the first time this year, Comcast says Xfinity Internet-only subscribers will be able to watch shows for free as well from Netflix, Acorn TV, AMC Premiere, FX+, Lifetime Movie Club, History Vault and DOGTV. The shows will be available on the Xfinity Stream app and the Xfinity Stream web page.

“We also didn’t want to leave Xfinity Internet customers out of the fun so for the first time we’re inviting them to experience Watchathon Week commitment-free by downloading the Xfinity Stream app or going to the Xfinity Stream portal to get access to a selection of Watchathon Week movies and TV shows on their devices all week long,” the cable operator stated in a press release.

Comcast says the On Demand programming that will be available this year for free to video subscribers will include such shows as HBO’s Westwood (pictured above), ABC’s The Good Doctor, Bravo’s Southern Charm, Better Things on FX+, NBC’s Friday Night Lights, This is Us, and Will and Grace, TBS’s Search Party and TNT’s The Alienist.

Netflix original shows, such as Orange Is the New Black, The Crown and Stranger Things, will also be for free.

Note: Comcast says the full Showtime On Demand catalog will be available on Xfinity on Demand and the Xfinity Stream app and portal only from April 19 through April 22 during the Watchathon week.

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— Phillip Swann