By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
Comcast and Charter have announced that they have launched the Xumo Stream Box to Spectrum TV households with plans to bring it to Xfinity subscribers soon. The Roku-like streaming device, a joint venture of the nation’s two top cable operators, offers a mix of live programming such as Charter’s Spectrum TV and Comcast’s Xfinity stream, as well as streaming apps such as Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Peacock, Pluto, Prime Video, Tubi and Xumo Play.
The box launch is part of the two cable ops’ plan to attract cord-cutters and stem video subscriber losses. New Spectrum TV subscribers can get one free Xumo box for 12 months. They also can pay $60 to purchase the device or pay $5 a month to use it. Existing Spectrum TV subscribers can also buy it for $60 or pay the $5 a month service fee.
“Xumo is streaming simplified, bringing a live TV experience together with all the top apps,” Rich DiGeronimo, Charter’s president of product and technology, said in a statement. “With Xumo Stream Box, customers have endless entertainment options simplified, with aggregated search across apps and curated content offerings based on the customer’s interests and subscriptions, which will be even more powerful as direct-to-consumer apps are included with Spectrum service.”
The Xumo Stream box, which includes a voice remote, includes AI-driven personalized and human-led viewing recommendations.
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— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
