By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
Comcast is now offering one Xumo Stream streaming device to Xfinity’s Internet-only customers for no additional cost, the company announced. The Xumo, which is a joint business venture from Comcast and Charter, provides live channels from Xfinity Stream, Xfinity’s Now TV channels, and hundreds of streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max and Apple TV+. (Subscriptions required to watch.)
“Finding something to watch across streaming apps can be frustrating and time consuming for customers,” said John Dixon, senior vice president for entertainment for Comcast. “Xumo Stream Box helps simplify streaming so customers can spend less time searching and more time watching with key features like live TV at start-up, leading voice search, an integrated guide, and all the most popular apps preloaded and ready to watch.”
With the Xumo Stream Box, Xfinity Stream customers can:
* Search for a show or movie by saying its name into the included voice remote, and Xumo Stream Box will search across available apps and services to find it.
* Get program recommendations from AI-driven personalization and an in-house editorial team.
The Xumo also includes such features as a “currently playing” tile that shows what’s airing on the last Xfinity Stream channel the customer watched.
Charter has been giving away the Xumo to its customers since October. Xfinity says that while the first box is free to Internet-only customers, additional boxes will carry a $15 activation fee and a $5 a month user fee.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
