Comcast rolls out a $20 streaming bundle, with a catch

By Phil Nickinson May 23, 2023

Because the state of streaming video isn’t confusing enough, Comcast today announced Now TV, a streaming bundle that includes more than 40 channels from the likes of A&E, AMC, Hallmark, and Warner Bros. Discovery (as in the parent company of the new revamped Max streaming service), as well as more than 20 free ad-supported channels from NBC (which is owned by Comcast), Sky, and Xumo Play. And they’re throwing in a subscription to Peacock Premium (that’s the streaming service from NBCUniversal), just because.

That’s actually a decent amount of streaming video for a decent price of $20 a month.

A promo image for Comcast's Now TV. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

“With content and connectivity at the core of our company, we are uniquely positioned to build and deliver streaming entertainment offerings unlike anything else out there today,” Dave Watson, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, said in a press release. “Now TV is a great example of how our company brings together its collective video experiences, innovative technology, and superior broadband service to deliver some of the best entertainment into one affordable streaming bundle.”

The only real catch here is that you have to be an Xfinity customer to get the bundle, at least at launch. You’ll sign up and cancel through the Xfinity website (there’s no sign of that though at the time we’re publishing this, though), and the whole smash will be available through the Xfinity Stream app, which is available on the Xfinity Flex system, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, iOS and Android devices, and through casting via Apple’s AirPlay or Google’s Chromecast.

So it’s sort of a standalone streaming service, so long as you already have an existing Xfinity service. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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