Comcast unveiled its new Xfinity TV app, which will enable Xfinity TV digital customers to watch TV shows and movies directly on the iPad either at home or on-the-go in the coming weeks. The app is a TV guide and a mobile video player in one, enabling customers to change TV channels from the iPad and helps them to search and instantly find what to watch among thousands of choices on TV, On Demand, online or on the iPad.
Demoed at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco 11/15, the first version of the app will be available on the iTunes Store this week and is free to Comcast digital customers.
Initially, Comcast will offer hit shows and blockbuster movies from the top premium networks on the app. In the coming weeks and months, the app will continue to expand its content and functionality through a series of regular development updates. It will include thousands of additional entertainment choices, added remote control features, and enhanced search across platforms.
This week’s launch on the iTunes Store is the first in a series of scheduled app releases Comcast’s development team will deliver for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Comcast will launch several Android apps this year and also plans to offer apps with similar functionality on different devices including BlackBerry and other smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs.
RBR-TVBR observation: Comcast does have a bit of an advantage here in the space because it is free to current customers. We just wrote about Hulu Plus, which costs $9.99 per month for a wide selection of TV and video content. It will have to compete with free services from content providers such as Comcast already getting a monthly check. Perhaps Qualcomm is shuttering its FloTV service because of realities such as this.
