Comcast is the most hated company in America by many estimations. It is unfortunate, then, that Comcast is the only cable company serving wide swaths of America. Actually, that might have a lot to do with how disliked it is. At least Comcast is trying to make its apps better. After spending a few years improving the Xfinity TV app (it isn't bad now), the company has announced the successor—Xfinity Stream.
According to Comcast, the new app will stream the entire TV lineup on phones and tablets when at home. When you're out and about, you can still get more than 200 live channels, DVR content, and 40,000 on-demand titles. It's described as offering an "X1-like experience" including searchable content by categories, music streaming, and parental controls. There are no screenshots of the new app, and the UI has been one of the long-standing complaints about the Xfinity TV app. The lack of Chromecast support is irksome as well. We've reached out to ask if Chromecast will be supported in the new app and will update if Comcast sees fit to respond.
Comcast says Xfinity Stream will roll out on February 28th. Users of the current app will "see it transition to the Stream app," which indicates it will be an update to the current Xfinity TV app listing.
UPDATE: 2017/02/14 5:50pm PST BY
Comcast has expressed that Chromecast support is not planned for the new app. Womp womp.
PRESS RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast today announced plans to launch “Xfinity Stream,” an app available to all Xfinity TV customers at no additional cost on devices in and out of the home. The app, which can be downloaded by Xfinity TV customers without charge, will allow users to watch their entire TV line-up on phones, tablets and laptops in the home, and when they’re on-the-go, to tune-in to more than 200 live channels, access and program their DVR and watch 40,000 on demand titles.
“We’re focused on creating the best entertainment experiences across platforms and continuing to give Xfinity TV customers more choice in how, when and where they access their content,” said Matt Strauss, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Video and Entertainment Services at Comcast Cable. “With the Xfinity Stream app, we are giving customers access to the best content in and out of the home with a growing list of advanced features and capabilities that make the mobile experience nearly identical to the cable experience they enjoy at home.”
The Xfinity Stream app, the successor to the Xfinity TV app, includes the ability to switch to a Spanish guide, favorite channel filtering, music channels and Common Sense Media reviews and ratings, offering users an X1-like experience for customers’ phones, tablets and laptops in and out of the home.
-
Live TV and Xfinity On Demand: In addition to becoming an additional screen in the home for Xfinity TV cable customers to access live and on demand programming, Xfinity Stream also gives them access to more than 200 live channels over the Internet outside the home, including sports networks such as ESPN, Fox Sports and NBC Sports; news networks such as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and BBC World News; kids networks like Nick Jr., Disney Channel and Sprout; 50 Music Choice channels, as well as a host of other top cable and premium networks. The app also offers more than 40,000 on demand movies and TV shows to stream on the go, as well as thousands of download choices for offline viewing.
-
DVR Recordings On the Go: Xfinity TV customers can take their entire DVR collection with them to stream on the go, or even download to watch while offline. They can also use the app to set recordings remotely.
-
First Screen Experiences on Devices: The Xfinity Stream app will bring an X1-like experience to customers with new and enhanced features like the ability to search content by categories such as audience or critics score, stream 50+ Music Choice channels in-the-home and on-the-go, access Common Sense Media ratings and reviews and customize their parental controls per device.
-
Spanish Guide and Accessibility Enhancements: Comcast’s bi-cultural customers will have the option to navigate the app in their language of choice - Spanish or English – as well as enable English programming that offers a secondary audio feed in Spanish. Those customers with vision impairments can also enable video description - a narration track included between the natural pauses in dialogue that describes the visual elements – on select movies and TV shows.
Customers will be able to download the Xfinity Stream app for iOS and Android devices on February 28. Customers who have already installed the latest version of the Xfinity TV app on their devices will see it transition to the Stream app through an app update on February 28.