One of the country’s biggest cable providers is going to be giving consumers free access to top content from several major streaming services. Comcast’s Xfinity and Flex customers can stream content from SVODs and premium networks for free as part of its annual Xfinity Watchathon Week.
Top line
Comcast is bringing back Xfinity Watchathon Week for the ninth time, from April 27-May 3, making content from certain streaming services and premium networks available for free to their Xfinity X1 and Flex customers.
Between the lines
HBO Max is making the entire HBO library free for the week, as well as some HBO Max originals, including The Flight Attendant. The first three seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale will be available on Hulu ahead of the Season 4 premiere on April 28, as well as originals like A Teacher and Palm Springs.
Zombie fans can catch all of the Walking Dead universe from AMC+, in addition to the rest of the company’s full on demand catalog. Premium networks, including Showtime, Starz and Epix, are also making their full on-demand catalogs available.
Additionally, niche SVODs like Acorn TV, Lifetime Movie Club and Hallmark Movies Now are also in front of the paywall for the week. And for multicultural SVOD fans, Korean TV streaming video platform Kocowa, African American SVOD service Brown Sugar and Spanish-language platform Pantaya are making content available.
Not all of the top streamers are participating in Watchathon Week, however: No Netflix or Disney+ content is included in the free preview.
Bottom line
As people continue to stream more and more content, Comcast is hoping to keep viewers in its ecosystem by making programming from top SVODs and premium networks free for a week.
Comcast noted that customers are streaming more content on its entertainment platforms than ever before, up 73% year over year. As that streaming number accelerates, linear TV continues to collapse. Comcast lost 248,000 net video subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2020.
“This year’s Watchathon is a great opportunity to highlight the breadth and depth of everything we offer across both X1 and Flex,” Rebecca Heap, svp, video & entertainment for Comcast, said in a statement.
