Comcast acquired 'Xumo,' a free ad-supported streaming service, in early 2020. The television and network service provider recently announced that it is relaunching Xumo under the name 'Xumo Play.' This new service will be the basis for Comcast's upcoming Smart TVs, similar to Roku-branded TVs that offer a variety of apps and services through the Roku ecosystem.
Comcast is aiming to compete in the ad-supported content-streaming market with Xumo Play, while using these services as a way to improve the value proposition for its smart TVs going forward. Comcast has not yet confirmed whether or not its TVs will be named after Xumo or its own branding.
The service provider did state that its smart TVs will also support other popular applications such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube, and more.
Image Credit: Comcast
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Ad-supported Streaming Services
- Branded Smart TV providers can compete in the content streaming market by offering ad-supported services which can serve as a significant revenue-generating opportunity.
- Integration of Popular Apps
- Branded Smart TV providers can incorporate popular streaming apps to offer a comprehensive ecosystem of entertainment options for customers, thus, improving the value proposition for their products.
- Smart TV Branding
- The competition in the Smart TV market not only relies on features but also product branding which can be utilized by branded Smart TV providers to stand out from the crowd and capture a larger customer base.
Where This Applies
- Telecommunications
- Telecommunication companies can leverage ad-supported streaming services to support their smart TV offerings and provide customers with an innovative product that adds value to their services.
- Streaming Services
- Streaming service providers can take advantage of the branded Smart TV market by partnering with providers to offer their services as part of an integrated ecosystem to a captive audience.
- Marketing and Advertising
- Branded Smart TVs present a unique opportunity for marketing and advertising firms to partner with Smart TV providers to deliver targeted ads to customers through ad-supported services.
