In an effort to target cord-cutters who are still Comcast Internet customers, the Denver area’s largest cable TV provider on Monday , a $15-per-month Internet TV plan that includes all the local channels plus HBO.
To subscribe, customers must also pay for Comcast Xfinity Internet service, which can add $39 or more to the monthly cable bill. Stream is also limited to smartphones, tablets and other devices used inside the customer’s home.
The new plan will launch in Denver in early 2016.
“It’s good news for consumers in so far that it’s yet another option for consumers to access video outside a traditional pay TV service,” said Greg Ireland, research director of multiscreen video for IDC, a market research firm. “The audience of non-pay TV subscribers, as it continues to grow, it’s becoming too big to ignore for incumbent pay-TV providers.”
Comcast, like most pay-TV companies, has . With Stream, it’s targeting an audience that has stopped paying or won’t pay for regular cable TV.
This year, a number of channels, including HBO and Showtime, have added online versions to attract this crowd.
Douglas County’s Dish Network went after the same audience in February with Sling TV. But where Sling’s $20-per-month service features cable channels like ESPN and Disney, Comcast’s Stream offers only local broadcast channels plus HBO.
Ireland, with IDC, reminds consumers that with so many options, they should research what plans work best personally.
For instance, order Comcast’s Stream, Sling TV and Showtime and the monthly bill totals $45 with no Internet.
“At the $15 price point, it’s cheaper than $60 to $80. But you’re getting a slim selection of channels. When you add other slim TV channels, you’ll find yourself in the same area of $70 a month,” Ireland said. “Traditional pay-TV may be cheaper (at that point).”
Comcast’s new service includes a cloud-based DVR, so subscribers can record up to 20 hours of shows. No hardware is required with Stream, and users can view it from mobile devices within the home. There are no contract requirements or added fees for activation or cancellation.
Tamara Chuang: 303-954-1209, tchuang@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Gadgetress
Tv online adds up
Cord-cutters who no longer pay for traditional cable TV are being courted by online versions of the same channels. Pick and choose and you might end up paying more than traditional cable TV. All prices below are monthly:
• $5.99:
• $5.99: Nickelodeon streams its
• $3.99: Lifetime online
• $3.99: Hallmark movies
• $10.99: stand-alone streaming service
• $14.99: HBO’s stand-alone service
• $15: offers local broadcast channels plus HBO to Comcast Internet customers. Coming to Denver in early 2016.
• $20: Sling TV’s has 23 channels streamed live, including ESPN, Disney and HGTV.
• $49.99 to $69.99: offers 50 channels plus access to local sports. (Not available in Denver.)
