Comcast Live TV: Xfinity Streaming Cable Service To Launch For Cord-Cutters

Comcast is the latest company to make major investments into the streaming cable market. Reuters reports Comcast plans to launch Xfinity Instant TV, a streaming service that targets younger cord-cutting users and subscribers who don’t want to pay for a large cable bundle.

Read: Comcast Xfinity Roku App Comes With Monthly Fee

The service will have packages that cost between $15 to $40 per month and will launch in the third quarter of 2017. Full Comcast channel lists for Instant TV’s packages have not yet been announced, but are expected to include major channels like ESPN and Univision.

However, the service is expected to have a limited rollout at launch, as Instant TV will launch in regions where Comcast already operates and has coverage. As Variety notes, this includes areas like Boston, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area. More notably, Instant TV is also expected to only be available for users who already pay for Comcast broadband services.

The moves on Comcast’s part look to make Xfinity Instant TV more of complementary cable option for existing Comcast broadband subscribers. This arrangement still has some upsides for Comcast subscribers — as Variety notes, Instant TV subscribers won’t need to rent additional hardware from Comcast — but it likely limits the service’s viability as a standalone streaming option for general cable cutters.

Read: DirecTV Now Vs. Sling TV Vs. Sony Vue: Which Service Has The Most Subscribers?

For potential cord-cutters, the number of available services is expected to increase significantly this year. Along with existing options like DirecTV Now and PlayStation Vue, companies including YouTube and Hulu are expected to launch their own streaming cable services in the coming months.