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State of the Screens

Comcast’s Trojan Horse for Pay-TV

By October 2, 2019No Comments

The Big News: Comcast is waiving the $5/month fee for it’s Xfinity Flex streaming box for existing broadband-only subscribers.

Why this matters: This allows Comcast to own the “last mile” of the video relationship with broadband-only customers.  This is a game that they have been forfeiting to Roku and Amazon, until now.

Interesting: Comcast’s Giveaway Is Exactly What Steve Jobs Feared

How they will make money (beyond broadband):
1)
 Referral fees for streaming service sign-ups
2) Reselling a share of the ad inventory

Share of streaming video time, according to Samsung:
1) Ad-free (SVOD) – 60%
2) Ad-supported (AVOD) – 40%

Flashback: Comcast Debuts ‘Xfinity Instant TV’ Skinny Bundle for Broadband-Only Users

More #1: Targeted TV Advertising Is Taking Off 

More #2: Is Comcast Competing With Roku?

More #3: Who’s who in advanced TV? How Netflix, Hulu, Roku, NBCU and others are shaping how we watch

Video: The Future of TV is Ad-Funded

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.