Comcast’s Xumo Launches ‘What To Watch’ Channel With Xfinity Curation Shown To Drive Five-fold Increase In Viewer Engagement

Exclusive: Xumo, a free streaming startup acquired by Comcast two years ago, is launching a channel designed to help viewers find programming on its ad-supported free linear offerings.

The new What to Watch direction, which Comcast says is the first of its kind in the world FAST (Growing Approach to Major Streaming Players), developed by Xfinity’s film and television editors, broadband interface and long-running pay TV Comcast date.

The curating element, which Xfinity has represented over the years, is seen as a powerful tool for engaging the viewer. According to Comcast, the initial test of monitored content on Xumo in 2021 received an average of five times the start or click rate and 5.6 times the average number of hours viewed.

Xfinity’s What to Watch channel will feature editors-selected movies and TV shows organized by topic. In a blog post, Comcast said the goal is to give you a “traditional TV-like viewing experience”. Like the existing Xfinity editorial series conversations Y what to see live It will interfere with the channel directly.

FAST releases occur during activities that are important to Xumo. Comcast paid more than $ 100 million to buy it in 2020, but close to the vest realized how it could eventually fit into its entire broadcast strategy. The free ad-supported service, which had 24 million monthly active users as of October 2020, is a key part of the Comcast Charter Joint Venture. Charter is contributing $ 900 million to the recently announced merger to create a major new streaming gateway, while Comcast is investing in Xumo, the XClass smart TV developer, and Flex, its broadband video provider. (Comcast CEO Marcien Jenkes was named president of the joint venture today.)

“With tens of thousands of hours of free programming available, we’re always looking for ways to create a more immersive experience and help our customers find exciting shows and movies,” said Fern Feistel, senior vice president for content and marketing operations of Xumo. Blog post. With the launch of the Xfinity What to Watch channel, we are taking our editorial and programming strategy to the next level by partnering with the Xfinity team who have curated and curated collections of content on its platforms for over 10 years to create dynamic programming for help our viewers discover something new in our growing selection catalog. “

The new channel will feature family movies, PG and PG-13 and classic TV series from 7am to 12pm. There will be bets in the afternoon block, from noon to 6pm. what to see live Y Xfinity Hangout.

Primetime, which Comcast defines from 6pm to midnight, will cover topics such as comedy, action and science fiction. Titles will shift based on what’s happening in the world – the superhero fare is tied to a great movie like Doctor Strange 2For example, or the June LGBTQ + headlines associated with Pride Month.

During the night, from midnight to 7am, there will be horror, suspense, thriller and 80s movies.