Comcast on Wednesday officially launched its StreamSaver bundle, offering Xfinity broadband customers Apple TV+, Netflix‘s ad tier and Peacock for $15 a month.
The offering, one of several bundles announced by streaming players in recent months, revealed its pricing last week. While Comcast has touted the savings for customers of 30%, or nearly $100 a year, the company had already been providing NBCUniversal’s Peacock at no charge to Xfinity broadband and pay-TV subscribers.
Those signing up for StreamSaver can also add Comcast’s NOW TV package for an extra $15 a month. That plan includes more than 40 live TV channels, including AMC, A&E, Hallmark, History Channel, Lifetime and WEtv, as well as more than two dozen FAST channels.
Dave Watson, CEO of Connectivity and Platforms at Comcast, called StreamSaver a “home run for consumers” as well as the company’s business partners. Peacock, Netflix and Apple, he said, “benefit from the reach and depth of our entertainment platforms and Xfinity’s marketing engine.”
While others in the streaming marketplace have their own reasons for creating bundles, including the first cross-company initiatives from Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox, Comcast is bundling mainly to boost its broadband operation. The company had about 32 million broadband customers at the end of the first quarter, though it reported an uncharacteristic slip over the same period in 2023. Comcast is also the second-largest pay-TV operator in the U.S., having recently been eclipsed by Charter.
Peacock, meanwhile, is playing an increasingly central role in the strategy of both NBCU and Comcast. Launched in 2020, the service has lagged many competitors in total subscribers and, like most, still loses money. Still, its healthy amount of live sports programming, including Premier League soccer, NFL football and professional golf, has helped it add subscribers at a significant clip. It will be the centerpiece of the company’s full-tilt coverage of the Paris Olympics this summer, with every medal event viewable on Peacock.
