Sling On Comcast X1
A recent announcement made by Comcast Corporation and Dish Network revealed that the online streaming platform of Dish, Sling TV, would be integrated into Comcast’s X1, which is the providers MSO’s cloud-based, managed video delivery platform.
Reports indicate that over 425 channels will be integrated to the X1 video delivery platform after this deal. Comcast has also recently expanded their video platform to include another popular streaming service, Netflix. In addition to that, the leading telecom company is also looking to become an all-in-one destination for video programming.
Sling TV has become widely popular due to their exceptional offering of a fat bundle of major cable and broadcast channels to their subscribers. However, it seems that Comcast is not interested in the fat bundle, but they are rather looking for the “Sling International” component from the provider.
Sling International is the multicultural remnant of Dish World, which was introduced prior to Sling TV. This platform has an excellent collection of multi ethnic channels, which are currently unavailable in Comcast’s X1 platform. Comcast hopes that they will be able to target ethnic audiences by adding these channels to their offerings.
Javier Garcia, senior VP and GM of multicultural services for Comcast Cable said, “The addition of Sling TV’s multicultural programming will be an excellent complement to the existing international offerings on X1 and will be attractive to our customers. Our customers are becoming increasingly diverse and this is a fantastic opportunity to quickly deliver even more customized and multicultural programming to them, on an X1 platform that’s smart, fast and easy-to-use.”
Comcast Video Platform
Ben Weinberger, Sling TV’s chief product officer, also in a statement said, “Sling TV’s debut on Comcast’s X1 is another step forward in our promise to consumers to be available on their favorite platforms. For the first time, millions of Comcast customers will have access to new multicultural programming options as well as the full suite of Sling TV programming.”
In a recent announcement, Brian Roberts, Comcast CEO said that the integration of Netflix to X1 is just a start as they are planning to add more OTT platforms to their streaming service in the near future. “We are in discussions with other SVOD providers. We decided to focus on this one the biggest one, and the most important to get right. Now, we have a nice template,” Roberts said. It seems as if the addition of Sling is another step in that direction.
