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Comcast?s app for X1 customers extends range for TV consumption via mobile

Broadcast and cable company Comcast?s new mobile application for X1 customers gives them the ability to enable cloud technology for television consumption across any mobile device in their home.

The decision to launch the app follows an increase in the number of consumers watching TV and video on laptops and mobile devices. The launch is part of a larger effort that is gradually taking effect in major cities. Comcast hopes to extend the ability for all X1 users by the end of 2014.

?Comcast was at the forefront of TVE from the very beginning, when we partnered with Time Warner to announce the principles in 2009,? said Lisa Scalzo, senior director of corporate communications of video products and services at Comcast, Philadelphia. 

Multichannel approach
On Oct. 1, X1 users in the San Francisco Bay area were able to connect their TV plans to any remote device in their home using the app, followed by Houston residents on Oct. 2. 


Comcast took recent research from the Consumer Electronics Association into consideration while developing these efforts, as 46 percent of all TV households watch video on a laptop, notebook or netbook, and 43 percent view videos on a smartphone. These numbers have increased by almost 10 percent each from last year.

While at home, users can now watch any recording on IP-enabled devices over Comcast?s managed network. While away from home, they can use Internet connection to stream or download items that users have recorded via DVR.


After downloading the app, users can sign in with their Xfinity TV credentials to start using the cloud technology.

Live in-home streaming is now available in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington.

Personalization all around
Comcast claims to continually offer mobile solutions while keeping personalization in mind.

The company is providing Philadelphia?s mobile-savvy consumers with personalized local news and information by relaunching EveryBlock Philly, a hyper-local, free online service and mobile application that aggregates and curates content at the neighborhood level.

The service?s interactive, personalized news feed allows users to stay connected with neighbors, interact and share what is happening on their block, and discover content and information from around the city. The move reflects an effort to connect live news, one of the earliest forms of mobile-messaging content, with an audience that has grown increasingly sophisticated in its use of mobile devices (see story).

In July, Comcast initiated a partnership with entertainment corporation Lionsgate to build mobile applications for Lionsgate films, offering bonus clips and features for Comcast customers purchasing movies through Xfinity On Demand.

For starters, the team created an app for Lionsgate?s Divergent in an effort to combat a decrease in DVD sales. The collaboration shows an attempt to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for fans of the Divergent franchise and future Lionsgate films to come (see story).

Comcast does not plan to slow down.

?Mobile viewing across devices, both in and out of the home, remains one of our top priorities and as technological advances enable consumer viewing habits to continually evolve, we will remain focused on providing our customers with access to what they want, when they want and where they want,? Ms. Scalzo said. 

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York