Talk about a bundle! Comcast seems to be going for the ultimate package that has it all.
Bloomberg reports that Comcast Corp. is taking a new direction and will offer customers a streaming bundle that includes some of the top platforms. It will consist of Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock. All this is an effort to keep customers from ditching cable and staying on board with their services.
Comcast announces StreamSaver is on the way
The new bundle will be called StreamSaver and introduced later this month.
Comcast has suffered recently as subscribers turn to streaming services and get rid of cable. The company reported having about 32 million customers in the first quarter, including 13.6 million video subscribers.
This new bundle is supposed to be offered at a “vastly reduced price” — although no exact figure is known.
The CEO Brian Roberts announced all of this during an investors conference on Tuesday.
According to CNET, a 2023 report from Leichtman Research Group states that 83% of US households have at least one streaming service, and 50% subscribe to one or more.
Here's the rundown of the cost of cable vs. streaming vs. live TV streaming. The average monthly cost for each is:
Basic cable TV and internet: $144
Premium cable TV and internet: $217
Basic streaming with ads (no internet): $33
Premium streaming without ads (no internet): $71
Article Continues BelowLive TV streaming and internet: $135
So, it'll be interesting to see where StreamSaver lands regarding pricing. After all, it seems appealing to those wanting to save money, keep their cable, and have some streaming options.
Beyond the new streaming service, Roberts touched on the new Epic Universe theme park. He called it “the absolute, state-of-the-art, best-in-the-world park,” according to FloridaPolitics.com.
It will use facial recognition at the new park at Universal Orlando to streamline “navigating the lines, paying for food, communicating,” and retail shopping.
The CEO said, “It's going to redefine the park experience.”
He added, “We've taken seven years to build this. There's more dirt that's been moved. Steel was brought in. Hotels, restaurants, retail — I don't think there's been anything quite like it in this country.”
It does sound quite magnificent. The new park includes three new hotels, five lands featuring Nintendo, Harry Potter, How To Train Your Dragon, Universal Monsters, and another land resembling a nature park with trees, water, and landscaping.
“This is not just like, here's a new Harry Potter,” Roberts noted. “It's pretty spectacular.”
A lot is happening with Comcast, their new StreamSaver option being released, and the new theme park. We'll see how they all turn out as things evolve quicker than ever. Hopefully, all of their efforts will help reintroduce cable to consumer that have cut the cord for strictly streaming options that can get costly when you have too many of them.