Global media and technology company Comcast Corporation announced today that it will be open its content up as part of its”Watchathon” event from March 25 through 31.
During this time, customers will have unlimited access to the company’s entire programming library of more than 3,500 episodes from over 100 series — representing 3,375 hours of total content. Each show can be viewed for free when streamed from the Web onto another computer, mobile, tablet, or Video on Demand (VOD) platform. Comcast calls the event its “biggest TV catch-up event in history.”
After March 31, Comcast says that the service will be converted into an Xfinity On-Demand initiative it’s calling “Catch-Up of the Week”. Through this, it will offer up every episode of every season of a “different, hit TV series each week” through the end of 2013.
Earlier this month, Comcast Cable CEO Neil Smits stated at Deutsche Bank’s Media, Internet & Telecom conference, that the Watchathon would be used to tout its VOD service called Xfinity TV. This service currently allows subscribers to watch shows that just aired, movies, live television, and include channels such as ESPN, CNN, and the Disney channel.
At that time, Deadline.com reported that Comcast has been eager to promote its VOD service to those customers who enjoy the flexibility of having Netflix and other similar services to watch shows “spontaneously without having to pre-program a DVR.”
With the Watchathon event, Comcast says that its entire collection will be available to anyone who is a current customer “regardless of commitment level”. The only thing that is needed is a cable subscription and “active Xfinity credentials.” However, it is worth noting that those who are Internet or phone customers are not eligible.
Shows that will be available include those from channels like HBO (“Game of Thrones”, “True Blood”, “Boardwalk Empire”), and Showtime (“Dexter, “Californication”, and “Homeland”), Starz (“Spartacus”, and “Magic City”), and Cinemax (“Banshee”and “Strike Back”). What’s more, network and broadcast shows are also included.
Comcast has been busy with its Xfinity TV service. In June 2012, it brought MAX GO’s film and TV content into the Xfinity TV service, which it said would offer US viewers more than 700 hours of programming. The cable operator enabled streaming to iPhones and iPod touches back in 2011. At that time, it claimed to have more than 2 million downloads.
Today, the Xfinity TV app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Photo credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images
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