Comcast recently decided to spin off NBCUniversal, the broadcast part of the company’s service that includes streaming verticals like Peacock. It is a move designed to separate the physical connection services like cable and broadband from the streaming services, something many other companies have done.
If you use Xfinity in the Houston area, you’re probably wondering if that will mean losing access to streaming verticals provided as part of your bundled services. The short answer is: probably not.
First, a quick explainer. Comcast (we know them as Xfinity here) is the most successful broadband and cable service provider in America. And they continue to be profitable despite all the cord cutting going on, probably because they provide internet service in addition to cable. For some, it is still the easiest approach to getting television — no paying multiple streaming services.
At the same time, NBCUniversal is all about content, which probably made sense when cable was king. Now that content is almost entirely separate from cable services, splitting those services off to be marketed and sold separately is just smart business.
Now, if you have Xfinity, you probably won’t lose the access you have, at least not right away. The companies are still in the same family and as we’ve seen before (think Disney, ABC and ESPN), bundling services together within the same basic family of services is popular and offers a good option for a lot of people.
So, don’t expect to lose any of the verticals you like right away. But this is a fast moving business that is constrantly changing. There are no guarantees. But, for now, unless you are planning to ditch cable altogether, you probably shouldn’t run out and cancel your Comcast/Xfinity service.
