Last Friday, Comcast announced Netflix as a streaming service and its entire catalog are now available on the company’s X1 cable platform. The joint deal aims at a mutually beneficial partnership as both media giants suffer from a decline in subscribers.
Netflix has started to expand its catalog of original series, and the partnership with Comcast gives the company a broad audience they were not reaching before.
The streaming giant released the Marvel show ‘Luke Cage, ’ and it plans to debut ‘Iron Fist’ and ‘The Defenders’ in 2017. Subscribers prefer Netflix’s original shows rather than other content on the platform.
Comcast, on the other hand, continues to grow as a telecommunications giant, and it will become a competing mobile carrier in the U.S. next year. Comcast will join forces with Verizon to provide mobile services competing against AT&T and Sprint.
What’s behind the Comcast-Netflix partnership?
Comcast and Netflix have had their differences in the past. However, The two companies decided to put those problems aside and pursue a massive objective which will benefit them both.
Netflix openly fought Comcast back in 2014 for its planned acquisition of Time Warner Cable, a move now attempted by AT&T. The two companies have been very vocal about each other in the past, but that is in the past.
Comcast peaked in paid TV subscribers nearly a decade ago in 2007, when it registered about 25 million users across the United States. The giant has since reported a sustained drop in subscriptions year after year.
In a similar fashion, Netflix said growing numbers in almost every quarterly report until recently when that surge came to a halt. The price increase in Netflix has not helped the company rally in more subscribers.
However, by offering Netflix directly from X1, Comcast manages to maintain its viewers attached to the service and even lure new users.
Netflix, in turn, gets instant access to Comcast’s massive user base of approximately 20 million people. Experts suggest the streaming service integration with Comcast will bring around five million subscribers to Netflix.
How to get Netflix on Comcast’s X1?
For users with both services, it is very simple. They only need to sign up with their Netflix account on Comcast X1’s platform, and that’s it, they will get access to the whole catalog on top of the channels Comcast offers.
“The Netflix integration into the X1 platform means our mutual customers will no longer need to change inputs or juggle remotes,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. “Now they can seamlessly move between the Netflix app and their cable service, enjoying all the TV shows and movies they love without hassle,” he added.
Customers exclusively subscribed to Comcast’s cable service will now get the option to sign up for Netflix straight from the system. The billing for the streaming service will be added to the fees of Comcast’s monthly subscription.
Source: Comcast