Comcast added 18 popular networks to its roster of live streaming options today, bringing the total count of online options to 50. In a statement, the company said its Xfinity TV customers can now access A&E, Bravo, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, E!, Food Network, HGTV, HISTORY, mun2, Oxygen, Sprout, STARZ, Syfy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV and USA Network via its Xfinity TV Go app. The app also allows instant access to over 25,000 on-demand programs and lets users download certain movies and TV shows to watch offline at another time.
To use the service, Comcast customers must have Xfinity TV service or a certain tier of digital cable package, an Internet connection, and a supported device, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Kindles, or a computer. Xbox users with an Xbox Live account can also access Xfinity TV Go, potentially eliminating the need for a cable box.
Roku owners, however, are still out of luck. Comcast does not allow the use of HBO GO, Showtime Anytime, or Xfinity TV Go apps on Roku devices through its Internet connections, even though competing cable companies, such as Time Warner Cable, do. Comcast has not yet made any official statements as to whether this restriction might be lifted for Comcast customers or imposed on TWC customers should a pending merger of the two companies be approved.
