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Comcast Targets Netflix With 'Streampix' Video Service

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Comcast on Tuesday announced plans for a streaming video service that will provide subscribers with a Netflix-like service known as Streampix.

The offering will provide access to full seasons of select TV shows as well as movies. To kick things off, Comcast has worked out licensing agreements with providers like Disney-ABC Television Group, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, and Cookie Jar Entertainment. That includes access to past full seasons of 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Lost, Married ... with Children, The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Movies include Analyze That, Brokeback Mountain, Ocean's Eleven, and more.

Kids programming includes Cookie Jar's Inspector Gadget, Paddington Bear, and Strawberry Shortcake, as well as the Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place.

But unlike Netflix, non-Comcast users won't be able to sign up for Streampix just yet. At the outset, Streampix will be included with many Comcast triple-play packages and will be available for an extra $4.99 per month with other video packages.

Comcast Streampix

"Streampix is another step moving TV Everywhere forward by giving customers access to an even greater library of popular choices to watch," Marcien Jenckes, senior vice president and general manager of Comcast Video Services, said in a statement.

"TV Everywhere" allows cable subscribers to access their provider's content on the Internet. Comcast, for example, has XfinityTV.com, which provides streaming access to recently aired TV shows, as well as movies and TV shows from the premium channels to which they subscribe. Like the free portion of Hulu.com, though, XfinityTV, in most cases, only provides access to the last few episodes of the most-current season. Streampix will provide full seasons or series runs, like Netflix Watch Instantly.

Comcast said that Streampix will complement XfinityTV, creating a "comprehensive video solution."

Earlier this month, Verizon and Redbox owner Coinstar announced plans to launch their own joint venture, which will offer DVD rentals and streaming video later this year. Time Warner Cable also recently launched a beta version of a streaming video service that will let subscribers watch video right from their computers.

Services like Netflix and Hulu, meanwhile, have been dabbling in original content. Netflix recently started airing Lilyhammer, while Hulu started airing its first scripted series, dubbed Battleground.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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