Comcast is introducing YouTube TV to its Xfinity Flex devices, providing users another avenue for opting out of traditional cable.
YouTube was previously supported on Comcast’s Flex boxes, but the addition of YouTube TV gives users the ability to get some 85-plus live television channels for $65 per month. It’s not the first live TV streaming service to arrive on the platform — Sling and Hulu with Live TV were already supported. But it does diversify the streaming options for people who don’t want to pay Comcast for cable.
Colin Petrie-Norris, senior vice president of consumer entertainment at Xfinity, said in a statement that the addition of YouTube TV “is another example of how we surround our broadband service with value, giving our customers access to all their preferred content and subscriptions on one device.”
It’s a curious move from a cable provider, but it also makes sense if Comcast wants to stay competitive against other over-the-top boxes like Roku, Fire TV Stick, or Chromecast — all of which support YouTube TV. Currently, Comcast provides the boxes to its Xfinity Internet customers at no additional cost, but it does need people to use them. And that means supporting popular apps.
YouTube TV is available to Flex users beginning today.
Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.
