Comcast is now offering its Xfinity Flex streaming box to its broadband customers for free, the media giant shared on Wednesday morning.
Previously, Flex had cost customers $5 per month to essentially rent the device from Comcast when it launched earlier this year. The platform, offering 10,000 free movies and shows in 4K, is Comcast’s answer to other major streaming devices like Apple TV and Roku.
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference on Wednesday, highlighted Flex lets users jump from several of the top streaming apps — Netflix, HBO Now, Amazon Prime Video — and will eventually make it easy for its broadband customers to access Peacock, NBCU’s upcoming streaming service.
A day earlier, NBCU announced Peacock would launch in April 2020 with reboots of “Battlestar Galactica,” “Saved By the Bell” and “Punky Brewster,” along with new comedies from Mike Schur, Rashida Jones and an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” An “SNL” docuseries from Lorne Michaels, a Jimmy Fallon talk show, a late night series with “Late Night’s” Amber Ruffin, and another “Real Housewives” spinoff are also coming to the service. Additionally, Peacock will house a vast content library that includes former NBC sitcoms “The Office,” “Parks & Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Cheers” and “Frasier.”
Flex, Roberts pointed out, also lets viewers watch live news and sports from ESPN 3 and Cheddar. The platform, as The Verge pointed out when it first launched in March, has steered clear of offering cable alternatives like YouTube TV.
Roku’s stock price dipped about 3.5% in early-morning trading after Comcast’s announcement.