New Invention Proves Streaming Is Becoming Cable Television
It appears that our day of reckoning has begun, and streaming has finally become the new cable, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Comcast and Charter have unveiled the Xumo interface, a new kind of cable box that will seamlessly integrate pay TV into a streaming platform. Though this may very well be the solution we need for linear cable viewers to enjoy programming that can only be exclusively streamed, Xumo, if implemented properly, can give Roku, Amazon, and Apple a run for their money.
Charter and Comcast will soon offer Xumo, their own version of a streaming box.
Xumo’s free steaming service will be combined with Comcast technology, creating a next-generation cable box that will allow users to access their streaming subscriptions through one easy-to-use interface without all of the hassle.
Xumo president Marcien Jenckes believes that combining streaming subscriptions with pay TV is the next big step in the industry and has the ambition to build “complete entertainment experiences” that places emphasis on convenience over complexity. Those who still use cable in conjunction with a streaming stick will hopefully no longer have to grapple with multiple remotes and inputs because all of the content that they want to watch will be in one place.
But as streaming packages play their ongoing and ever-so-elusive shell game in the form of bundle packages and multiple tiers of service at different price points, we can’t help but wonder if this defeats the purpose of streaming, which was supposed to disrupt the cable industry.
It wasn’t too long ago that a customer could pick and choose what streaming platforms they wanted in an a la carte fashion, so they’re paying for exactly what they want to watch, when they want to watch it, and without ads.
As long as there are cable users, and streaming continues to dominate the industry, it makes sense to look at the big picture and find a way to combine both methods of consuming media into one device
Though the creation of an interface like Xumo seems like it will only further complicate matters, the reality is that there are still plenty of cable customers out there who need to familiarize themselves with streaming, especially when you consider the fact that a number of series can only be found exclusively on streaming.
The crossover from cable to streaming and the hybrid models that are being developed should come as no surprise. As the market has dictated, streaming is the way to go for a lot of consumers who have walked away from the notion of ever having to use another cable box again. But as cable networks are losing viewership to streaming, they have to figure out a way to get a piece of the pie as well.
Since Disney and Charter made a deal that removed several networks from the cable platform, they have offered the ad-supported Disney+ into the base pay TV tier so viewers can still watch some of their favorite programming that is no longer available on cable. An interface like Xumo operates similarly by allowing users to navigate to their desired programming seamlessly through one access point.
Until recently, streaming and cable were two separate mediums that attracted different audiences. But as long as there are cable users and streaming continues to dominate the industry, it makes sense to look at the big picture and find a way to combine both methods of consuming media into one device that will bridge the gap for those who wish to continue subscribing to cable.
Will Xumo Save Cable TV?
As the media landscape continues to change at a rapid pace, only time will tell if cable that’s fully integrated with streaming will be the way of the future or if this is a last-ditch effort made by cable companies to maintain their bottom line.
