Comcast/Charter streaming venture takes Xumo name
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) have named their streaming platform joint venture Xumo - repurposing the name of Comcast's free ad-supported streaming service into a bigger "ecosystem."
The two cablecos said in April they would team up to compete on hardware with the likes of Roku (ROKU) and Amazon.com (AMZN), not to mention hardware offerings from Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL). In May, they chose Comcast's Marcien Jenckes to lead the project.
Now Xumo becomes a higher-profile name for the companies' entry into the platform space.
âThe new Xumo will bring industry leading streaming and aggregation technology nationwide through its expanding content, product line up, and retailer relationships," Jenckes said.
Flex, the 4K streaming device that Comcast licensed to the 50/50 joint venture, will become Xumo Stream Box, and XClass TV will become Xumo TV. Xumo's FAST service, meanwhile, will be rebranded Xumo Play, which will anchor the free content offering on the Xumo devices as well as remaining available as an app on other streaming platforms.