Xumo, the free, ad-supported video service acquired by Comcast in 2020, is about to take on a much bigger role.

Comcast and Charter Communications announced Wednesday that Xumo is the brand name for the national streaming joint venture announced in April. Comcast had already contributed Xumo – the service – to the JV. Moving forward, the Xumo brand will also adorn a range of 4K-capable smart TVs and streaming devices that will come out of the Comcast-Charter joint venture.

Figure 1: The first Xumo-branded devices are expected to come to market in late 2023. Comcast, Charter and Walmart initially will distribute them, but others will be announced later, the JV said.
(Source: Xumo)

Among examples, Flex, the 4K streaming box that Comcast gives to broadband-only customers, will become the Xumo Stream Box. XClass TV, the brand for Comcast's relatively new lineup of smart TVs distributed by Walmart, will become Xumo TV. Both products, which will integrate access to a variety of streaming apps and support voice-based navigation, will continue to be powered by Comcast's "global technology platform," the JV said.

Xumo's free ad-supported TV (FAST) service, which delivers hundreds of linear-style streaming channels, will be rebranded as Xumo Play. Xumo Play will "anchor" the free content offered on Xumo devices and continue to be offered as an app on other streaming platforms, the JV said.

The new branding is the latest significant update coming out of the JV since it was announced in May that Comcast vet Marcien Jenckes was tapped to lead it as president.

Xumo-branded products to appear in late 2023

The first Xumo-branded devices are slated to appear in late 2023. Walmart, Comcast and Charter will initially distribute Xumo products, but others will be announced later, said the JV, representing more than 58 million residential broadband subscribers.

As a national streaming platform, Xumo is now poised to compete in the market with other platforms from Google (Android TV/Google TV), Roku, Apple (tvOS) and Amazon Fire TV, as well as with platforms made and distributed by TV makers such as Samsung (Tizen) and LG Electronics (webOS).

"The new Xumo will bring industry leading streaming and aggregation technology nationwide through its expanding content, product line up, and retailer relationships," Jenckes said in a statement.

The full financial terms of the national streaming JV have not been announced, but Charter is making an initial contribution of $900 million that will be spread out over multiple years.

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— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading