Comcast will toss its hat into the streaming bundling game with "StreamSaver," an offering that will tie together NBCU's Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+.
"Those three products will come at a vastly reduced price to anything in the market today," Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said Tuesday at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet and Communications Conference.
The cost-reduced streaming bundle will be available to Comcast's broadband and video subs, including customers who sign up for the company's new family of "NOW"-branded prepaid products.
Roberts did not expand on how the new bundle will be priced, noting only that it will be offered under an "everyday" price rather than under an introductory/promotional price. Both Netflix and Peacock offer ad-supported and ad-free tiers at different price points. Apple TV+'s baseline price is $9.99 per month.
Dave Watson, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, is expected to provide additional details about Stream Saver, including pricing, when he speaks at the JP Morgan investor event on May 21.
"We've been bundling video successfully and creatively for 60 years, so this is the latest iteration of that," Roberts said. "I think it will be a pretty compelling package."
StreamSaver enters the picture amid the decline of the traditional pay-TV bundle and as Comcast attempts to position itself as a super aggregator of streaming services via X1, its marquee video platform, and Xumo, its streaming joint venture with Charter Communications.
Related:Comcast expands prepaid push under 'NOW' brand
Comcast's new streaming bundle also arrives about a week after Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced a streaming bundle that combines Disney+, Hulu and Max. The Disney-WBD bundle is set to debut this summer and be offered as both an ad-supported and ad-free plan.
Competing with FWA
Roberts also discussed broadband, a cornerstone of Comcast's business that is struggling to return to subscriber growth amid pressure from fixed wireless access (FWA) and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) competition.
"We do see the market growing, albeit more slowly," Roberts noted.
Comcast is responding to FWA in part with NOW, which includes a pair of prepaid offerings – downstream speeds of 100 Mbit/s for $30 per month, and downstream speeds of 200 Mbit/s for $45 per month. Both come with unlimited data and a Comcast-supplied gateway.
NOW also provides a "roadmap" for customers to later upgrade to Comcast's postpaid broadband products, Roberts said.
Comcast believes it will return to broadband subscriber growth eventually, but isn't pinpointing when that will occur.
Related:Comcast cuts price on some mobile plans
Meanwhile, the company is emphasizing broadband average revenue per user (ARPU) growth. Comcast's broadband ARPU grew 4.2% in Q1 2024, and the company believes the category can continue to grow in the range of 3% to 4% – similar to the rate of inflation.
Roberts further emphasized that Comcast is now a media company that's also focused on converged networks and services, a point he made at Comcast's recent "Converge" event in Philadelphia with press and analysts.
"No question, we're not a cable company," Roberts said. "I think we are more of a consumer innovation and technology-driven company."