What They Say
Comcast is thinking about licensing its X1 video platform, used in its cable and broadband devices, to Smart TV makers. X1 is the base for the firm’s Flex platform for broadband-only subscribers. The company is said to have double its installed Flex boxes from one million in May to two million now.
What We Think
Comcast is the second-largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world by revenue and the largest pay-TV company, the largest cable TV company and largest home Internet service provider in the US, and the nation’s third-largest home telephone service provider. As a result, anything it does is interesting and a tie-up with the company might be attractive to SmartTV makers. I’m sure that a significant part of TCL’s success has been the use of Roku for its ‘smart’ functions and hitching onto the Comcast wagon might be a good move for a smaller brand. The danger is that this kind of business would not be a core part of Comcast’s business and the internal priorities might mean less attention than might be give by Roku or Vewd which have substantial merchant business. (BR)
