Comcast, the US media giant and parent company of Xfinity television platform and NBCU network, has launched a soccer-focused package for its customers. This move comes as the company gears up to broadcast next year's men's FIFA World Cup national teams tournament.
The newly introduced package, known as the "World Soccer Ticket," is priced at $85 per month. It includes almost 60 broadcast, cable news, and sports channels along with a premium subscription to Comcast’s Peacock streaming service. This gives customers access to nearly every major club and international soccer competitions.
The base plan of the World Soccer Ticket offers access to a wide array of popular channels. These include mainstream networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. For Spanish-speaking audiences, it includes Telemundo, Univision, and UniMas. Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of ESPN and FS1 along with their Spanish counterparts - ESPN Deportes and Fox Deportes. Rounding out the package are Universo and TUDN channels which cater to diverse audience interests.
Comcast’s access to Fox’s channels is part of a broad carriage deal struck in 2020 that covers Fox’s 28 local TV stations serving 11 markets, including the Fox Business and sports cable channels FS1, FS2, BTN, and Fox Deportes.
Accessing major competitions
As well as providing coverage for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by US alongside Canada and Mexico, this new offering from Comcast will allow customers access to live coverage of other major soccer competitions. These include England’s Premier League, UEFA Champions League (pan-European), Spain’s LaLiga, Mexico’s Liga MX women's NWSL league games,a nd Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.
In addition to these soccer leagues matches, the package also includes coverage of other major sports leagues like NFL (American football) and NBA (basketball).
Customers can access this new package via Comcast’s X1 set-top box and Xfinity Stream TV app on supported platforms. These include Apple TV and iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Xumo streaming devices.
Competitive landscape
This move by Comcast comes just days after US media giants Disney and Fox announced an agreement to bundle their upcoming direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services together. Both services will be bundled together for a monthly price of $39.99 (a $10 discount on the combined price of both services individually). They are set to launch on August 21, with the bundle going on sale from October 2.
Jon Gieselman, Comcast chief growth officer, said:
“Figuring out where to watch your favorite team or match is often a painful game of chance. Now, with World Soccer Ticket, there’s no better way to watch the beautiful game than with Xfinity.
“It’s easy, we did the work for our customers and pulled together the most coveted leagues and tournaments – from Premier League, La Liga, and Champions League to the World Cup – and put them in one place. We added some magic to the experience with innovations like Multiview, 4K, and Sports Zone, all easily accessible with one simple click or voice command.”
Comcast's soccer-focused package is a strategic move aimed at capturing sports fans' attention ahead of major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup. It offers an extensive range of channels covering various sports leagues which makes it an attractive option for sports enthusiasts as well as sports betting fans.
