America’s biggest cable company is looking to make a move away from traditional cable services and into a more online focused platform that is set up to be similar to YouTube. Of course, they will continue to offer their traditional cable services, but given the fact that so many people are moving away from traditional TV providers this is likely a good move for them.
The new platform, which will be called “Watchable” is going to get content from a variety of sources including bigger name companies including Lifestyle, The Onion and NBC Sports. In addition, they may open it up to user generated content, though that is not yet confirmed.
This ‘short form’ video entertainment category appears to be what Comcast is really looking to capitalize on. As more and more viewers are moving away from watching ‘normal’ television shows and consuming more video clips, this move can help Comcast to stay popular with their viewers. It will also add additional revenue streams (ad-supported video) beyond just their normal subscription services.
They have not yet announced when this service will launch or any other details, but any time a major company is entering the digital marketplace with a service like this, marketers will want to be well aware. This could cause quite a shakeup with video marketing, depending on how Comcast proceeds.
