By Michael D’Emilio, Executive Director of Multicultural Services, Comcast
The World Cup is one of the biggest television events of the year and we’ve created an unparalleled viewing experience for today’s increasingly bicultural soccer fanbase. Our Xfinity X1 platform – with screens, menus and voice commands available in both English and Spanish – integrates all live linear coverage from Telemundo and FOX with full-game replays, highlights, web video, real-time analytics and on-screen player and team stats. What’s more, for the first time our Xfinity TV customers will be able to receive notifications on their TV or mobile phone, letting them know when their favorite team is about to begin play.
The Xfinity TV soccer experience includes the following features:
- World Cup Home serves as the hub for comprehensive coverage of the event and offers more than 1,000 hours of live matches, On Demand highlights and replays from both Telemundo and FOX along with web clips and integrated scores, stats and data for easy search and discovery. X1 customers can access World Cup Home in either English or Spanish in a variety of ways, including with their voice by saying “Soccer,” “World Cup” or “Copa Mundial” into the X1 Voice Remote.
- Sports Notifications, debuting for this event, empower X1 customers who want to be alerted about their favorite teams to decide when and how. Whether through X1 notifications on their TV screen that take them straight to the match they want to see or via text message alerts to their mobile phone that provide a direct link to the Xfinity Stream mobile app, customers always know when their game is about to kick off.
- Sports Voice Control allows soccer fans to use the X1 Voice Remote to see how their favorite teams stack up against the competition, preview upcoming games, get a summary, or tune to games directly with their voice. Generating more than 1.5 billion voice commands in the first quarter of 2018 alone, X1 customers can find their favorite team’s information by saying, for example, “World Cup Standings,” or access team comparison cards in either English or Spanish by speaking commands like “Mexico vs. Germany,” or “Mexíco contra Alemania.”
- DVR Highlights allows fans to watch every big moment from the games. Upon playback of completed match recordings, X1 customers who have DVR service can quickly jump to the high-impact plays of the match. Since many matches air in the U.S. while people are at work, DVR Highlights makes it simple for X1 customers away from their TVs to never miss a goal.
- Instant On Demand coverage of every game ensures that customers who missed the beginning of any match, regardless of which channel it airs on, can restart it from the beginning even while the match is still in progress. Missed the match entirely? No problem. Instant On Demand makes the full replay of the game available the minute the game is over.
- X1 Sports App, frequently cited by customers as a favorite feature and used monthly by over 4 million households, gives customers the ability to dive deeper into the World Cup content they care about most. The app allows customers to easily record, watch and catch up on all the action, while also accessing real time statistical information – all on the same screen as the game. Whether it’s pre-game team and player comparisons, in-progress scores or post-match highlights, the X1 Sports App has soccer fans covered.
- World Cup Channels showcase the best moments of the tournament, including the most impressive goals, trending highlights, interviews and analysis. X1 customers can watch all the videos featured in a channel’s playlist or browse the videos they care about most by saying a voice command, such as “Best Goals.” Accessible via the World Cup Home, World Cup Channels are continually updated with the can’t-miss moments of the competition.
- World Cup on Xfinity Stream offers soccer action on the go, via desktop web at https://comca.st/2taZrId or the Xfinity Stream mobile app. Customers can stream matches live from Telemundo, Universo, FOX, and FS1, catch up with full-event replays and highlights On Demand and watch pre-game predictions and post-game analysis from the palms of their hand.
- World Cup in 4K UHD gives X1 customers the opportunity to experience Telemundo Deportes coverage of all 64 World Cup matches in stunning 4K Ultra High Definition with 56 airing on Telemundo and eight on Universo. Similar to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the games are available in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) the next day on demand for X1 customers who have a 4K-capable set-top box and a 4K television.
X1 can integrate and curate content like no other platform and our soccer experience will include every match – live and On Demand – as well as a host of related content and new features and capabilities, helping customers enjoy the teams, matches and moments they care about most.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place through July 15, involving 32 men’s national teams playing a total of 64 matches in 12 venues located in 11 cities.
