Students

Comcast Launches Internet TV Service Xfinity on Campus at Select U.S. Colleges

By

In an attempt to compete better with Netflix, Hulu and other TV-on-the-Internet services, Comcast has officially launched its Xfinity on Campus initiative.

According to USA Today, the service will be included in room and board fees at participating U.S. schools, bringing cable 80 channels to students' computers and devices. Schools taking part in the initiative include Bridgewater College, Drexel University, Emerson College, Lasell College, MIT, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and the University of Delaware.

Xfinity on Campus is also not limited to campus, as students can take their subscription home with them thanks to their collegiate credentials. Also available with the new service is Xfinity on Demand and a selection of premium channels, so students will be able to watch HBO's wildly popular show, "Game of Thrones."

"Xfinity on Campus lets students watch TV on their own terms," Marcien Jenckes, Executive Vice President of Consumer Services for Comcast Cable, said in a statement. "With this younger generation, more and more viewing is happening away from the traditional TV set and we have evolved our products and services to better engage them."

MIT and UNH are getting the service on an experimental basis, but Xfinity on Campus can easily expand given the huge popularity of online television viewing. The move is also beneficial to HBO, as "Thrones" is a major hit among college-age students, though that demographic is believed to be the reason why the show is the most pirated ever.

"I think the offer is awesome - definitely important for those who love TV shows," Megan Esperance, a UNH freshman, told USA Today. "I watch TV often. I probably spend, like, three hours or more watching TV and two hours with Netflix depending on the day of the week. It's entertainment and an escape."

Seth Brown, a junior at Drexel, noted that one downfall is the Wi-Fi bandwidth Xfinity on Campus will command.

"There have been some buffering issues, but that is expected. The Wi-Fi can sometimes get slowed down with so many students on it," he told USA Today. "Other than those minor buffering issues, the quality is very good and live stream works well."

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics