Comcast said it will offer all 64 2014 FIFA World Cup matches in Spanish through Instant On Demand, an emerging new service from the MSO that lets customers restart TV shows already in progress.
Comcast said it’s the only operator enabling this feature with Univision’s Spanish coverage of the soccer-fest, noting that it’s the first time it’s using the new technology to make such a broad selection of time-shifted content available in a language other than English.
Comcast tested Instant On Demand earlier this year for NBC’s primetime coverage of the Sochi Olympic Games, and announced at The Cable Show in April that Instant On Demand is one of several new features that’s coming to its X1 platform.
Comcast added that it will also allow customers to live stream matches in multiple languages via its Xfinity TV microsites and the Xfinity TV Go app. All 64 matches will be offered for live streaming in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with select matches streamed in Korean. The Xfinity Latino Entertainment Channel (XLEC) will include direct links to matches and simulcasts of special programming with in-depth analysis of the tournament
Among other features, Comcast will also offer about 300 hours of World Cup-related content on-demand, including replays of every match in Spanish and English, and the event’s opening and closing ceremonies. VOD fare linked to the World Cup will feature content from several partner networks, including beIN Sports, Fox Deportes and Telemundo, as well as 16 soccer-themed films and documentaries from Cine Sony Television, ViendoMovies, FOX Life, Discovery en Español, NUVOtv, and Cinelatino.
Comcast will also use SEEiT to tout World Cup coverage, enabling both Spanish- and English-speaking customers to use Twitter to tune their TVs to a match, set viewing reminders and set DVR recordings.
“The World Cup is an opportunity to provide Xfinity TV customers, particularly our Latino and multicultural subscribers with a comprehensive mix of content across multiple platforms and in multiple languages,” said Marcien Jenckes, EVP, consumer services, for Comcast Cable, in a statement. “The World Cup is already the most watched and anticipated event in the world in any language, and we are proud to be able to deliver to our customers not only the culturally relevant content they want most, but also exclusive access to innovations, like Instant On Demand, and even more ways than ever to experience the 2014 World Cup anytime, anywhere and on any device.”
