Streaming video is the primary way that most Xfinity TV customers watch video online, and we have tens of thousands of TV shows and movies available to stream today – live or on demand. While streaming adds instant mobility to your video, it has its limitations (at least until all airplanes and cars become wifi hotspots). With that in mind, we’re adding more and more download capability to our apps and seeing some interesting data in how our customers are consuming the content.
Comcast added download capability to our Xfinity TV Player App in December 2012, giving Xfinity TV customers the ability to view shows like Homeland when they didn’t have access to an internet connection. Since we launched this feature, some trends have appeared in weekly usage of the download option. A pattern has emerged where customers are most frequently downloading their favorite shows and films on Saturdays and Sundays. Those are the same days customers are using the record function most on the Xfinity TV App. This tells us that people are taking a little time on the weekends to plan for the week ahead, setting up their viewing preferences and making sure their favorite content fits into their busy lives.
We are also seeing some interesting behavioral shifts in day-to-day viewing habits with these apps. Customers still watch primetime TV, but they are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to find the content they want at 8:00 p.m., which marks the usage peak time for the tune-in functionality of the Xfinity TV App. However, it’s later in the evening – 10:00 p.m. – when usage for the Xfinity TV Player App tops out, so we’re now seeing a second viewing peak that is bedtime rather than primetime. This kind of data is priceless because it helps us better understand the needs of our customers. With it, we can think practically but innovatively, anticipating where our customers are headed in terms of lifestyle and trends. In short, it is an important part of what drives our product development and design, guiding us to create the next big thing in the entertainment experience, and doing it in a way that only our customers can.