Comcast: Services Rebranded As xfinity, Revs Up 4% For '09

Brian Roberts of Comcast

The "It's Comcastic" tagline is likely to be retired. The country's No. 1 cable operator said Wednesday it's giving its services a new brand: xfinity.

Those include its legacy operations of TV, high-speed Internet and phone. Cable companies don't always have the strongest reputations for customer service, and the revamp may provide an opportunity for a reset.

Comcast says xfinity is more than a new moniker; it brings upgraded technology and consumer choice. The brand is debuting in 11 markets next week and is planned to be live in most markets by the end of the year.

The xfinity name will also be attached to what was known as On Demand Online, a service Comcast has been offering in some areas. It allows Comcast TV subscribers to view content they receive at home on laptops and elsewhere. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts says the mobile option provides "a valuable benefit" to video subscribers.

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Roberts spoke on a conference call as Comcast reported full-year results for 2009, where revenues increased 4% to $35.8 billion. Operating income was up 7% to $7.2 billion.

The company did lose more TV subscribers than 2008 -- 623,000 versus 575,000 -- as competitors such as Verizon and AT&T broadened their footprints. But total customers -- those taking TV, broadband or phone -- increased 1.5 million.

On the call, Comcast COO Steve Burke, who will oversee NBC Universal's integration into Comcast, said the ad market on both the local and national level is improving.

"What's interesting to me is how broad the change in ad sentiment is. You know when you talk to NBC or when you talk to the NBC cable channels or our cable programming group or our local ad sales, it seems like the world is getting better," he said. "The problem is obviously it's month-to-month, and we'll see where it goes from here. But there's no reason not to be optimistic."

Comcast has a deal to take a majority stake in NBCU.

2 comments about "Comcast: Services Rebranded As xfinity, Revs Up 4% For '09".
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  1. Jonathan Mirow from BroadbandVideo, Inc., February 4, 2010 at 1 p.m.

    I'm a big fan of Comast (ass-kickin' internet, great cable, good customer service, etc.) but really, what the hell will XFutility do except confuse consumers? Why do big media corporations feel they need to spend millions rolling out coffee mugs with "XFutility" on the side? How about this "Comcast = Good Phone, Internet & TV" That'll be a zillion dollars, but people will understand what it means.

  2. Mike Loomis from Eastco Worldwide, February 4, 2010 at 4:44 p.m.

    We've already got "TV Everywhere" floating around, and I doubt 20% of their customers grasp the implications of that. To me it sounds like a great name from twenty years ago. Now as a Comcast customer, which I am, I can subscribe to "Comcast's Xfinity NBC TV Everywhere"! Whew!

    The timing of this is premature, as the Comcast CEO admits to in his announcement about services they are "planning" to offer. Millions of customers and potential customers will witness the hype with no change in service. (And no change in the level of frustration cable customers often associate with their providers). Perhaps the only benefit is that people will be confused about who to be frustrated with.

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