• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 8, 2020

An announcement of the latest retransmission renewal deal between ViacomCBS and Comcast also came with the news that the CBS All Access video on-demand and live streaming service will be made available on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms later this year.

The renewal agreement includes retransmission consent for 23 CBS-owned TV stations in 15 major U.S. markets, including The CW affiliates, as well as distribution of Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV and CBS Sports Network to Xfinity customers.

In addition, this will mark the first time that the CBS All Access app is made available on an MVPD-based set-top box.

Xfinity customers will also have TV everywhere access to programming from CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network. They will be able to access live authenticated streaming on CBS.com, the CBS app and Comcast’s Xfinity Stream. Pop TV and content from Smithsonian Channel have previously been available to stream via Comcast’s authenticated platforms.

Showtime Anytime will continue to provide Xfinity Showtime subscribers with unlimited online and mobile access to the channel's content.

From the sound of it, broader collaboration between the two companies may be on the way.

“We look forward to discussing the entire ViacomCBS portfolio with Comcast in the future,” stated Ray Hopkins, president, U.S. networks distribution, in a release.

“ViacomCBS has been a great partner, and we are very pleased to have reached this agreement to provide Xfinity X1 and Flex customers with more access to their content across multiple platforms,” added Rebecca Heap, senior vice president, video and entertainment, Comcast Cable.