The Comcast Sky group has achieved global scale for its shared technology platform and entertainment OS, which is based on RDK. The new device arrives in Charter Spectrum households first, with Xfinity Internet (Comcast) customers receiving them soon.

The UX places live television front-and-centre, although a key purpose of the next-generation platform is to make it easy to move seamlessly between content found in multiple apps. Upon start-up, customers will see live video playing from the device’s primary video service app – so the Spectrum TV App (a Pay TV streaming app) in the case of Charter customers. That initial live service app could be Xfinity Stream or Xumo Play, depending on the home.

There is a built-in channel guide for easy browsing, and Xumo Stream Box gives access to hundreds of built-in subscription-based and ad-supported streaming apps, including Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Peacock, Pluto, Prime Video, Tubi and Xumo Play.

Comcast and Charter are promising seamless discovery of new programming through an integrated, content-forward interface and voice remote. There is a blend of AI-driven personalisation and human-led editorial recommendations, plus universal voice search. Each household member can have their own favourites list (spanning content across live or on-demand).

New Spectrum video customers receive one device free for the first year. Additional Xumo Stream Boxes are available directly from Spectrum to purchase or for a service fee.

“Xumo is streaming simplified, bringing a live TV experience together with all the top apps,” declares Rich DiGeronimo, President, Product and Technology for Charter. “With Xumo Stream Box, customers have endless entertainment options simplified, with aggregated search across apps and curated content offerings based on the customer’s interests and subscriptions, which will be even more powerful as direct-to-consumer apps are included with Spectrum service.”