Xfinity Cable
KEY FACTS
Founded: 1981 (as Comcast)
Corporate Site: www.xfinity.com
# Subscribers: >32 million
Subsidiaries: Mobile, Xumo
View/add reviews
Xfinity is the largest cable provider in the country and that status gives it a ton of leverage. In a lot of zip codes, they're the only cable option available -- that exclusivity gives it plenty of pricing power with their TV and internet bundles (i.e., to attract new customers, they do a fair job of keeping prices down, at least during the first year). More recently, Xfinity has expanded into mobile phone services and free TV streaming (Xumo). Here's an overview of all their TV and internet options:
Xfinity TV
Our Review
9.0/10Xfinity is the top cable provider in the country with excellent availability. Their TV service has plenty of upside, especially for current internet subscribers looking to bundle...
Deals
Whether you sign-up for just TV or a TV and internet bundle, Xfinity has different sets of discounts (autopay, bonuses, etc). In general, you'll save quite a bit more when you bundle TV with internet. Nearly all their plans and bundles are 100% contract-free.
Xfinity plan savings
Availability
Xfinity is available in over 41 states. That coverage includes TV, internet and VoIP home phone.
Xfinity Internet
Our Review
8.6/10In the majority of the country, Xfinity is known for their internet service first. Most of it is generally fast and reliable cable internet with a growing percentage via Fiber...
Internet Plans
Xfinity Company Outlook
Across the industry, linear TV providers (satellite and cable) have been slowly losing customers since streaming TV kicked in about 7 years ago. Xfinity hasn't been immune to that. The big difference with Xfinity, though, is that it has a huge presence as an internet provider. And, of course you need fast internet to stream high-def TV. So, even as Xfinity has slowly lost TV subscribers their internet coverage has held up pretty well.
Could their TV service be phased out in the future?
Not likely. Chances are that their TV subscriber numbers will level out in the coming years. Most Xfinity TV customers also have their internet service...and save a good amount of coin with that bundle. Cable TV is generally more expensive than individual streaming but streaming prices have been on the rise. When you add up the cost of a handful of streaming apps, it's really starting to creep up traditional TV.
Toss in the fact that Xfinity's X1 DVR lets you merge cable TV with streaming apps, we're seeing more folks stick with Xfinity TV. However, these are all public companies and profit margin plays a big role. Only time will tell how things evolve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Xfinity the same as Comcast?
Yes. A few years ago, they publicly phased out the Comcast brand in favor of the newly-created Xfinity brand. Comcast is the still the parent company (and owns a bunch of other properties such as NBC, Sky TV, etc).
How does Xfinity mobile work?
Launched in 2017, it's Xfinity's MVNO service that uses the Verizon network. It's only available to Xfinity internet customers and, if bundled together, can save you a good chunk more. All their plans are prepaid and, generally, a pretty good deal.
Why do they offer contract and non-contract plans?
Just about all the Xfinity pricing you'll see here and elsewhere is for their non-contract plans. Xfinity touts contract-free plans as a competitive advantage over satellite TV and other traditional carriers. That being said, you'll occasionally see a 1-year contract option for entry-level plans such as the Connect internet package.
