Charter is expanding ways to access its live and on-demand TV content, announcing Monday that the Spectrum TV app is now available on XClass smart TVs.
XClass smart TVs, manufactured by Hisense, were developed by fellow cable operator Comcast and officially launched in Walmart stores in October 2021. In addition to Walmart retail stores, the smart TVs are also sold online and are available in 50-inch and 43-inch screen sizes with 4K Ultra HD.
XClass TVs run Comcast’s version of its own X1 video platform. The Spectrum TV app is now incorporated into the smart TV and can be found within the device’s app menu or launched via voice remote by saying “Spectrum TV.” Charter customers will also be auto-authenticated when the TV is connected to their Spectrum home network and can start streaming the Spectrum TV lineup.
Through the TV Everywhere app users can access their full TV lineup along with thousands of on-demand shows and movies, as well as cloud DVR service.
It’s the latest way Charter customers can access Spectrum TV, which is also available on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Google Chromecast, and Samsung smart TVs.
Charter expanding ways for customers to access TV lineups follows video subscriber losses in the second quarter, when the cable operator shed 240,000 net residential TV customers. Those losses were partly driven by downgrades after the service provider implemented price increases in April. Rate increases and promotional rate step-ups helped drive video revenue up 2.4% to $4.5 billion in Q2.
After Q2 earnings, analysts at MoffettNathanson noted that while the industry rate of cord-cutting accelerated, Charter is better off than others as its “video subscriber base continues to decline much more slowly than at peers, and much more slowly than the video industry as a whole.”
Earlier in the year during first quarter earnings, Charter’s then-CEO Tom Rutledge said that having a good video business was still important to the company yet remained full of challenges over the next few years. Charter just replaced Rutledge, with COO Chris Winfrey taking over as president and chief executive effective December 1.
On the video front, Charter joined forces with Comcast earlier this year on a joint venture for a streaming video platform and hardware, with Charter initially contributing $900 million to the venture over multiple years. As part of that effort, Comcast is licensing its Flex streaming platform and hardware and the retail business for XClass smart TVs – which in addition to distribution at Walmart, could also potentially be sold directly through the cable operators.