Consider it a gift from the TV gods: this week, 3,500 episodes of over 100 different series will be made available for free On Demand for Comcast subscribers.
It’s the first-ever Comcast Xfinity “Watchathon Week,” and it’s kicking off on Monday March 25 and running through Sunday, March 31.
Just when you didn’t think you could handle any more below-40 degree days, or the words ‘March Madness,’ the generous folks at Comcast have provided us with relief. Don’t go outside! Forget your embarrassing bracket! Just sit back and enjoy hours and hours of an endless, free TV marathon. And here’s the real kicker–this Comcast Watchathon includes premium channels like HBO and Showtime, which means that now’s your chance to get into Homeland, or The Newsroom, or re-live favorite moments of The Sopranos and Sex and the City, no matter what package you have. There’s no limit on which premium series to watch, because every episode ever aired will be On Demand. Did I mention it’s free? Now might be a good time to call in sick.
This week of TV indulgence is part of Comcast’s plan to trump alternative mediums, like Netflix, as the go-to source for catching up on episodes and diving into new series. Usually, most networks, including ABC and NBC, only display the four most recent episodes aired of a series, but during this week, current and past seasons will be included in their entirety. Comcast persuaded 30 networks to participate in the Watchathon, with the incentive that more viewers will tune into their series after the free week is over. In addition to home TVs, the free episodes can also be found on Comcast’s mobile and tablet app, which has gotten off to a slower start than anticipated, in hopes that this week will motivate and boost usership.
Comcast also seems to be giving a sneak peek as to what the future of viewing holds. With online streaming and Netflix drawing viewers’ attention away from traditional digital cable offerings, Video On Demand is the closest competitor Comcast has in keeping its audience–even DVR requires valuable time and attention in order to schedule a series recording. According to Wall Street Cheat Sheet, Comcast’s biggest advantage on the streaming playing field is its ownership of content. Netflix users have to wait patiently for a series’ most recent season to come out on DVD in order to find it on Instant Watch, while Comcast can play a recent episode the next day On Demand.
What really matters this coming week, though, is that we take advantage of this free TV marathon, and give in to “binge viewing”–the industry term for the watching of numerous episodes in a single sitting. The oversized sweatpants and Cheetos supply are not explicitly mentioned, but they’re surely implied. No judgments during this Watchathon, OK?
