Consumers have probably heard of both Comcast and Xfinity, especially if they visit their site frequently.
They may have also seen confusing branding statements and branding like ‘Xfinity by Comcast’ or ‘Comcast Xfinity.’ Both these names have been used interchangeably.
Why? Let’s find out.
Are both Comcast and Xfinity the same?
In their foundations, both Xfinity and Comcast are the same thing because Comcast is the parent company of Xfinity. Whereas, Xfinity being a part of Comcast is the company’s brand for TV, Internet, and Home telephone services.
Did Xfinity acquire Comcast, or is it the other way?
None of them acquired the other (i.e. neither Xfinity acquired Comcast nor Comcast acquired Xfinity).
Xfinity itself was created by Comcast in 2010 to try and avoid confusion when the company expanded its brand portfolio.
It is a little ironic because, in practical terms, Xfinity doesn’t seem to do the job it was supposed to do.
If consumers have more questions and doubt about any difference between Comcast and Xfinity then they are not alone.
They shouldn’t worry though because this article will be answering some of their questions.
What was Comcast before it was Comcast?
Let’s go back into history a little bit. There was this company known as American Cable Systems which opened a shop somewhere in the mid-1960s, and soon it became known as Comcast Holdings.
It eventually built up quite a large customer base through the provision of cable service to tens of millions of subscribers in the United States.
What’s Comcast?
In the 90s, Comcast started offering internet service and eventually picked up over 40% of the American broadband market.
Most of its focuses up to this point had been in on broadcast exclusive programs, Coverage of the Olympics, and Sports programming.
What’s Xfinity?
At the time of the Winter Olympics of 2010, Comcast was in the process of merging with NBC. Since Comcast email was known among consumers primarily as a TV and Internet Service Provider (ISP), the marketing division of the firm found out that it would be confusing to continue the addition of services and products to a brand that has a narrow focus since its inception.
The solution the branding issue came to the formation of Xfinity, an internet and television brand focusing on the consumer.
Comcast remained as Xfinity’s parent company while it rebranded its original telecom services to Xfinity. Comcast high-speed internet became Xfinity Internet, Comcast TV officially became Xfinity TV and the like.
Some business and enterprise services still present themselves as Comcast. However, the average consumer sees Xfinity as the main telecom brand.
Did Comcast’s rebranding job for Telecom services as Xfinity work, or not?
There is still some amount of cross-branding seen, such as the Comcast Infinity references in many places.
However, despite the clear-cut brand creation, most people do not seem to know any difference between the two.
Although it been almost a decade and things have somehow settled down as of now, initially, there was some controversy regarding the rebrand. There were a couple of reasons.
First, it did not work out that well because it seemed to confuse customers more than clearing things for them when needed.
Second, there were some concerns about Comcast undertaking the rebranding job as an attempt to take a step away from negativity and negative image associated with the Comcast brand.
Comcast’s reputation for really bad customer service is renowned. In fact, a thriving online community was built around the catchphrase ‘Comcast Sucks.’ (Even the Xfinity email is unable to help keep such aside).
The claim that Comcast made Xfinity as an attempt to erase the negative press was never verified and the company eventually promised to improve its customer service across all divisions.
It did work despite the company’s lingering reputation and image. Xfinity has steadily improved in numerous customer satisfaction surveys.
It has also attained a good image in most categories (along with a good ranking) and in user experience, it ranked on the top two years ago.
What does Xfinity have to offer?
Xfinity gives three basics services, like Cable TV, Internet, and Phone. The company also offers bundles of either two or all three of the present services, generally at a discount.
Bundling is usually considered as a good way for consumers to get the value of their money with cable service. Xfinity is not an exception in this matter.
For instance, the digital starter TV channel package of Xfinity offers 140+ channels at $49.99 per month. Whereas, the digital preferred TV channel package provides more than 220 channels at $59.99 per month.
Conclusion
As seen now, both Comcast and Xfinity are different brands of the same parent company. Xfinity is the TV and USP for consumers while Comcast owns Xfinity, NBCUniversal and others.
Now, it is not any more confusing because it is clear that Xfinity offers more than just a cable, it offers internet and phone packages as well. Rates for Xfinity has been normal.
