You can now watch YouTube on Comcast's X1
Competition between Google and Comcast keeps heating up—but that doesn't mean they can't work together.
Comcast announced the introduction of YouTube to its X1 platform on Monday, putting YouTube, Google's video behemoth in position to pursue its subscription ambitions.
Comcast subscribers with the X1 service will now be able to browse and watch YouTube's video library through their TV interface. Some YouTube content will also appear in the X1's "On Demand" menu.
The deal provides YouTube with a slot on one of the biggest U.S. cable TV platforms alongside other premium offerings like Netflix. That could help YouTube add new subscribers to its Red subscription service, which has been around for more than a year.
Though Red hasn't been a runaway success (a November report from The Verge said the service had 1.5 million subscribers), YouTube has continued to make investments in original content. It recently announced new content aimed at kids, and even ran an advertisement during the Oscars for its upcoming documentary on Gigi Gorgeus.
“The YouTube integration on X1 will provide users the ability to seamlessly navigate and access YouTube content alongside their cable service. And by simply using their voice, users can now access diverse videos that creators make every single day,” said Robert Kyncl, chief business officer of YouTube, in a press release.
Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
