Comcast introduces $70 ‘Sports & News TV’ package

Comcast has announced the launch of a bundle it calls Sports & News TV, an offering available to Xfinity Internet customers that brings together news, sports, entertainment and primetime network programming for $70 a month.

The package comes with 50-plus channels, including local ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Telemundo and Univision channels where available plus Fox’s conservative commentary channel, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, FS1, ACCN, SEC, Big Ten Network and more.

“Sports & News TV is a terrific option for customers looking for a great value in entertainment without sacrificing their favorite live sports and news channels,” said John Dixon, senior vice president of entertainment, in a statement.

Also included is a Peacock subscription, 300 hours of cloud DVR storage and access to over 100 FAST channels, whose schedules are integrated into the on-screen channel guide for a seamless experience. 

Notably missing, however, are channels such as TNT, TBS and truTV, that air live sports as well. These offerings were slated to be part of the now-canceled Venu Sports, but that package did not offer news channels.

The $70 price is marketed as “all in” but the fine print on the package page notes that taxes and fees may be extra. When NewscastStudio tried subscribing to the service, there was about $5 in extra fees added to the online quote based on the Chicago area (taxes and fees often differ from market to market), including any fees for internet service.

The price also does not include modem or gateway rental costs, which are normally $10 to $25 more, but promotional offers can lower it to $0 to $10 for the first 12 months, according to the site. It is possible for customers to use their own equipment to avoid these fees. 

Only one television outlet can be connected to the cable package as well and installation fees of up to $500 may apply, according to the site.

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It’s also important to note that the $70 price is only available if you have (or subscribe to) Xfinity Internet, which costs at least an extra $45 per month with promotional pricing. So, in reality, most customers will pay at least $100 a month for service. 

The package does not require a contract, though some of the associated special offers do expire. It’s not clear if Comcast would extend that promotional pricing after it expires. 

Overall, this offer is fairly tame compared one such as YouTube TV. YouTube TV costs $82.99 a month after a recent price hike, but includes over 100 channels. A a virtual MVPD, it is also not subject to as many taxes and it doesn’t charge any equipment or broadcast TV access fees. There’s also unlimited cloud DVR storage.

YouTube TV and other vMVPDs do require an internet connection. When combined with the cost of paying Comcast or another provider for that, the total cost does come out higher than Xfinity’s offering, but the trade-off is significantly more channels, more storage and lower hidden costs.