American consumers are familiar with both Comcast and Xfinity as they not only have frequently visited their sites but are also subscribed to any one of the services offered by either. Though, consumers know the difference but have also seen frequent co-branding, like ‘Xfinity by Comcast’, ‘Comcast Xfinity’ ‘Comcast’s Xfinity’ and the like.
Both of these brand names have been interchangeably used in numerous branding activities conducted by Comcast. Let us find out how Xfinity belongs to Comcast.
How does Comcast own Xfinity?
In their foundations, Xfinity is owned by Comcast and both offer the same things at first. Now, Xfinity offers the telephone, internet, cable television and wireless services. These were offered by Comcast before the creation of Xfinity.
Was Xfinity acquired by Comcast?
No, Xfinity did not acquire Comcast, nor did Comcast acquire it. In fact, it was itself created by Comcast in 2010 to avoid confusion whenever Comcast sold telephone, internet, cable television and wireless services. At first it was odd but thankfully, Xfinity is doing what it was supposed to do.
Some consumers have questions regarding both Comcast and Xfinity, and they are not alone. They shouldn’t worry about anything as here we will be answering questions people have regarding Comcast and Xfinity.
Before its inception, what was Xfinity?
Before the 90s, Comcast was a company known as American Cable Systems. It opened shop in 1963 as a business setup of Ralph J. Roberts, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky in Tupelo, Mississippi. It soon became known as Comcast Holdings with the passage of time and established headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
It eventually built up a large customer base through provision of top-class cable service to tens of millions of subscribers in the United States.
What was Comcast’s USP and strength before the creation of Xfinity?
In the 1990s, Comcast started offering internet service packages and with the passage of time picked up a 40% share of the American broadband market. Most of its focus had been on exclusive programs broadcast on TV, Olympics’ coverage and sports programming.
What is Xfinity?
At the time of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Comcast was in the process of merging with National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). Since Comcast was known among consumers solely as a TV and Internet Service Provider (ISP), the company’s marketing and communications departments along with the management determined that continuing adding services and products to a portfolio using a narrow focus would not be feasible.
The solution to this issue came to the formation of Xfinity, Comcast’s very own brand for television, telephone, communications and internet.
Is Comcast the parent company of Xfinity?
Comcast is Xfinity’s parent company, while the company rebranded it original services portfolio of telecommunications to Xfinity. Similarly, Comcast high-speed internet became Xfinity Internet, Comcast TV officially became Xfinity TV & vice versa.
Some enterprise services for businesses provided by Comcast still use Comcast’s name in branding, whereas Xfinity is solely focused on the average consumer.
Did Comcast’s rebranding of its telecommunications divisions as Xfinity work?
Cross branding is still observed in Comcast’s activities for Xfinity, such as Comcast Infinity references in many places. However, despite the clear-cut brand creation to distinguish service provided easily; some consumers are still unaware of the cobranding and the differences between the two brands.
Though it’s been almost a decade and things have settled down, there was some controversy regarding the creation of Xfinity brand in the beginning. There were a couple of reasons for this. Initially, it did not work out that well because it seemed to confuse customers more than clearing things out for them.
There were also some concerns about Comcast’s undertaking the rebranding job as an attempt to take a step away from the negative image associated with its name.
The company’s reputation for really bad customer service is renowned even today. In fact, a thriving online community was built around the catchphrase ‘Comcast Sucks.’ (Even the Xfinity email had faced concerns recently regarding its security).
The claim that Comcast made Xfinity as an attempt to erase the negative press was never verified. Hence, Comcast 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 and a good ranking in terms of user experience. It ranked on top two years ago.
