Xumo

Xumo, LLC

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Internet television, Consumer electronics
Predecessor	Viant Technology, Panasonic (partnership)
Founded	2011 (2011)
Founder	Viant Technology, Panasonic
Headquarters	Irvine, California , United States
Area served	United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom
Key people	Colin Petrie-Norris (CEO as of 2019)
Products	Xumo Play (free ad-supported streaming television and AVOD platform), digital media players, smart television sets
Owner	Comcast (since 2020), joint venture with Charter Communications (since 2022)
Parent	Comcast
Website	xumo.com

Xumo, LLC () is a U.S.-based company specializing in internet television and consumer electronics. It manages Xumo Play, a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) platform, while also producing digital media players and smart television sets. The headquarters for Xumo Play are located in Irvine, California. As of October 2020, the platform reported 24 million active users monthly.

Initially established as a partnership between Viant Technology and Panasonic, Viant's ownership was later transferred to Time Inc.. Comcast subsequently acquired Xumo in 2020 to enhance its subscription streaming service Peacock. In 2022, Comcast restructured Xumo into a joint venture with Charter Communications, incorporating its digital media player and smart TV divisions based on the Xfinity X1 platform, marketed as Xumo Stream Box and Xumo TV.

History

Xumo was created in 2011 through a joint venture between Viant Technology—then a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation (which also owned Myspace)—and Panasonic.

By 2015, Xumo was available exclusively on Vizio and Panasonic devices, with LG Electronics and Funai joining the lineup in 2016. By May of that year, the service offered 78 channels aimed at millennials who were dissatisfied with conventional multichannel television.

In February 2016, Time Inc. acquired Viant, a company originally founded as advertisementbanners.com by the Vanderhook brothers in 1999 before undergoing name changes to Interactive Media Holdings and eventually Viant.

By July 2018, Xumo had introduced an Android application. By June 2019, CEO Colin Petrie-Norris announced that the platform was accessible in over 35 million U.S. households via smart TVs, mobile devices, web browsers, and streaming hardware. The service emphasized integration with smart TV systems such as LG’s WebOS Channel Plus.

Xumo’s technology utilizes algorithms to understand viewer preferences, prioritizing channels and programs that users watch most frequently.

On February 25, 2020, Comcast purchased Xumo from the Panasonic/Viant partnership for an undisclosed amount. Operating as an independent entity within Comcast’s cable division, Xumo capitalized on collaborations with smart TV manufacturers including LG, Panasonic, and Vizio to promote Comcast’s services like Xfinity. NBCUniversal content was incorporated into Xumo’s offerings, positioning its channels alongside those of Peacock—similar to how Paramount leveraged Pluto TV after acquiring Viacom.

In November 2020, Xumo revealed its entry into original content creation with Bold Soul Studios’ film White Elephant.

In April 2022, Comcast integrated Xumo into a joint venture with Charter Communications that combined retail sales of streaming devices and smart TVs built on Comcast’s X1 platform. The brand name Xumo was retained; the service was renamed Xumo Play, while Comcast’s existing products Xfinity Flex and XClass TV were rebranded as Xumo Stream Box and Xumo TV respectively.

In January 2023, Xumo announced plans to release smart TVs manufactured by Element Electronics. Additionally, it launched models from Hisense and TCL Technology (sold under the Pioneer brand), which are exclusively available through Best Buy.

Programming

Xumo operates on a model similar to traditional pay TV, presenting content organized into 12 distinct categories:

• News – includes both mainstream and opinion-based channels representing progressive and conservative perspectives.
• TV & Movies – offers a variety of general entertainment and film channels.
• Sports – features live broadcasts, archived games, sports news, and expert analysis.
• Kids & Family – dedicated to programming suitable for children and family audiences.
• Food, Drink and Travel – focuses on culinary arts and travel lifestyle content.
• Comedy – showcases digital comedy and popular viral videos.
• Entertainment – delivers niche-interest and trending video entertainment channels.
• Lifestyle – covers lifestyle topics, travel, and home shopping networks.
• Pop Culture – centers on entertainment news, science, technology, sci-fi, and geek culture themes.
• Science & Tech – provides documentaries related to science, technology, and education.
• Music – streams music videos and live concert performances.
• Fashion – features channels devoted to style and fashion trends.

By February 2020, Xumo had expanded its lineup to more than 190 channels through partnerships with leading media companies such as NBCUniversal, A&E Networks, Sony Pictures, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox Corporation, among others.

The service includes well-known traditional TV networks like History Channel, USA Network (along with Syfy, E!, CNBC), MTV (plus Showtime and VH1), Discovery Channel, CNN (including HLN), HBO, Bloomberg Television, Fox News (and Fox Business), Home Shopping Network (HSN), QVC, BeIN Sports Xtra, and Stadium.

In addition to these, Xumo distributes AVOD streams from sources like NBC News Now, ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7 (as well as CBS Sports HQ), Cheddar News, TYT Network (offered as AVOD despite having a hybrid SVOD/AVOD approach), Dove Channel, Law & Crime, Fubo Sports Network, People TV, among others. This broad array of content strengthens Xumo’s position in the streaming market by appealing to a wide range of audience segments.

Availability

Xumo’s streaming service can be accessed across multiple platforms including desktop browsers, mobile devices running Android or Apple iOS/iPadOS, as well as internet-connected television devices such as Chromecast, Android TV, Apple TV, the Xfinity Xumo TV box, Amazon Fire TV, Roku players, Cox Contour Stream Player, LG Channel Plus and LG Channels smart TV models. It is also compatible with Smart TVs from brands like Vizio, Panasonic, Sanyo, Philips, Magnavox, Samsung, Hisense, and Sharp.

Internationally, Xumo is offered on LG Smart TVs equipped with WebOS version 3.5 or newer in countries including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.