Sony is the latest major TV maker to sign on for Comcast’s Xfinity TV Partner program, announcing that it will support the MSO’s app on sets running Android TV starting sometime in 2018.

Accessible in the home of the Comcast customer, the app will look and feel much like Comcast’s X1 experience and support live TV (including local broadcast network feeds), VOD and the pay TV provider’s cloud DVR service. That content is not delivered into the home over-the-top via a public internet connection, but instead is delivered via Comcast’s private, managed IP network. Customers that take advantage of it won’t need a traditional set-top box from Comcast, but will still require a compatible IP cable service gateway from the operator.

Sony joins LG Electronics (webOS) and Samsung (Tizen OS) among TV makers that have announced agreements with Comcast’s Xfinity TV Partner program, an initiative introduced in April 2016 that relies on HTML5 technology standards. LG is expected to offer the Xfinity TV Partner app on 2017 and 2018 smart TVs that run webOS sometime next year. Comcast expects to begin trials on Samsung TVs after it receives a software releasae from the TV maker, but plans to launch a beta of its on Samsung TVs in early 2018.

RELATED: Comcast Launches ‘Xfinity TV Partner Program'

Under a separate partner app agreement, Roku launched an Xfinity TV app in beta form for certain streaming player models and integrated Roku TVs in January 2017.

Sony, whose cable-focused retail ambitions have run hot and cold over the years, including some scuffling around tru2way/OCAP, is the first TV maker that leans on Android TV to join the Comcast app program.

RELATED: Tru2way Stalls At Retail

“We’re pleased to partner with Comcast in bringing their Xfinity TV application to Sony Android TVs, allowing our customers to directly access great content on Sony 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) TVs,” Kevin Brinkman, director, product marketing, TV and projector at Sony, said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with Comcast to deliver consistently high-quality programming to our best in class smart TVs, combining Android TV streaming with the immersion of 4K HDR experiences via their advanced managed network.”

"We remain focused on providing our customers with more choice and flexibility in how, when and where they access the content included with their Xfinity TV subscription,” added Mike Gatzke, vice president, video subscription services, Comcast Cable. “Providing our customers with the highest quality entertainment experiences across devices remains a top priority, so we are thrilled to partner with Sony to give our customers access to the Xfinity TV app directly on Sony Smart TVs.”

Roku has begun to release a beta version of the Xfinity TV app for select Roku models that feature an X1-style guide along with support for most elements of Comcast’s in-home pay TV service, including live TV, VOD, and cloud DVR recordings.

The beta, only for Comcast customers, debut arrives nearly nine months after Comcast introduced the Xfinity TV Partner Program. At the time, Comcast announced that Samsung was its first smart TV partner for the program and that an app for the Roku platform was under development. Comcast is working on integrating its HTML5 app for Samsung TVs, with a goal to launch a beta app for that platform later this year. Those will be the first TV-connected version of the app from Comcast, complementing earlier versions developed for smartphones, tablets and Web browsers.

RELATED: Comcast Launches ‘Xfinity TV Partner Program'

Early on, the Xfinity TV beta app will be supported on Roku TV models and all Roku players released in the “last couple of years,” Andrew Ferrone, VP of pay TV at Roku, and Michael DelCiello, VP of strategic partnerships and business development at Comcast, explained in a joint statement. That batch of eligible models includes the Roku Express, Roku Express+, Roku Streaming Stick (model 3600), Roku Premiere, Roku Premiere+, Roku Ultra, Roku 4 (model 4400), Roku 3 (model 4230 and 4200), and Roku 2 (model 4210).

To access Comcast’s video service on the Roku, which will also include Public Educational and Governmental (PEG) channels, customers will need to download the Xfinity TV app from the Roku channel store, install it, and input their service credentials. Per the description of the app, it will support many but not all features offered with X1 on traditional boxes: "Not all X1 features will be available in the XFINITY TV Beta app, but we are working diligently to implement additional functionality in future releases," it reads. "Some content restrictions apply."

Update: Transactional content (rental or digital purchases) will not be available via the app during the beta, Comcast confirmed. Because it’s an in-home cable service, blackouts and other mobile content restrictions would not apply, the company added. That restriction is also reflected in this just-posted FAQ about the beta, which also noted that "SAP [secondary audio programming] may experience intermittent availability in the XFINITY TV Beta app." Comcast allows customers to stream their cable service to as many as five devices simultaneously (i.e. a mix of Roku devices and mobile devices and PCs) in the home.  

Ferrone and DelCiello added that Comcast and Roku expect to expand support to more Roku player models throughout the beta period and as part of the app’s official/commercial launch, expected to occur later this year.

Notably, data delivered via the Xfinity TV app to Roku boxes will be exempt from Comcast’s usage-based Internet policies because it’s not an OTT service, but rather a “Title VI” cable service that is delivered into the home via a separately managed, private IP video path that does not mingle with public Internet traffic shipped on Comcast’s network. For the app to work, the  Roku must be connected to the customer's in-home Xfinity WiFi network. 

RELATED: Comcast Deploys 1-Terabyte Data Plan

During the trial phase, users of the app will need to have at least one Comcast-provided set-top box and a compatible Xfinity IP gateway in their home. And while Roku boxes aren’t supported as a primary outlet during the beta period, customers will be able to use the app on supported Roku devices as their primary outlet once the app is formally launched.

But customers will still need a compatible IP gateway to utilize the app on Roku. Current Comcast high-speed Internet customers won’t require any additional equipment because their gateways can also be used as a cable service gateway for the Xfinity TV app for Roku. However, for Comcast video subs who don’t take a high-speed Internet service from the MSO, Comcast is also working to make the required cable-only gateway equipment available soon, but has not announced a release date for that.

Update:According to Bloomberg, Comcast subs who use a Roku as their primary device (rather than a regular set-top) will get a $2.50 monthly credit. 

Comcast has not announced other CE companies that have hopped aboard the Xfinity TV Partner Program, though Comcast demonstrated the Xfinity TV app running on the Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield console at last year’s INTX show in Boston. Last April, Comcast Cable president and CEO Neil Smit said more than 40 companies had inquired about the program.

Though Comcast has not identified any other partners by name, the operator said there continues to be much interest in the Xfinity TV Partner Program and that it is actively engaged with many companies and expects to have more announcements later this year.

Like its new app for the Roku platform, Comcast is using a similar non-OTT approach for Stream, a skinny-bundle IPTV offering for mobile devices that’s selling for about $15 per month in markets such as Chicago and Boston. Comcast said the current plan is to roll out that product across its footprint sometime in 2017.

Comcast’s app integration on Roku marks a step toward broader use of retail devices that remove the need for pay TV subs to rent set-tops from their MVPDs, and an effort that stems back to the old CableCARD regime.

The cable industry has been adamant in its stance that market forces, rather than more government mandates, should pave the path forward for retail video devices.

The FCC, under former chairman Tom Wheeler, pushed hard for a new set of set-top rules, but new Ajit Pai, the new FCC chairman, announced today that the set-top rules proposal has been pulled, a decision that is considered a victory for the cable industry.  

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposed set-top rules  require that MVPDs create and provide apps  for all “widely deployed” retail platforms.

Though a fact sheet for the proposal is rather vague about that, calling out Roku, iOS, Windows and Android as examples, FCC officials have shed more light on that definition as any operating system that has had shipments in the U.S. of at least 5 million devices during the previous year (and not historical shipments).

If a platform meets or exceeds that threshold, MVPDs must write an app for it. By way of example, Roku’s “platform” includes both Roku players as well as integrated Roku TVs. Apple TV is tossed in with any iOS device as viewed through the FCC’s lens, so it easily passes the threshold.  

READ MORE:Why TV Is Going to the Apps: How cable operators are transforming the TV experience one screen at a time. 

A new device on the market could also make the grade if, for example, it’s built on Android or another platform that has already met the shipment requirement.

And platforms are good to go once they meet the U.S. shipment bar. They don't have to meet it year in and year out. Once they're in...they're in. 

There are also other paths to take for device makers that don’t hit the number. FCC officials said they also have the option to forge a business deal with an MVPD to gain access to their app.

One possible example there is Comcast’s “Xfinity TV Partner Program.” Samsung is the first TV maker to join. Comcast and Roku have also forged an agreement.

At the INTX show in May, Comcast demoed its app running on the Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield but stressed then that no formal business deal had been reached for that particular platform. 

In April, Comcast Cable CEO Neil  Smit said more than 40 companies had inquired about the program since its introduction in April 2016.

Boston -- Though no formal deal is yet in place, Comcast is demonstrating its Xfinity TV app running on the Nvidia Shield, a 4K-capable gaming console that runs the Android TV platform.

Here at INTX, Comcast is also showing its streaming TV app running on a Roku 4 as well as a Samsung smart TV, which allows for partners to offer a customized experience and the ability to search across multiple apps and tell viewers if a given program is offered by Comcast through its app, a programmer’s TV Everywhere app,  an SVOD service like Netflix or Hulu, or for purchase or rental from sources such as Amazon.

Samsung is the first announced TV maker to join the Xfinity TV Partner Program, an initiative launched last month that has emerged as the FCC looks to create new rules aimed at “unlocking” the set-top box. Comcast has also announced a deal with Roku that will bring its authenticated Xfinity TV partner app to Roku streaming players and integrated TVs.

Last month, Comcast Cable president and CEO Neil Smit said more than 40 companies had called the MSO to sign up for the program since it was introduced.

Though Comcast’s work on the Nvidia Shield was for demo purposes only, it does offer an example of the scope of platforms that could support the Xfinity TV app, an in-home app that uses the MSO’s managed IP network and isn’t delivered “over-the-top” via a public Internet connection.

Nvidia launched the Shield in mid-2015, offering an Android TV-based platform for gaming and apps such as HBO Go and WatchESPN.

Get complete coverage of the FCC's set-top proposal.

Comcast, which has already slammed the FCC’s proposed set-top rules, took another swipe at them in a recent meeting with commission staffers that expanded on the MSO’s (and the cable industry’s) argument that using an apps-based approach is the best way forward.

For starters, Comcast argued in an ex parte filed May 11 that the software code it uses to manage requests for programming and data between its set-top boxes and authenticated Xfinity TV apps and where the programming is cached on the network will likewise need to be supported on third-party video devices using an app.

Comcast told the commission that “running our network code directly on third-party devices without our application was not feasible for a variety of reasons,” noting that that MVPDs use different network infrastructures and that the code that one MVPD develops for this purpose differs from the code developed by other MSOs.

Additionally, Comcast argued that code “is regularly updated to accommodate network and service changes, and corresponding changes would be required in the third-party device (or app); and that programmers and content owners require a trusted execution environment as a key element of a strong content security and content presentation regimen.”

Comcast also said its IP cable service is delivered on a unified,  cloud-to-ground, unicast basis and that the code in its app uses network management tools ensure efficient use of bandwidth -- something that, Comcast claims, would be lost under the FCC’s proposal.

Comcast also raised concerns about how programming “entitlements” (marketing and business rules)  could be impacted by the proposed rules, noting that Comcast and other MVPDs do not deliver entitlements in a standardized way, meaning that the FCC’s rules would require “significant changes” to entitlement servers and other pieces of MVPD networks.

The MSO also touted its new Xfinity TV Partner Program for retail devices, with initial work involving Roku and Samsung, explaining that it relies on HTML5 with premium media extensions  --  calling it a “widely adopted” open standard.

Comcast also attempted to address an issue raised by TiVo and others that an apps-based approach would constrain the use third-party user interfaces. Comcast countered that retail partners would still be free to develop and use their own UIs because Comcast’s HTML5-based apps would appear as an element in their  “umbrella” user interfaces alongside other apps.

Those arguments appear to have had little sway on FCC chairman Tom Wheeler.

The proposal “has gotta be done. And that’s the road we are headed down,” Wheeler said in late April. As for Comcast’s new program, Wheeler said it “is proving our point that you can take a third-party device, put set-top box functionality into it, and protect copyright and the economic ecosystem.”

There are no barriers that would prevent Comcast from building and deploying its own OTT-TV service, but the MSO remains unconvinced that the model strikes the right business chord, Neil Smit, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, said Wednesday on the company’s first quarter earnings call.

Smit was responding to an analyst question about a set of new OTT services coming later this year from AT&T, including “DirecTV Now,” a service that aims to largely replicate the traditional DirecTV pay TV offering.

“There’s no reason we couldn’t do something very similar from a technology perspective or a rights perspective,” Smit said. “We would just have to go get the rights to deploy the product.”

But Smit, who said last year that Comcast is “comfortable” operating in its own footprint as it expands the reach of its next-gen X1 platform, also cast doubts that going OTT is the right approach.

“We, thus far, haven't seen an OTT model that really hunts,” he said. “But we'll continue to stay tuned into the market and be prepared to respond accordingly." 

Thanks to X1, Comcast continues to make progress on the video front, as it added 53,000 video subs in Q1 2016.

Comcast said nearly 35% of its 22.4 million video subs are now on X1, and that it added 1.1 million X1 subs to the mix in Q1, a 53% increase on net adds versus the year-ago quarter.

Comcast SVP and CFO Michael Cavanagh said 86% of X1 subs are watching Xfinity on Demand monthly, and are viewing 25 hours per month on average. “We believe [X1] is a real competitive differentiator,” he said.

He also said 42% of video subs are using Comcast’s TV Everywhere app monthly, and are viewing about seven hours per month on the authenticated platform. “We think this adds great utility to our video service.”

The discussion also turned to the FCC’s proposed set-top box rules, with Comcast reiterating its opinion that it believes a market-driven, apps-based economy is better than another government mandate.

Last week, Comcast launched the Xfinity TV Partner Program, which will enable retail CE partners to offer an app that delivers the MSO’s full suite of pay TV services. Samsung is the first TV maker on board, and  Roku is set to offer the Xfinity TV app on its streaming platform.

“Set-top boxes will continue to be part of our ecosystem, as will apps,” he said.

Smit also took exception to the FCC’s skeptical reaction to the program, saying he thought it was “uncalled for.”

“I thought their reaction was unnecessary…I think we are working hard with our partners,” he said, noting that more than 40 companies have called Comcast to sign up since the program was introduced.

Smit also downplayed the competitive threat posed by 5G, which is sometimes viewed as a technology that could serve as a complement or replacement to wireline-based broadband services.

“5G is an exciting new platform,” he said, but noted that it’s still “early days” for the technology and that its propagation distance and ability to pass through objects like trees and buildings leave something to be desired.

Still, Comcast, he said, is “well positioned” because it can help out with other elements required for 5G deployments, including space, power and backhaul.

Almost 30 companies have put in inquires to Comcast about a new  Xfinity TV Partner Programintroduced Wednesday (April 20) that will enable CE partners  to offer the MSO’s full suite of video services, including live, VOD and cloud DVR recordings to their respective retail devices.

Samsung is the first TV maker to join the initiative, and Comcast has also announced a deal with Roku that will bring its authenticated Xfinity TV partner app to its streaming players and integrated TVs that are powered by its OS. CE companies interested in the program can register or participate in it at no cost, though they will be expected to bear the costs for development, marketing, and integration.

Comcast announced the program and as the FCC looks to create new rules aimed at “unlocking” the set-top box. Comcast, which filed comments (PDF) today panning that rulemaking effort, holding that  a government mandate is unnecessary amid a market that is already working under an app-driven economy.

“Our Roku and Xfinity Partner announcements are doing exactly what the statute seeks by offering our service on competitive devices available through retail outlets,” David Cohen, SVP and chief diversity officer of Comcast, wrote in this blog post.

Since the announcement about the program and the partnerships with  Samsung and Roku, Comcast has received “inquiries from almost 30 other companies including some of the biggest tech companies as well as new startups,” Cohen said, claiming that it’s “evidence that CE manufacturers want to offer these apps-based solutions to their customers to access our service. What the FCC is doing far exceeds its authority under the statute and ignores this marketplace progress.”

Comcast isn’t identifying by name who made the inquiries about the program. TiVo, which is in favor of new rules that would establish a successor to the CableCARD , said on Wednesday that it had nothing in the works regarding Comcast’s new Xfinity TV app program, “but we’re always open to discussions.”

The FCC was skeptical when Comcast announced its Xfinity TV apps program in part because it appears to center on a proprietary UI controlled by the MSO and “seems to allow only Comcast content on different devices, rather than allowing those devices to integrate or search across Comcast content as well as other content consumers subscribe to.” The FCC also acknowledged that it didn’t know all of the details of the announcement at the time.

In the blog, Cohen claimed that the FCC’s dismissive view on the announcements also mischaracterized them. “The Commission is wrong that our new Xfinity TV Partner App with Samsung and Roku would ‘only allow  Comcast content on different devices’,” Cohen wrote. “Whether on a Roku or on a Samsung TV, all the apps that consumers can currently use to access video content will still be available to them.  They’ll just also be able to access Xfinity TV content through this app on popular retail devices and without having to lease a set-top box.”

Cohen added that those consumers will also continue to have access to other apps and services using the interfaces designed by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and HBO.

“In addition, they will get whatever umbrella user interface and search functionality that the device itself provides, user interfaces that Samsung and Roku already have for all of their other apps,” he said.

Facing the specter of new FCC rules aimed at “unlocking” the set-top box, Comcast launched a partner program Wednesday that will enable partners, including Samsung and Roku, to offer the MSO’s full suite of video services, including live, VOD and cloud DVR, to the home via retail video devices.

An FAQ about the new program sheds light on some of the requirements potential partners must live up to if they want to offer the Xfinity TV on their respective retail platforms.  

In it, Comcast notes that program partners won’t be charged to register or participate in it, but that they “bear their own expenses for any development, marketing, and operations associated with integration of the Xfinity TV Partner app on their device.”

Regarding technical requirements for app partners, Comcast outlines some of them, including compliance with HTML5 standards, Media Source Extensions (MSE), and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) with the Adobe Access CDM (Content Decryption Module) and/or Microsoft PlayReady CDM, and Web Cryptography API

Because the app replicates the elements of Comcast’s pay TV service, participating devices must also enable their  Xfinity TV Partner app to comply with “all applicable regulatory requirements for cable service,” including Emergency Alert System, closed captioning, and must also support requirements set out in Comcast’s programmer deals spanning copy restrictions, geographic restrictions, and content branding.

Multichannel News has asked other companies such as TiVo, Google and Apple if they intend to join the new Xfinity TV Partner Program. 

TiVo, the first to respond, offered this statement: “We don’t have anything in the works with them on this program at the moment, but we’re always open to discussions.”

However, app partners will be using Comcast’s UI, which could make the program less attractive to TiVo, which would prefer to use its interface. Per the program’s FAQ: “Customers will discover and navigate content via Xfinity TV’s award winning user interface.” 

Comcast has launched the Xfinity TV Partner Program, an initiative that will extend a bridge to retail devices and enable subscribers to access their pay TV service, including live TV, VOD and cloud DVR recordings.

Comcast said Samsung is the first TV maker to join the initiative, which is being launched as the FCC looks to create new rules aimed at “unlocking” the set-top box.

Comcast said customers will “soon” be able to access the Xfinity TV app/service on 2016 Samsung smart TVs, noting that it will also provide access Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) channels. 

Tied, in, Comcast also announced a deal with Roku that will bring its authenticated Xfinity TV partner app to Roku streaming players and integrated TVs. Comcast said the app, designed for the Roku platform, will debut sometime later this year. Like the app for Samsung’s smart TV platform, the Roku version will also support Comcast’s live TV lineup, VOD vault, and cloud DVR. 

The MSO said Xfinity TV Partner apps, including the one coming to Roku's platform, will not be delivered to the home “over-the-top” via public Internet connections, but rather will be distributed to those homes via Comcast’s managed IP network. That also means that traffic from the Xfinity TV Partner app will be exempt from some of the usage-based data policies for high-speed Internet service that Comcast is testing in several markets.

Comcast is using a similar non-OTT approach for Stream, a skinny-bundle IPTV offering for mobile devices that’s selling for $15 per month in markets such as Chicago and Boston.

As for the program itself, Comcast said it will use a common framework and open standards, such as HTML5, to help smart TV makers and TV-connected and IP-based retail device manufacturers to build Xfinity TV Partner apps in the MSO’s footprint without requiring customers to lease a set-top box from Comcast.  

“Comcast has long partnered with Samsung to bring our customers advanced, high-quality entertainment viewing experiences, and we are thrilled to have them on board to help launch this exciting program,” Mark Hess, Comcast Cable’s SVP, office of the chief technology officer, business and industry affairs, said in a statement. “We remain committed to giving our customers more choice in how, when and where they access their subscription, and the Xfinity TV Partner Program enables us to efficiently and effectively expand the range of devices our customers can utilize to do that.”

“Roku is one of the largest providers of streaming TV devices and an innovative pioneer in the space, and we are thrilled to provide Xfinity TV customers with access to their subscription across Roku devices,” added Hess, who was a member of the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC), a group appointed by the FCC last year to consider a successor to the CableCARD (the DSTAC last September presented multiple paths to the FCC, which has since moved ahead with the current rulemaking effort). “We want to give our customers the ability to watch what they want, when and where they want, and we will continue to explore new partnerships to bring Xfinity TV content and user experience to even more retail devices.”

Though Comcast's approach will provide a way for its full slate of pay TV services to reach more retail devices and retail control of its data, other retail device makers, such as TiVo, want to offer those services on their devices  via user interfaces of their own making.