Comcast Preventing New Starz App From Working for Comcast Users Starz recently unveiled a new streaming app that offers Starz content for $9 a month if you're not a cable customer, but free if you already pay for Starz through a traditional cable provider. And while most cable operators have quickly enabled the relatively-simple authentication needed to access the app work, Comcast is once again refusing to make authentication work -- and once again refusing to explain why they can't.

"Blocking" users from authenticating their Comcast credentials via the app does have one notable bonus for Comcast: it means more customers looking to watch Starz content will need to do so via the Xfinity.com website and the Xfinity TV mobile apps. This isn't Comcast's first conflict of this type. The company has oddly been preventing Comcast users from enjoying HBO Go on select devices for years now. Since 2011 users complained that the cable giant didn't allow HBO Go to work on Roku if you're a Comcast cable subscriber, and while that was only recently remedied, Comcast's also been blocking its customers from using HBO Go on the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4. I've yet to see a meaningful answer as to why that's the case, Comcast only telling quote: "With every new website, device or player we authenticate, we need to work through technical integration and customer service which takes time and resources. Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize as we partner with various players." And indeed, getting HBO Go working on Roku took years. But more recently, over at the quote: HBO Go availability on PS3 (and some other devices) are business decisions and deal with business terms that have not yet been agreed to between the parties. Thanks for your continued patience. If you check out the HBO Go for PS4 particular way of doing business. I've yet to see a meaningful answer as to why that's the case, Comcast only telling different news outlets that getting authentication to work (the app has to confirm you are a traditional cable subscriber) takes time:And indeed, getting HBO Go working on Roku took. But more recently, over at the official Comcast forums , the company has backed away from the "technical integration and customer service" excuse, and now will only say authentication on the PS3 and PS4 won't work due to unspecific "business decisions":If you check out the HBO Go for PS4 activation page , you'll note that most of the other major broadband ISPs have approved the app (including AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Cablevision, Suddenlink and more), so nobody else seems to have trouble getting authentication to work quickly for these kinds of third-party services. So whatever "business terms" Comcast is waiting for HBO, Sony, and now Starz to agree to -- are quite specific to Comcast'away of doing business.







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Most recommended from 30 comments



motorola870

join:2008-12-07

Arlington, TX 7 recommendations motorola870 Member F* the customer because it is Comcastic to be problematic! Hmm tittle says it all it is the Comcastic! Way end sarcasm

CST

@comcast.net 3 recommendations CST Anon Easy solution Drop your Starz Comcast subscription and buy it direct from Starz and use their authentication instead of Comcast. Comcast is shooting themselves in the foot by alienating potential income and pushing it to Starz.

Snakeoil

Ignore Button. The coward's feature.

Premium Member

join:2000-08-05

Mentor, OH 3 recommendations Snakeoil Premium Member Comcast breaking a rule? In my mind, I see this as a Net Neutrality issue, as they are blocking customers from having access to a service.

Funny how Comcast and others accused Netflix of breaking Net Neutrality, when Netflix admitted it throttles streams for some users on certain wireless networks.

Morac

Cat god

join:2001-08-30

Riverside, NJ 3 recommendations Morac Member In other news, the sun rose in the East this morning... This is the norm for Comcast. For reasons known only to Comcast, Comcast tends to block authentication for apps on various different devices with no apparent rhyme or reason as to what is blocked and what isn't.



HBOGo as mentioned in the article, is blocked by Comcast on PS3, PS4 and TiVo, yet it's available on XBox, Roku, Apple TV and Samsung TV. If you contact the manufactures of the devices that are blocked, they say to talk to Comcast since Comcast is the one doing the blocking. The only reason I can come up with is Comcast is charging device manufacturers an activation fee and if the company doesn't pay it, then the service won't be activated on that device.



By guess is they are also charging the provider an activation fee as well (would be in character for them since they also charge Netflix for customers watching Netflix) and Starz hasn't paid it yet, which would explain why Starz isn't available. Joe12345678

join:2003-07-22

Des Plaines, IL 3 recommendations Joe12345678 Member we don't want to give up the $10 an outlet / box rent fee we don't want to give up the $10 an outlet / box rent fee. d21mike

join:2016-04-04

Torrance, CA 2 recommendations d21mike Member Stop giving money to COMCAST and other Cable Providers if you can avoid it. I made a decision even though may cost a little more to not subscribe to channels that I can get from other sources.



Example:

HBO Now instead of HBO Go via iTunes

Showtime instead of Showtime Anywhere via iTunes

STARZ from iTunes.



And Netflix and Hulu.



I also, buy a lot of discount iTunes Cards around Black Friday to reduce to cost a bit.



I do still subscribe to the lowest cable tier for content that I still can to easily get from other sources (prefer not using OTA). However, I return all of my hardware (DVR, STB) and got 2x CableCards with 2x HDHomeRun Prime and the Apple TV Channels App. mmay149q

Premium Member

join:2009-03-05

Dallas, TX 2 recommendations mmay149q Premium Member Doesn't surprise me Wouldn't surprise me if these apps didn't properly work until a few years after Comcast's own streaming app's been around and gets a healthy dose of subscribers (if that's even possible) also wouldn't surprise me if the "business decision" is Comcast telling these companies that they'll only work on authentication if they'll integrate their streaming source through the new Comcast app, instead of their own app, that way Comcast still gets to make money off ad's and etc. This is what you get when your own government allows a company to get this big, I say Comcast customers need to just start dumping their service by the droves and give Comcast the huge middle finger.

machpost

join:2002-01-11

Washington, DC 2 recommendations machpost Member Comcast is terrible. My cable provider is far from perfect, but I'm SO thankful that they are available as an alternative to Comcast.