Comcast Adds Movie ‘Extras’ on X1

Adding some value to movies that it sells digitally via its X1 video platform, Comcast said it is offering a new slate of enhanced “movie extras” to select titles it sells digitally from four studios -- Universal, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures.

Those interactive elements, which include photo galleries and video clips that are updated as the movie plays back, are available for certain movies from those studios via Comcast’s X1 platform. Comcast said extra features will evolve and vary by title, and that it expects to add more studios and movies to the mix in 2017.

Comcast, which launched its electronic sell-through product in 2013, is juicing the launch with a ten-day free pass that lets subs check out 16 examples/pieces of those new enhanced movie extras, including games, 360-degree maps and set tours for films such as TheSecret Life of Pets, JasonBourne, Mockingjay Part 2, Star Trek Beyond, Hotel Transylvania 2, Underworld, Nerve and Warcraft.

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Comcast said it is offering the new features using a new tech standard from MovieLabs that helps to weave interactive, “contextually-integrated” Internet content with the movie-watching experience.

Those enhancements are entering the fold as an increasing number of movies are purchased digitally and start to bring in the kind of extra features that one might find from a title on Blu-ray or DVD.

“We’re excited to work with these studios on this ground-breaking innovation to redefine the home entertainment movie-watching experience,” Daniel Spinosa, GM of movies, pay-per-view and commerce at Comcast Cable, in a statement. “X1 is an immersive, dynamic platform that enables us to continually provide our customers with one-of-a-kind experiences, and we are actively working with our programming partners to deliver next-generation, enhanced entertainment experiences for all content including movies, events, sports, and news."