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Comcast will stream on demand shows from HBO, Showtime, and 28 others during free trial week for subscribers

Comcast will stream on demand shows from HBO, Showtime, and 28 others during free trial week for subscribers

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comcast xfinity cable (stock)
comcast xfinity cable (stock)

Video on demand services bundled with cable TV subscriptions aren't quite as flashy as web streaming options like Netflix and Hulu (the awful cable box user interfaces that hide VOD selections don't help), but Comcast is looking to bring some attention to its selection this month by opening access to its catalog of on-demand TV programming. The company has dubbed the week running from March 25th to the 31st "Watchathon Week," and it will offer on-demand selections from 30 channels — including HBO, Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax — to all Comcast cable customers, regardless of the package they're signed up for.

Comcast looks to get basic cable subscribers hooked to 'Game of Thrones'

Every episode from every season of certain shows will be available, including highlights like Game of Thrones, Dexter, Girls, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Sex & The City, while the rest will be limited to current seasons (see below for a full list). Programming will be available from cable boxes, Comcast's website, and the company's selection of mobile apps. In addition, the week following the promotion (April 1st) will feature a rotating selection of on-demand programming from particular networks. It's clear the cable operator is hoping to get customers hooked to premium cable TV series with a week of binge watching, but Comcast is also hoping to bring attention to the advertising opportunities VOD offers — remember, you can't fast-forward through ads when watching on demand.

Viewers can catch every episode of every season of Banshee, Battlestar Galactica, Big Love, Boardwalk Empire, The Borgias, Boss, Californication, COPPER, Crossing Jordan, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Deadwood, Dexter®, Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey, Duck Dynasty, Enlightened, Entourage, Episodes, Flight of the Concords, Game of Thrones, Generation Kill, Girls, Hollywood Confidential, House of Lies, Hung, Hunted, Magic City, Nurse Jackie, Oz, Parenthood, Psych, Rome, Sex & The City, Six Feet Under, Spartacus, Strike Back, The Newsroom, The Sopranos, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Treme, True Blood, Ugly Betty, Veep, and Web Therapy.

Additionally, full, current and most recent seasons of the following series will also be available during Watchathon Week: Archer, Awkward, Bates Motel, Boston’s Finest, Braxton Family Values, Bridezillas, Chicago Fire, Dance Moms, Deadliest Catch, Deception, Diggers, Doctor Who, Elementary, Go On, Grimm, I Love Jenni, King of the Nerds, Legit, Mad Men, Portlandia, Raising Hope, Real Husbands of Hollywood, Revolution, Smash, Swamp People, The Americans, The Bachelor, The Layover, The Mindy Project, The Voice, The Walking Dead, Top Gear, Tosh.0, Touch, Undercover Boss, Vikings, Whitney and Wicked Tuna.