Walmart and Comcast May Partner On Smart TVs

Walmart and Comcast are in talks to partner on smart TVs running Comcast’s software.

Cable companies are under pressure to diversify their income strategies as consumers are cutting the cord in favor of streaming services in record numbers. Sling, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and, most recently, T-Mobile’s TVision have increasingly been competing directly with traditional cable and satellite services.

As a result, according to TheStreet,Comcast is looking to position itself as a digital hub for the various streaming services and apps. It’s unclear how well a TV from Comcast would be received, as the market is already relatively crowded.

In addition, like many internet and cable companies, Comcast often charges hidden equipment rental fees that routinely go up in price. While a smart TV would no doubt be an outright purchase, Comcast may find itself struggling to overcome perception problems and negative consumer goodwill.