Comcast said that it will "make available 50 'virtual' channels" for the Pyeongchang Games -- a "precursor to personalized television," according to Bob Fernandez of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Each virtual channel will "air only content on specific Olympic sports and athletes." The channels will be "accessed through the Xfinity television remote." Comcast Exec VP/Xfinity Services Matt Strauss said that virtual channels "should be considered similar to playlists on music-streaming platforms Pandora or Spotify." Comcast employees at the company HQ in Philadelphia will "stitch together" the NBC Olympic content for these virtual channels, "updating the channels daily." Strauss said that eventually, computers "could create the virtual channels for consumers, making the channels broadly available." Other Comcast tech developments include the "ability for Xfinity customers to stream Olympics content onto their smart phones, tablets or computers using the Xfinity Stream app outside of their homes." Comcast also will make some Olympic content "available for high-resolution 4K televisions" (PHILLY.com, 2/6).
