Comcast Corporation is the largest cable company and internet service provider (ISP) in the United States. It provides cable television, internet, and telephone service to residential and business customers. It sells these services under the brand name XFinity.
The company was founded as American Cable Systems in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1963. American Cable Systems was incorporated in 1969, and its name was changed to Comcast Corporation. The company soon began acquiring other media and telecommunications companies. In 1986, Comcast invested in the QVC home shopping channel, which it sold in 2003. Comcast also acquired several television networks, including E! Entertainment Television; the children’s channel PBS KIDS Sprout; TV One, offering lifestyle and entertainment programming for African Americans; and Comcast SportsNet. Comcast also offers programming on-demand—that is, movies and television programs that can be selected and viewed via television or over the internet.
Comcast began providing cellular phone service in 1988 and internet service in 1996. In 2002, Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband, becoming the largest cable television company in the United States. However, since 2007, the company has lost cable television customers every year. In 2011, Comcast purchased a majority holding in NBC Universal from the General Electric Company (GE), and NBC Universal changed its name to NBCUniversal Media, LLC . Comcast completed its acquisition in 2013. In 2014, Comcast announced plans to acquire Time/Warner Cable, which would have further extended its reach. Some experts expressed concerns that Comcast’s acquisitions and market dominance had already given the company too much control over pricing and access to content. In 2015, Comcast withdrew plans for the acquisition. In 2018, Comcast acquired Sky, one of Europe’s leading entertainment companies. Comcast’s corporate headquarters are in Philadelphia.
