Comcast to bring its X1 service to LA, New York within year of merger

Within a year after its $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable closes, Comcast aims to make its advanced X1 cable service available in areas such as New York and Los Angeles and other markets where it will gain a commanding new presence.

"We'll be within the first markets in a year," said Neil Smit, president and chief executive of Comcast's cable unit.

The new technology would "bring considerably higher Internet speeds to Time Warner Cable customers" in those cities, Smit said, and give them access to such X1 services as Internet applications, viewing recommendations and voice control. Features offered by the cloud-connected X1 cable box system could help Comcast pick up subscribers in major cities where Time Warner Cable's growth has stalled in recent years.

Gaining entry to the New York and Los Angeles markets was part of the strategic rationale behind Comcast's offer to buy TWC.