This week, the popular Sci-Fi channel Comet has ended most of its free streaming options. In the past, you could watch the network for free through multiple streaming apps, including its own app on Roku and Apple TV.
However, this week, its parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group, which runs the channel in partnership with MGM, has ended most free streaming. The network was once streaming for free on the Stirr app, but after that was sold, its free stream there ended. You could also watch it through its own app on Roku and Apple TV.
Now the Comet TV app is gone for new installs, a search on Roku and other platforms reveals. For now, you can still access Comet TV for free on its website, but the more convenient options like its apps are gone.
If you still have the app, you can keep using it, but you will not be able to re-add it if you uninstall it, according to reports from multiple readers.
The exact reason for this change is unknown, but last year Newsmax ended its free stream. In Newsmax’s announcement that it would be shutting down its free stream and replacing it with a paid service called Newsmax+, the company said its contracts with cable TV companies forced them to make this change. The cable providers were unhappy that it was offering a free stream when they had to pay to carry the channel. As a result, it had to end its free stream.
Comets’ situation is likely different than Newsmax, but it’s very likely they have been receiving similar pressure to stop offering or limit access to its free stream.