Comcast Adds On-Demand Debuts
Under ‘Project Infinity,’ Op Offers Day-Date Theatrical DVD Releases, Early TV Series Premieres
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 2/4/2008 8:45:00 AM
On the heels of its “Project Infinity” announcement last month, Comcast unveiled some additions to its on-demand service Monday, including a slate of Hollywood hits that will be available the same day as their DVD releases and several TV-series premieres that will bow at least a week before they debut on their linear channels.
The theatricals Comcast said it will make available on-demand the same day they’re released on DVD include Michael Clayton, Shoot Em Up, Mr. Woodcock, Invasion, The Brave One, Rendition and No Reservations.
Comcast is also offering the pre-network-run premieres of HBO’s The Wire and VH1’s Flavor of Love, both of which are available on-demand today, Feb. 4. The nation’s-largest cable operato
r will also showcase Showtime’s The Tudors before the show’s second season premieres March 30. The first season of The Tudors will be accessible by all Comcast digital-cable customers Feb. 18, even if they don’t subscribe to the premium service.
The VOD update follows Comcast’s announcement at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show about Project Infinity, the cable company’s vision to deliver exponentially more content choice on TV, including more HDTV, sports, movies, kids’ programs and TV shows.
In addition to the day-and-date theatricals, some of which are from Warner Bros. or its New Line studio, and the TV show debuts, Comcast is also offering two action franchises on-demand -- the Bourne and Rush Hour trilogies.
Timed to the Academy Awards ceremony Feb. 24, the operator is also offering more than 30 Oscar-winning movies on-demand this month.
“Television viewing has changed and consumers have an insatiable appetite for personalized content delivered directly to their TVs,” Comcast senior vice president and general manager of video services Derke Harrar said in a statement. “We’re leading the charge and our customers love it. With top titles like the Bourne and Rush Hour trilogies, we’re giving our customers more movies, more shows and more HD than anyone else – all available at the click of their remote control.”
These new viewing choices are part of Comcast’s video-on-demand lineup with more than 10,000 VOD selections available each month. Comcast customers now are selecting On Demand more than 100 times per second, with about 275 million views monthly; and since 2003, the company has seen viewership grow dramatically, surpassing 6 billion views.
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