Comcast Media Center Cuts VOD Services Deal With Raycom Sports

Raycom Sports has selected Comcast Media Center's Content Services unit to manage and deliver video-on-demand programming, including highlights from Atlantic Coast Conference college basketball and football games.

CMC's VOD footprint encompasses cable systems across multiple MSOs serving more than 56 million households in the U.S. and Canada.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Raycom Sports owns the syndicated television rights of ACC men's basketball and football telecasts through 2023. In addition, Raycom operates the ACC Network, which distributes ACC content through multimedia outlets.

Under the terms of the deal, CMC will deliver Raycom Sports VOD in HD and standard-definition formats and other programming carried on the ACC Network. The deal represents the debut of Raycom Sports' VOD offering.

"We are very excited to partner with CMC on our video on demand programming," Raycom Sports vice president of distribution and new media Colin Smith said in a statement. "CMC has all the capabilities we were looking for in a VOD model. The CMC's ability to ingest multiple live sports events in a variety of formats and turn them around for quick distribution allows us to offer a quality viewing experience to television households."

All told CMC distributes more than 12,000 hours of VOD programming per month. The company's platform provides automated workflows and remote management capabilities to accelerate the delivery of VOD content.

Raycom Sports' parent company Raycom Media, located in Montgomery, Ala., owns and operates 46 TV stations covering 12% of the U.S. across 18 states.