Demand for ON DEMAND From Comcast Soars: 2005 Orders for Free Content Up 180% in Philadelphia Alone

Demand for ON DEMAND From Comcast Soars: 2005 Orders for Free Content Up 180% in Philadelphia Alone

Average Digital Customer Now Using ON DEMAND 21 Times a Month

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In just one year, Comcast's video on demand has crossed the chasm to become an integral, mainstay part of consumers' lifestyles and television viewing habits. After gaining popularity in 2004, this past year saw an ever-increasing demand for ON DEMAND, with the company surpassing one billion views in just 10 months, and more than 184 million views in the Philadelphia market alone.

Highlights of 2005 Philadelphia-area ON DEMAND milestones included:

-- More than 184 million orders, up 71% from 2004
-- More than 115 million of the 184 million views were Free ON DEMAND
selections
-- More than 85% of Philadelphia Digital Cable customers accessed video
on demand in the past 90 days, averaging 21 views per user per month,
up 15% from 2004
-- Close to 1,200 video on demand programs were added, a 42% increase
over 2004, resulting in a total of almost 4,000 ON DEMAND choices per
month
-- 652 additional hours of programming were added, a 41% increase over
2004, resulting in almost 2,300 monthly hours of content
-- 54 new providers have joined the ON DEMAND roster, bringing the tally
to more than 128 distinct providers, a 73% increase over 2004

"2005 was a breakthrough year both for Comcast video on demand and for overall trends and shifts in consumer viewing habits," said Michael Doyle, president, Comcast Cable Eastern Division and founder, CN8, The Comcast Network. "We knew from the start that if we built and delivered on it, they would come - and last year our customers proved that beyond even our highest expectations."

Some of the most popular video on demand categories and genres in 2005 included:

-- Dating On Demand - Since launching in August 2004, there have been
more than 4.8 million orders in the Philadelphia area, and 24 million
nationwide
-- Karaoke ON DEMAND - Generated close to 250,000 orders in Philadelphia
in the first three weeks following its October 2005 launch
-- Music Choice - Local orders to the beat of 33.5 million, with
245 million nationally
-- Children's Shows - More than 24 million orders in the Philadelphia
area
-- Free Movies - More than 10 million 2005 orders, of 528 unique movie
titles, all provided at no additional charge to Comcast Digital Cable
customers
-- "Get Local" - More than 6,000 unique programs, generating 1.6 million
orders

"In 2005 we took advantage of cable's unique ability to offer highly local, tailored video on demand programming, something satellite simply can't do," added Doyle. "Last fall we offered 'CN8 Presents: New Jersey Candidates On Demand,' empowering voters with unprecedented access to the information necessary to make an educated vote, available to watch when and as often as they chose. And later in the year we provided the families and friends of local servicemen and women serving overseas the ability to watch holiday greetings from their loved ones over and over with Troop Greetings ON DEMAND."

In 2006, customers are already enjoying new video on demand programs including more than 90 programs at any time of exercisetv, and content from some of CBS' most-watched shows, such as "CSI" and "Survivor," available just hours after they air on linear TV. A record-setting 1.5 million ON DEMAND orders were placed the snowy weekend of February 11 - 12 alone, a week-over- week increase of more than 32%.

About Comcast

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.4 million cable customers, 8.1 million high-speed Internet customers and 1.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's Eastern Division currently serves more than 5.6 million customers along the New York to DC corridor, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia, along with parts of California and Texas. The Eastern Division also founded and manages CN8, The Comcast Network, one of the nation's largest and most honored regional 24-hour diversified television networks, seen by more than seven million homes on the East Coast. The division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

Source: Comcast

CONTACT: Press Contacts: Jeff Alexander, +1-610-650-3065, or Suzanne
Amarant, +1-610-650-1352, both of Comcast

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/

-------
Profile: intent