Paul Korda . com - The Web Home of Paul Korda, singer, musician & song-writer.

International Entertainment News

Monday, June 18, 2007

Time Warner Cable Becomes Comcast in Houston

Time Warner Cable Becomes Comcast in Houston

Comcast Will Deliver Advanced Products, Focus on Improving Customer Experience

HOUSTON, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Starting tomorrow, consumers throughout Greater Houston will have a new cable, entertainment and communications service provider as Time Warner Cable officially becomes Comcast. The transition, benefiting more than 750,000 Houston-area cable television, high-speed Internet and phone customers, follows the dissolution of a joint venture between the two companies earlier this year.

To mark the switch, Comcast will enhance the channel lineup in the City of Houston and the 62 surrounding communities it now serves, launching nearly 20 new channels, including the NFL Network and five High-Definition (HD) networks from Comcast's industry-leading HD lineup. The transition will also bring newly branded Comcast trucks, signs and employee uniforms to the market, which stretches from Galveston to the Woodlands and from Baytown to Katy.

Tony Speller, named late last year as Senior Vice President of the Houston Region, said the transition sets the stage for the rollout of Comcast's innovative broadband video, high-speed Internet and phone products, enabled by an investment of more than $200 million in the market this year. This significant investment will also enhance the company's advanced fiber network and improve the customer experience.

Speller said, "The transition from Time Warner to Comcast is more than just a change in name on a technician's uniform, on a truck or on a building. It represents a true commitment to innovative products, a focus on improving our customers' experience and an ongoing dedication to the communities where our customers and our 2,700 employees live and work. We will work hard each day to earn the trust and satisfaction of our newest customers."

The five new HD networks that are available to Houston customers as of tomorrow include ESPN2 HD (Channel 293), MHD: Music High-Definition (Channel 296), Versus/The Golf Channel HD (Channel 294), Starz HD (Channel 415) and Cinemax HD (Channel 419). To view these networks in HD, customers must have a HD television set and HD-capable cable box as well as subscribe to the corresponding level of service. With these additions, Houston-area Comcast customers can now access 21 HD networks, a significant increase.

Other networks that will be added to the Houston lineup are NFL Network (Channel 113), GolTV (Channel 104), PBS Kids Sprout (Channel 128), Logo (Channel 160), MoviePlex (Channel 149), Indieplex (Channel 167), Retroplex (Channel 168), Flix (Channel 170), The Africa Channel (Channel 240), Gospel Music Channel (Channel 172), ImaginAsian TV (Channel 241), Fox Reality (Channel 250) and ESPN Deportes (Channel 513).

In addition to the new channels, Comcast will place several networks on more widely viewed tiers of service so additional customers can enjoy them, including ESPN HD, Universal HD, Independent Film Channel and the seven other movie channels that were previously in the Movies Plus package. The availability of each of these channels depends on the customer's level of service.

In the coming weeks and months, Comcast will launch several other products and services, including:

-- Comcast High-Speed Internet:
Beginning in mid-July, former Time Warner Road Runner customers will be
automatically converted to the Comcast network. The conversion will
bring customers faster Internet speeds of up to 6 Mbps, which is four
times faster than DSL and more than 100 times faster than dial-up.
Plus, customers will receive PowerBoost speed enhancer at no extra
cost, which uses additional capacity in the network to provide extra
bursts of speed when downloading and uploading large files, making it
quicker and more convenient to access large files like movies, music
and photos. In addition to the speed enhancements, Comcast High-Speed
Internet customers with a Comcast.net user name and password will
receive dozens of value-added features at no additional cost, such as
McAfee Security Suite, Rhapsody Radio, Video Mail and PhotoShow Deluxe
as well as access to Comcast.net, the company's award-winning broadband
portal.

After the high-speed Internet conversion is complete, customers will
receive an e-mail notification prompting them to complete an
easy-to-use online migration tool to help them:

- Select their user ID name and change their Time Warner e-mail domain
to comcast.net;
- Route e-mails sent to their old address to their new address through
the end of 2007;
- Carry over existing e-mails and address book information; and
- Notify the contacts in their address book of their new e-mail address
if they choose.


-- Comcast Digital Voice(TM):
Former Time Warner Digital Phone customers will be converted to
Comcast's innovative home phone service -- Comcast Digital Voice -- in
mid-July. Comcast Digital Voice is a highly reliable, fully-featured
residential phone service that offers digital quality service over
Comcast's privately-managed network, voice mail, 12 of the most popular
calling features, such as caller ID, call waiting and three-way
calling, online access to voice mail through the Digital Voice Center
and unlimited local and long distance calling, including to Canada,
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, America Samoa and
Saipan/Northern Mariana Islands, for one low price.


-- Comcast ON DEMAND:
Comcast's signature ON DEMAND service will start to roll out later this
summer, offering 9,300 programs a month, including more than 150 hours
of HD ON DEMAND content along with a variety of movies, sports shows,
children's programs, music videos and interactive content. Customers
will be able to watch ON DEMAND shows whenever it is convenient for
them and have the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind their
selections. The majority of ON DEMAND programming comes at no
additional cost to Digital Cable customers.


Customers who have questions about Comcast should call 1-800-COMCAST or visit http://www.comcast.com/.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)(NASDAQ:CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com/) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.1 million high-speed Internet customers, and 3.0 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, Comcast SportsNet and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet business. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast- Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Source: Comcast Corporation

CONTACT: Ray Purser of Comcast Corporation, +1-713-335-3203,
ray_purser@cable.comcast.com

Web site:

http://www.comcast.com/


-------
Profile: intent

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home