Comcast Cable Eastern Division Announces 'Get Local' Team to Deliver Local, Hyper Local Video on Demand Programming

Comcast Cable Eastern Division Announces 'Get Local' Team to Deliver Local, Hyper Local Video on Demand Programming

From Pets to Politicians, Parades, High School Sports and More Comcast Delivers Community Information and Entertainment for an ON DEMAND World

OAKS, Pa., July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Cable's Eastern Division today announced the expansion of its popular "Get Local" category of ON DEMAND content with the formation of a Local Video On Demand (LVOD) team dedicated to developing exclusive, locally focused and original content for its 5.4 million customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. The Division also announced plans to expand its LVOD offerings by more than 200% over the next two years, offering approximately 20,000 unique programs in any given Region.

"Comcast has always believed in the power of localness and in the importance of being connected to the communities in which we live and work," said Michael Doyle, president, Comcast Cable Eastern Division and founder, CN8, The Comcast Network. "The strategic marriage of our CN8, Newsmakers and Cable assets puts us in a unique position to bring this commitment to life and to leverage the power of ON DEMAND to provide our Digital Cable customers with local and hyper-local information, entertainment and public service content that is meaningful to their lives."

The new LVOD team will be led by 25-year industry veteran and Eastern Division vice president of programming, Michael Ortman, with day-to-day operations managed by Noah Kodeck in the newly created position of director of Local Video On Demand programming and production. Both Ortman and Kodeck have been instrumental in the development and distribution of leading Video On Demand offerings, including Candidates On Demand, Fugitive Files, Scholarships On Demand, Troop Greetings, Pet Adoptions, and hyper-local offerings ranging from the Philadelphia Asian Festival to a New Jersey St. Patrick's Day parade, the DC Cherry Blossom Festival, Annapolis Polar Bear Plunge for charity, instructional videos for new voting booths, local spelling bees and much more. The Eastern Division's LVOD efforts have been recognized with multiple industry awards for public and community service.

Previously director of production for CN8, The Comcast Network, Kodeck and his team are charged with the production and acquisition of new content for the "Get Local" category. During his eight years at Comcast, Kodeck has worked in production, public affairs and community relations, and has been instrumental in establishing and building numerous local partnerships. His team was responsible for the award-winning "Drive, Think, Live" public safety campaign that helped shape a new drunk driving law in Maryland, and played an integral role in CN8's expansion into the Washington, D.C. area.

Doyle first launched "Get Local" content in 2004. With the majority of customers now Digital Cable users, ON DEMAND has become a tremendous competitive differentiator, and Video On Demand users are the company's most satisfied and loyal customers. In the past year alone, "Get Local" orders have increased by 41% with consumers watching more than 800,000 local programs a month. The Division experienced more than five million LVOD orders through the first half of 2007, and is well on pace to more than double its LVOD views from a year ago.

"The success and growth of LVOD made it the optimal time to establish a group dedicated to identifying and delivering this unique content and taking local to the next level," said Doyle. "We offer 'Get Local' content for many reasons, but most significantly, it is just the right thing to do -- it has unlimited potential to put a face on Comcast and provide our customers with the information and entertainment they want, whenever and however they want it -- and it is something that competitors simply cannot match in breadth or depth."

Under the leadership of Ortman, Kodeck and their teams, "Get Local" will broaden its lineup and build on the success of ON DEMAND programming ranging from pet adoptions to elections, missing children, crime prevention, more than 200 high school sporting events, troop greetings and much more. "Get Local" has also offered important national events that local and regional customers might otherwise miss, including the funeral of President Gerald Ford, the State of the Union address and inauguration speeches. Additionally, customers are able to view all CN8 original programming and specials ON DEMAND, allowing them to enjoy the content at their convenience with the ability to pause, rewind and fast forward.

To find "Get Local" content, customers can go to Channel 1 on the Digital Cable lineup or press the ON DEMAND button on their remote control and select "Get Local." All LVOD content, like 95% of the Division's more than 9,300 ON DEMAND offerings, is free of charge to Comcast Digital Cable customers.

About Comcast

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)(NASDAQ:CMCSK), 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 digital 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 5.4 million customers along the New York to DC corridor, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina. 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 nine million homes on the East Coast. The Eastern Division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Comcast Cable's Eastern Division

CONTACT: Jeff Alexander of Comcast Cable's Eastern Division,
+1-610-650-3065, jeff_alexander@cable.comcast.com

Web site:

http://www.comcast.com/

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