Comcast Cable to Begin Offering Video On Demand Service for CBS Programming

Comcast signed a deal on January 12, 2006, with CBS Corporation that will allow the cable giant to offer .99 video-on-demand (VOD) services for 4 CBS programs: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Survivor and The Amazing Race.

Considering these are four highly-rated shows, this deal has the potential to generate a lot of money.

Comcast has one of the largest ON DEMAND services with more than 3,800 titles, including more than 800 movies available for purchase monthly.

"Millions of people are already viewing programs on demand, and with prime-time network hits, VOD will continue to be the destination for customers who want the most choice and control in their home entertainment experience," said Page Thompson, Vice President and General Manager of Comcast ON DEMAND.

Only Comcast subscribers in CBS O&O (owned and operated) markets will have access to the CBS video-on-demand service. The markets are:

Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Los Angeles
Miami
Minneapolis
New York
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Sacramento
Salt Lake
San Francisco

For more infomation, please visit Comcast's official Web site to get the latest information regarding this exciting ON DEMAND service.

The deal with Comcast comes days after CBS inked a deal with Google that allows the Internet giant to offer CBS programming online.

"This is yet another exciting platform in which CBS can leverage its market-leading content to a whole new audience," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation.

Like the deal with Comcast, the Google deal is good for CBS as fans of shows like I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, MacGyver, etc can now watch commercial free classic programming online.

The TV land that we used to know is undergoing a massive climatic change. Paralleling our natural world, TV companies are being forced to undergo drastic lifestyle changes just to stay afloat in this constantly changing environment or else they will face extinction. The CBS deal with Comcast (for that matter with Google too) signals the beginning of how content might be offered in the future. You can be sure other networks and cable stations are watching this deal with interest.