Comcast to unveil On Demand local programming
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Huntington, Ind.-Comcast, Huntington University, Huntington North High School and the City of Huntington will hold a joint press conference at 11 a.m. on April 23 in the lobby of Huntington University's Merillat Centre for the Arts to announce a new programming partnership in Huntington County. Representatives from Comcast, the university, the high school and the city will be available to answer questions and to debut the technology on a large-screen TV. The public is invited to attend this event.
Customers can watch programming from Huntington by tuning into the On Demand library, clicking on "Get Local" and then "Community." New programming will be available every month including student-produced news, interviews with city administrators, and student film projects.
"Comcast has clearly established itself as the leading provider of local programming," said Scott Tenney, senior vice president for Comcast's Indianapolis region. "Our advanced fiber optic network gives us a huge advantage over our competitors in Huntington, who can't offer On Demand programming the way we can. We're very happy that we are able to provide this quality local programming to the residents of Huntington."
Comcast's On Demand service gives digital cable customers access to more than 10,000 programs to watch at their convenience including movies, sports shows, children's programs and music videos. Viewers can start their selections any time of day or night, with the ability to pause, fast forward, rewind and restart stopped selections. The vast majority of On Demand content - including the Huntington programming - is available at no additional cost to digital cable customers. The Huntington group's programs will be available across Comcast's Indianapolis region footprint, which includes systems in the Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Dayton (Richmond, Ind.) and Cincinnati (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) television markets.
"The digital media arts program and the Communication Department are very excited about the partnership with Comcast On Demand for Huntington County," said Dr. Lance Clark, associate professor of communication at Huntington University. "This technology allows our student media to be experienced by a much larger audience and gives our students a huge advantage in media exposure statewide that they would not otherwise have. I'm excited about what this exposure to the community will bring in terms of education and audience response."
"There is a great deal of good news occurring almost daily at Huntington North High School," said Jeremy Gulley, principal of Huntington North High School. "Our partnership with Comcast provides us with another format to share our programming with our stakeholders. I know that students in our Television Production classes are especially excited about having their work shown to a much larger audience. I can envision this partnership allowing us to share content with our students and their families in a way that is more convenient. For example, if parents couldn't attend an event or program at HNHS, and they are a Comcast subscriber, they could watch it from home. We need to seek multiple ways to communicate the good things going on in our school and this represents another approach."
"The City of Huntington is excited to participate in this new venture with Huntington University and Huntington County Community School Corporation for our joint endeavor with Comcast On Demand programming," said Steve Updike, mayor of the City of Huntington. "As mayor, this is something that I have wanted to do with the city so that Huntington residents can be kept up-to-date on what is happening within Huntington City government. I view this On Demand programming as the tip of the iceberg for keeping in touch and communicating with Huntington citizens as well as other viewing areas within the state."
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 14.9 million high-speed Internet customers and 6.5 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). 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.
