Monday, October 10, 2005
Variety.com - Comcast crashes the party
Variety.com - Comcast crashes the party: "Comcast is quietly trying to wolf down Blockbuster's lunch.
Like other operators, the cable giant is hell-bent on tapping into the billions of dollars that people spend to buy and rent DVDs -- and one scheme would put movies on Comcast systems the same day they touch down in the video store.
The move comes as the key players concoct new ways to unite content with potential customers. The truisms about strict windowing of product may end up being tossed out the window.
Sensing that the financially troubled Blockbuster is ripe for plucking, Comcast is sounding out the Hollywood studios on the following proposition: A Comcast customer with a digital box will see a menu listing for, say, 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' as much as six weeks in advance of its scheduled appearance on pay per view.
For a fee of about $17, the subscriber could call up the movie for one immediate video-on-demand showing. Two days later, the DVD of 'Virgin' shows up in the mailbox for the subscriber's permanent collection."
Like other operators, the cable giant is hell-bent on tapping into the billions of dollars that people spend to buy and rent DVDs -- and one scheme would put movies on Comcast systems the same day they touch down in the video store.
The move comes as the key players concoct new ways to unite content with potential customers. The truisms about strict windowing of product may end up being tossed out the window.
Sensing that the financially troubled Blockbuster is ripe for plucking, Comcast is sounding out the Hollywood studios on the following proposition: A Comcast customer with a digital box will see a menu listing for, say, 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' as much as six weeks in advance of its scheduled appearance on pay per view.
For a fee of about $17, the subscriber could call up the movie for one immediate video-on-demand showing. Two days later, the DVD of 'Virgin' shows up in the mailbox for the subscriber's permanent collection."
