Comcast and CBS Introduce Free ON DEMAND Episodes of Primetime CBS Shows For Comcast Digital Cable Customers
Hit CBS Series to Be Offered In All Comcast Markets
Nationwide Beginning with Fall Season Premieres
Deal Replaces Original Fee-Based Model
PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK, September 14, 2006 � Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS and CBS.A) today announced that they will make eight of the CBS Television Network�s leading primetime entertainment series available to viewers at no cost through the cable operator�s signature ON DEMAND with Digital Cable service. Included in the video-on-demand (VOD) offerings will be CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Survivor, NCIS, Numb3rs, Jericho and Big Brother. The new deal replaces the previous agreement between the two companies to offer CBS programming for 99 cents per episode only in markets served by CBS owned and operated stations. Now, each of the CBS series, which will include paid commercial spots sold by CBS, will be available for free to Comcast Digital Cable customers with ON DEMAND throughout the country. Episodes of the shows will be available for on-demand viewing starting on the day after their network airing and will remain available for four weeks.
"Video on demand has fundamentally changed the way people watch TV. Our customers have watched more than three billion ON DEMAND programs in addition to their regular linear TV viewing since 2004,� said Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation. "CBS took a giant step forward in experimenting with prime-time video on demand last season, and we�re pleased to partner with them to make their most popular prime-time programming available for free on VOD, which continues to provide a great value for all of our Digital Cable customers.�
�Early results show that viewers are responding to programming being made available on emerging platforms for free, supported by advertising,� said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. �We�re pleased to work with our partners at Comcast to widen our relationship with the audience we share, and at the same time monetize our content through another window, a strategy that will be a key driver of CBS�s growth going forward.�
The deal pairs the unmatched distribution capabilities of Comcast, the country's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, with the programming leadership of the new CBS Corporation, a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online.
Comcast's ON DEMAND service offers a growing library of more than 7,500 programs each month available any time customers want to watch them � with the ability to fast-forward, rewind and pause selections. Nearly 95 percent of ON DEMAND programs are available at no additional charge.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and UPN), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Television and King World), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), theme parks (Paramount Parks), digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks) and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). In Fall 2006, UPN will cease operations and The CW, a new fifth broadcast television network, will launch as a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment. For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 23.3 million cable customers, 10 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.6 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, OLN, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. 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.
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