Comcast And CBS Announce Deal To Offer Hit Shows Through Video On Demand
SURVIVOR and THE AMAZING RACE First Broadcasts Offered Through Groundbreaking Agreement
Comcast and CBS announced that they will make two of the broadcaster´s leading Reality TV series available for viewers to watch at their convenience. This announcement marks a new phase for video on demand and further emphasizes the changing landscape of providing prime-time content to viewers whenever they choose. CBS, in partnership with Comcast, is the first broadcast network to offer its most coveted primetime programming through VOD with a cable provider.
Beginning in January, Comcast Digital Cable customers in markets served by CBS owned-and-operated television stations (including the top 7 US markets) will be able to view episodes of SURVIVOR and THE AMAZING RACE on Comcast´s ON DEMAND service. The on-demand programs will be available as early as midnight following their broadcast on the CBS television network. Each episode will cost 99 cents, and customers will be able to view the episodes anytime they want for up to 24 hours from the time they order them. Prior to the March debut of new episodes of SURVIVOR and THE AMAZING RACE, viewers will be able to order episodes of the fall 2005 editions (SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA and THE AMAZING RACE 8.)
"Video on demand has fundamentally changed the way people watch TV, and now for the first time the most popular prime-time CBS programming will be available to our customers," said Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation. "CBS has taken a giant step forward in experimenting with prime-time video on demand. Comcast´s ON DEMAND service has been tremendously successful, with more than one billion program views so far this year."
"This is an incredibly exciting evolution for CBS and network television - video on demand is the next frontier for our industry, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Comcast in taking this giant, positive leap forward," said Leslie Moonves, Chairman, CBS and Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, Viacom. "We´re offering hit programming that is extremely well-suited for this new medium, and we´re confident the lure of watching these shows at one´s own convenience, will make this feature wildly popular. From its days as one of the first radio broadcasters to its leadership in HDTV, CBS has always been on the cutting edge of broadcasting technology, and this latest development further distinguishes us as the undisputed industry leader."
