Home Box Office and Comcast to Launch HBO(R) and Cinemax(R) on Broadband for the First Time Nationally Through On Demand OnlineNEW YORK &
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 13, 2009--
Home Box Office, Inc. and
Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK)
today announced a partnership that will offer award-winning television
and movie content from HBO and Cinemax online for the first time as an
added value to Comcast’s HBO and Cinemax customers nationwide. The HBO
and Cinemax broadband services will be available as part of Comcast’s
On
Demand Online trial, accessible via
Comcast.net
and
Fancast.com.
On Demand Online is a new service that will significantly expand the
number of top-rated TV choices available online to
Comcast cable
customers free of charge.
The HBO and Cinemax broadband services will initially provide a combined
total of 750 hours a month of programming and will grow over time. HBO
and Cinemax will greatly enhance On Demand Online’s line-up which
already includes hit programming from and Time Warner Inc.’s Turner
networks TNT and TBS, as well as Starz.
At launch, the HBO and Cinemax broadband services on Comcast’s On Demand
Online will include:
-
Full-length episodes of current and classic HBO series like True
Blood®, HungSM, Entourage®,
Curb Your Enthusiasm®, The Wire®,
Sex and the City®, The Sopranos®
and Real Time with Bill Maher.
-
Popular theatrical movies including Transformers, The Dark Knight,
Tropic Thunder, Atonement, Brokeback Mountain, Michael Clayton, Shrek
the Third, Kung Fu Panda, Get Smart, The Bourne Ultimatum, The
X-Files: I Want to Believe. Titles coming soon include: Juno,
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who, Mama Mia! and Burn After Reading.
-
Top classic films such as Jurassic Park, Big, Mrs. Doubtfire, Speed and
Rosemary’s Baby.
-
HBO Family programming including enduring favorites like Harold and
the Purple Crayon.
Following the launch, HBO and Cinemax programming will be updated
frequently, with subscribers able to choose from a number of programs in
HD including HBO Films, series, documentaries, sports, specials and
comedy as well as theatrical films. Customers will be able to view
certain new programs online immediately after they air on television and
will have access to an extensive library of past programming.
“On the heels of the TV Everywhere agreement between Time Warner and
Comcast, we’re pleased to be partnering with Comcast to deliver our HBO
and Cinemax broadband services on a national level,” said Eric Kessler,
HBO Co-President. “The broadband services are the latest in a line of
digital offerings that have dramatically changed the viewing experience
for our subscribers, providing them with more access, choice, and even
greater value to their subscriptions."
“HBO is an iconic brand with award winning original programming and
exclusive feature films and we are thrilled they are joining us in our
mission to make our services available online to our customers,” said
Matt Bond, Executive Vice President of Content Acquisition for Comcast.
“For the first time HBO and Cinemax customers around the country will be
able to watch their favorite shows and movies online at no additional
cost. This agreement is an important milestone in our long-term strategy
of enabling customers to watch popular television and movie content when
and where they want it.”
In a joint announcement last month, Time Warner Inc. and Comcast
introduced a set of principles called “TV Everywhere.” Developed by the
two companies, the principles are designed to serve as a framework to
facilitate deployment of online television content in a way that is
consumer friendly, pro-competitive and at no additional cost to
customers.
The HBO and Cinemax broadband services will be part of Comcast’s
technical trial of On Demand Online with approximately 5,000 customers
from across the U.S. in the coming weeks – the first national trial of
its kind. A major focus of the trial is to test Comcast’s new
“authentication” technology, which will allow Comcast customers to
receive the same content online for free that they subscribe to on TV.
The service will utilize a simple log-on system for streaming content
and, in the future, will allow for download content to go. The On Demand
Online service will roll-out in phases, adding new features,
functionality and content over time to provide consumers with a new way
to watch television.
On Demand Online is part of Comcast’s Project Infinity, the company’s
long-term vision to give customers an ever growing amount of video
content on multiple platforms, whenever they want.
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 24.1 million cable customers,
15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 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.
About HBO
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary
of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services – HBO®
and Cinemax® – to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The
services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products,
HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO GO, HD feeds and
multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO branded television networks,
along with the subscription video on demand products HBO On Demand and
HBO Mobile, bring HBO services to over 50 countries. HBO programming is
sold into over 150 countries worldwide.
HBO®, Cinemax® and related channels and service
marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6005471〈=en
Source: Comcast Corporation
Comcast
Jennifer Khoury Newcomb, 215-286-7408
John Demming,
215-286-8011
or
HBO
Jeff Cusson, 212-512-1343
