Country's leading entertainment and communications company brings customers more ways to enjoy their favorite Discovery programs
Comcast Enhances ON DEMAND and HDTV Lineups with Discovery's Real World Programming
Comcast and Discovery Communications today announced a multi-year agreement to make selected programs from Discovery Networks
U.S. available as part of Comcast's ON DEMAND service, and to begin offering
Discovery HD Theater in selected markets where Comcast offers high-definition
television (HDTV) service.
Beginning later this summer, Comcast Digital Cable customers in markets where
its ON DEMAND video-on-demand service is offered will be able to select from
more than 70 hours of programs from Discovery Networks U.S. each month at no
extra charge. The lineup of ON DEMAND programming from Discovery Networks U.S.
initially will include programs such as:
- Discoveries This Week
- American Chopper
- Monster Garage
- Trading Spaces
- What Not to Wear
- While You Were Out
- Rides
- A Makeover Story
- A Wedding Story
- Christopher Lowell
- Make Room for Baby
- Gilad's Body in Motion
- In Shape with Sharon Mann
- Urban Fitness
- Destination USA
- America's Best Beaches
- The Planet's Funniest Animals
- The Jeff Corwin Experience
- Crocodile Hunter
- Croc Files
- Ready, Set, Learn
- Adoption Tales
In addition, Discovery HD Theater, Discovery Networks' 24-hour HD channel,
will be added to Comcast's HDTV package over the next several months. Comcast
Digital Cable customers with HDTV service will be able to enjoy Discovery HD
Theater's lineup of favorite shows like Trading Spaces, Rides and The Jeff Corwin
Experience, as well as original specials and documentaries in a crystal-clear
HD format, all at no additional charge. Through this new partnership with Comcast,
Discovery HD Theater now has distribution agreements with virtually all major
affiliates in the U.S.
"We're very pleased to add even more value to our HDTV and ON DEMAND services
with Discovery's high-quality, real world programming," said Steve Burke,
President of Comcast Cable. "Comcast is a leader in delivering advanced
entertainment services, and this agreement underscores our ongoing commitment
to bringing customers TV on their terms: what they want to watch, the way they
want to watch it, with features our competitors can't match."
"Comcast has been a valuable partner since Discovery's inception and we
look forward to being the preeminent provider of high quality content for Comcast's
latest ON DEMAND and HD offerings," said Judith A. McHale, President and
CEO, Discovery Communications. "Having reached this agreement with Comcast,
Discovery HD Theater is now distributed by virtually all major affiliates across
the U.S. And with our ON DEMAND offering, we are providing Comcast subscribers
with more control over the wide-array of Discovery programming than ever before."
In addition to ON DEMAND and HDTV, Comcast Digital Cable customers can receive
more than 250 channels, including dozens of commercial-free premium movie channels,
45 channels of commercial-free music, an interactive on-screen program guide
and more.
For more information about Comcast's products and services, please call 1-800-COMCAST
or visit the company's Web site at www.comcast.com.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is the leading global real-world media and entertainment
company. DCI has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, first
launched in the United States in 1985, to current global operations in 160 countries
and territories with one billion cumulative subscribers. DCI's 60 networks of
distinctive programming represent 19 entertainment brands including TLC, Animal
Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery
Times Channel, The Science Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, Discovery Home
Channel, Discovery en EspaƱol, Discovery HD Theater and FitTV. DCI's
other properties consist of Discovery.com and 120 Discovery Channel retail stores.
DCI also distributes BBC America in the United States. DCI's ownership consists
of four shareholders: Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE: L), Cox Communications,
Inc. (NYSE: COX), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the
Company's Founder and Chairman.
About Comcast Cable
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation,
a developer, manager and operator of broadband cable networks and provider of
programming content. Operating in 17 of the United States' 20 largest metropolitan
areas, Comcast is one of the leading communications, media and entertainment
companies in the world. Providing basic cable, Digital Cable, high-speed Internet
and telephone services, Comcast is the company to look to first for the communications
products and services that connect people to what's important in their lives.
The company's 55,000 employees serve more than 21 million customers.