Television
Comcast Provides Highly Anticipated Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates On Demand
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, announced today that the three upcoming presidential debates, and the vice presidential debate, will be available On Demand, the day after their original broadcast. On Demand programming of the 2008 election gives Comcast customers access to more than 30 hours of comprehensive coverage all in one place.
"With such a close race, Comcast customers benefit from the ability to conveniently research candidates right on their TV with our thorough On Demand coverage of the debates, both conventions and other great related content," said Derek Harrar, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Video Services for Comcast. "Elections On Demand is the American way -- what you want, where you want it, when you want it."
The debates, which are being provided by C-SPAN, will expand the depth of information already available from Comcast, which includes coverage of the Democratic and Republican conventions, major speeches from the candidates and Spanish language content. As soon as each debate takes place, it will be made available the next day in the "Top Picks" folder under "Elections." Additional election programming can be found On Demand in the "News & World" folder under "Elections 08."
Comcast customers with On Demand can, at any time, watch candidates as they discuss their views and respond to questions during the debates. With features including pause, fast-forward, rewind and the ability to watch a program as many times as they want, voters can learn more about the issues that matter most to them. "Elections 08" On Demand is an informative, easy-to-use resource for viewers looking to learn more about this year's election. With presidential election content available on linear channels as well as On Demand, Comcast continues to serve as the one stop shop for viewers looking to find everything they want in one place.
Additional Election Initiatives
Comcast is also supporting election initiatives through its participation in the industry-wide "Countdown to Youth Vote" campaign, a continuation of its "Our Time to Vote" non-partisan voter education and registration campaign. Designed to increase voting in diverse communities, "Countdown to Youth Vote" focuses on increasing voter turnout among multicultural youth, ages 18-29.
The "Countdown to Youth Vote" campaign includes four new multicultural public service announcements (PSAs). The PSAs feature celebrities such as America Ferrera, Ana Ortiz, Kristi Yamaguchi and Ray J. "Our Time to Vote" provides online resources for youth to access voter information from several partner organizations: Rock the Vote, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Hispanic Federation, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the NAACP National Voter Fund, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund (NALEO), as well as two nationally-available voter education resources: the www.ourtimetovote.com web page, and a voter information resources hotline, 1.866.544.VOTE. Additionally, the Comcast Foundation provided more than $2 million in grants earlier this year to several of the partner organizations.
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 24.6 million cable customers, 14.4 million high-speed Internet customers, and 5.6 million Comcast Digital 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, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten Comcast SportsNet networks 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.