Comcast To Unveil New Version Of Online Portal At CES
By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
 |
| Roberts Delivers Keynote Address At CES |
Comcast Chair Brian Roberts, speaking this morning at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will announce a relaunched version of Fancast, an online portal aimed at finding and managing entertainment content whether it be available on TV, DVD, online services such as iTunes and Netflix, in movie theatres, or through VOD services. The free service, located at Fancast.com, also includes functionality to program a DVR remotely and a recommendation engine based on prior choices and listed preferences, and at its launch will include more than 3,000 hours of video content from CBS, NBC, Fox, MTV, BET and other networks, representing a mix of full-length TV episodes and shorter clips. The effort arises from Comcast's purchase last year of movie ticketing site Fandango.com, and was originally launched in beta last summer. "In this new age of interactive media where entertainment is available everywhere, Fancast helps consumers find what they are looking for and manage their entertainment across multiple platforms," said Amy Banse, Comcast Interactive Media President. "For people who want their content and information immediate and easy to find, Fancast is the ultimate one-stop shop." TV listings will be made available to users regardless of who they use for cable or satellite service.
REAX: Immediate reaction has been mixed. Former securities analyst Henry Blodget writes on the blog Silicon Valley Insider, "It's a snooze. Sort of a Hulu clone, sort of a professional video start-page, sort of an online version of airline magazine movie section. Fancast might have been a good idea three years ago, but it's late now, and in our opinion, it doesn't have much of a chance." Paidcontent.org writes, "This is among the most ambitious online service Comcast has launch to date out of its interactive division....But it would be tough to make Fancast a destination, what with tough competition from everyone including portals and the TV networks themselves."
MORE FROM COMCAST: Comcast also plans to announce it has risen to the fourth largest telephone company in the country, as well as "Project Infinity," a broad effort to boost its VOD, high definition and online offerings. In particular, Comcast intends to dramatically increase the number of titles available on its On Demand service beyond the current 10,000.
|
