Comcast has “ramped up its online initiatives within the last year -- a process that will culminate with the launch of a video-search hub called Fancast by the end of the summer,” according to Miriam Hill of Fast Company . Comcast Interactive Media President Amy Banse said of the new service, “If you’re looking for a specific show … we’ll tell you where to find it on TV, [VOD], online, and/or where to buy it on DVD.” Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts: “Our target audience is all of the people who are not computer experts but who are on the Internet and who want to be able to download content.” Comcast has a deal with Yahoo to manage advertising on its sites and a search contract for Comcast.net with Google, and the company “projects these will earn it $1[B] in revenue over the next six years” on its $120M investment in its Internet technology. Mavericks Owner and HDNet Chair Mark Cuban in an e-mail wrote Comcast is “better positioned to dominate the digital connectivity to consumers than Google or Microsoft. But they won’t get there unless they create programs that encourage entrepreneurs to develop for Comcast Web sites and networks” ( FAST COMPANY, 8/’07 issue ).
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| Comcast Ramping Up Online Initiatives |
