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Comcast and The Walt Disney Company Announce Long-Term Comprehensive Distribution Agreements Securing Carriage for Disney Media Networks' Products and Services.


Comcast Acquires Disney's Minority Interest in E! Networks

Select ABC ABC
 in full American Broadcasting Co.

Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928.
 Primetime Series, Cable Television Programming and Disney Movies Join Comcast ON DEMAND Lineup

PHILADELPHIA & BURBANK, Calif. -- Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE NYSE

See: New York Stock Exchange
: DIS) today announced that they have entered into long-term comprehensive distribution agreements that will extend their relationship into the next decade for the 10 ABC-owned broadcast television stations and a broad array of Disney's leading networks and services including: Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney, ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network , ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN HD and increased carriage of SOAPnet. In addition, Comcast will launch ESPN Deportes, a stand-alone Spanish-language sports network, and the companies formalized for·mal·ize  
tr.v. for·mal·ized, for·mal·iz·ing, for·mal·iz·es
1. To give a definite form or shape to.

2.
a. To make formal.

b.
 their ESPN2 HD agreement.

In addition, Comcast has acquired The Walt Disney Company's 39.5 percent ownership stake in E! Networks. Following today's acquisition, E! Networks, which includes E! Entertainment Television and Style Network, is now wholly owned by Comcast. The purchase price for the 39.5 percent stake was $1.23 billion.

The companies have also agreed to add primetime television programs, cable network shows and Disney movies to Comcast's signature ON DEMAND service. Marking the first time ABC broadcast programs will be available on video on demand (VOD See video-on-demand.

VoD - video on demand
) by any cable company, several ABC primetime series will be offered free by Comcast in ABC-owned television station markets. The companies also said they will work together to make promotional content from the Disney-ABC Television Group Disney-ABC Television Group manages all of The Walt Disney Company's U.S. and global entertainment and news television properties. The group includes the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel’s worldwide portfolio of kids channels (including Toon Disney, Jetix, Playhouse  available on Comcast's leading broadband portal, www.comcast.net.

"This agreement reflects our ability to distribute content on multiple platforms and signals another first for Comcast and Disney as we continue to explore the evolving possibilities of digital technology. We could not have gotten this deal done without Bob Iger's leadership and vision. Putting Disney, ESPN and ABC's extremely popular content on Comcast VOD is a watershed event for both of our companies," said Brian Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast. "This is the first cable on-demand agreement for hit ABC primetime broadcast programs like Desperate Housewives and Lost and, when combined with Disney movies and other ABC/Disney/ESPN television programs, gives Comcast access to the most Disney content available."

Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, commented, "This is one of the broadest distribution agreements in the history of our company. Disney's great brands and great content combined with Comcast's leading distribution platforms provide an incredibly compelling consumer experience in sports, family, news and entertainment. We look forward to working with Brian and Steve Burke on a range of future projects as technology continues to evolve."

Video On Demand includes ABC Network Primetime shows:

ABC Network primetime and ABC News programs will be available free to Comcast's digital cable customers in the following markets served by ABC-owned stations: New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 (WABC WABC Worldwide Association of Business Coaches
WABC Westamerica Bancorporation (NASDAQ symbol)
WABC World Aquatic Babies Congress
WABC World Association of Business Coaches
WABC World Aquatic Babies & Children
), Philadelphia (WPVI), Chicago (WLS WLS Weblogic Server (BEA Systems)
WLS Weight Loss Surgery
WLS Weighted Least Squares
WLS Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (Mequon, Wisconsin)
WLS Windows Live Search
WLS Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
), San Francisco (KGO KGO Knight Grand Officer ), Houston (KTRK), Fresno, CA (KFSN), and Flint, MI (WJRT). Beginning with the Fall 2007 season, on-demand episodes of Desperate Housewives, Lost and two new yet-to-be determined primetime series will be available the day after their network broadcast to Comcast consumers in the same owned-station markets. Desperate Housewives and Lost also will be available in HD VOD for Comcast customers with HD service. Also available in the same markets will be World News with Charles Gibson World News with Charles Gibson (previously known as World News Tonight and often abbreviated as WNT) is an American television news program. It is the ABC network's flagship news series, and the most watched network evening newscast in the country , Nightline and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Under the agreement, Comcast also plans to add certain shows from Disney Channel, SOAPnet, Toon Disney and ESPN libraries to Comcast's ON DEMAND lineup in markets where those channels are offered.

Video On Demand Movies from Disney, Touchstone and Miramax Studios:

Under the movie VOD agreement, Comcast Digital Cable customers will be able to order movies newly released on VOD from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone and Miramax for $3.99 each, while library titles will be available for $2.99 each. Some of the new release titles available on Comcast ON DEMAND beginning in 2007 include: Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean.
Pirates of the Caribbean
 2, The Santa Clause 3, Invincible and The Guardian.

The select television programming and movies from The Walt Disney Company will join Comcast's growing library of more than 8,000 ON DEMAND programs per month, including hundreds of hit and classic movies, music videos and specials, kids' shows, sports highlights, news and informational programs. With ON DEMAND, customers can play, fast-forward, rewind, pause and restart their choices as many times as they want for up to 24 hours after being selected. Comcast customers have watched more than three billion ON DEMAND programs since 2004, including one million HD VOD programs since September 2006.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 11 million high-speed Internet customers, and 2.1 million 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, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout PBS KIDS Sprout (sometimes referred to as PBS Sprout, KIDS Sprout, or just Sprout) is a US digital cable television channel, video-on-demand (VOD) service, and website providing PBS KIDS shows and original programming for preschoolers and their families. , TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there  hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA NBA
abbr.
1. National Basketball Association

2. National Boxing Association

NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (=
 basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. Disney is a Dow 30 company, had annual revenues of over $34 billion in its most recent fiscal year, and a market capitalization Market Capitalization

A measure of a public company's size. Market capitalization is the total dollar value of all outstanding shares. It's calculated by multiplying the number of shares times the current market price. This term is often referred to as market cap.
 of $68 billion as of Nov. 20, 2006.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Nov 21, 2006
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