This commentary is from TV Predictions and is re-printed here for your reading pleasure.
Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2010) by Phillip Swann
Comcast has informed the Federal Communications Commission that it plans to deploy a new technology that will enable it to offer more than 150 HD channels later this year, Multichannel News writes.
Oh, really? Where have we heard this before? Oh, I remember.
In March 2008, Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis told a financial conference in Florida that his company had the capacity to offer more than 150 High-Definition channels. In March 2008!
What happens when a Comcast Executive goes on the record?
That was more than two years ago and Comcast has yet to offer 150 HD channels in any market. In fact, the cable operator now offers less than 50 high-def channels in many markets, including ones as large as South Florida.
When asked in 2008 why Comcast was not offering more HD channels, Angelakis said that “not every HD channel deserves to be in HD, and there are lots of HD channels that aren’t watched very much.”
Folks, don’t be fooled by Comcast’s latest effort to pull the wool over your HD-hungry eyes. The company said the new technology, which is actually an old technology called Switched Digital Video, will be deployed in several markets this year and it will expand to more markets in 2011 and 2012. But, trust me, Comcast has no plans to offer 150 real HD channels. Just as it didn’t in 2008.
The cable operator is just trying to bamboozle subscribers into thinking that waves of additional channels are coming their way. But they are not. Comcast may add some HD channels, but it won’t offer as many as DIRECTV, Dish Network, Verizon, AT&T, Cablevision or a few other providers because it doesn’t want to pay programmers to carry their channels.
It’s that simple. The company wants to reduce programming costs because it’s losing video subscribers hand over fist. (Nearly one million customers have dropped their Comcast TV service in the past year.) [ You see, IT'S WORKING! KEEP IT UP! ]
According to Multichannel News, Comcast says SDV will “result in the launch of at least 50 additional channels, bringing the total number of HD channels in these systems to over 150.”
Again, you might see more HD channels in some large markets — the ones the media watches closely — but don’t expect Comcast to significantly expand its HD lineups, particularly in small and mid-sized markets.
And if it tries to claim 150 HD channels in any given market, it will likely be the result of expanding its Video on Demand lineup and calling that “channels.”
When it comes to HD, Comcast lies.
Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.
And when is comes to Customer Service, Comcast lies, and when it comes to Pricing, Comcast lies, and when it comes to Delivering their Product, Comcast lies, and the list goes on and on.