DENVER and SUWANEE, Ga., March
31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HITS®, a business unit of the
Comcast Media Center (CMC) that provides content management and
distribution solutions for MSOs, and ARRIS (Nasdaq: ARRS)
announced today that Cass Cable TV, Mediastream (formerly Waycross
Cable Company), MTC (Margaretville Telephone Company) and
Plantation Cable have selected VOD In a Box™, to deliver
Video On Demand (VOD) to their subscribers. Jointly offered
by HITS and ARRIS, VOD In a Box is a turnkey solution for cable
operators to launch VOD quickly and cost effectively with a single
product integrated by two trusted providers of hardware, software,
management and thousands of hours of HD and SD programming.
"VOD In a Box is a cost effective solution in terms of both
capital and management expenses," said Mike
Jury, Executive Vice President for Mediastream. "The
lower entry costs made it possible for us to offer our digital
customers a service they can't get from satellite or another
provider. Within two months post-deployment, our VOD revenue
exceeded our pay-per-view revenue without a correlating decrease in
pay-per-view. We were able to add this often labor-intensive
line of service while maintaining current staffing levels due to
the back-office support provided by HITS. In addition, we
were able to lower our content management costs by bundling VOD In
a Box with the linear channels we receive via HITS Quantum."
This bundled offering from HITS allows cable systems receiving
linear programming from HITS's 280-channel lineup of HITS Quantum
HD, SD and Classic offerings to add the managed VOD service at a
reduced rate, thereby lowering the expense of launching VOD.
"We welcome the opportunity to support our new VOD In a Box
affiliates in providing a deeper content library to their digital
video customers," said Gary Traver,
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Comcast
Media Center. "With the addition of more SD and HD channels,
and VOD, HITS makes it more affordable for cable operators to go
digital and launch advanced video services that can help to retain
customers and generate additional revenue."
VOD In a Box allows cable systems to accept programming from
multiple sources via the CMC's VOD services platform without
managing content or equipment at their local headends. VOD In a Box
includes centralized services to acquire and manage content, create
and validate metadata, and pitch VOD content to the ARRIS servers
located at the head-end.
"Video On Demand is a growing service that customers expect from
their cable provider," Joe Matarese,
ARRIS VP & GM, Media & Communications Systems (MCS), said.
"The complexities of designing a system, acquiring the programming
and managing the VOD service can be overwhelming. The relationship
with HITS is an ideal arrangement bringing a hassle-free reliable
VOD service to operators of any size. We are thrilled with the
solution, the relationship and the market momentum."
According to market analysis conducted by HITS, VOD In a Box can
reduce capital expense on average by 25 percent and up to 50
percent and operating expense on average by 30 percent to 50
percent, when compared to a typical VOD system. The potential
for increased revenues and lower costs can reduce the payback time
for the initial investment by VOD In a Box affiliates to 13 to 18
months of operation, as compared to the 30 to 40 months typically
required for launching a locally managed VOD system.
About HITS
HITS provides centralized content management and distribution
solutions for cable systems, video content providers and
advertisers. HITS is operated by Denver-based Comcast Media Center (CMC), a
subsidiary of Comcast Cable. More information about HITS and
the CMC is available at http://www.comcastmediacenter.com.
About ARRIS
ARRIS is a global communications technology company specializing
in the design, engineering and supply of technology supporting
quad-play broadband services for residential and business customers
around the world. The company supplies broadband operators with the
tools and platforms they need to deliver carrier-grade telephony,
network video processing, whole home video, demand driven video,
next-generation advertising, network and workforce management
solutions, access and transport architectures and ultra high-speed
data services. Headquartered in Suwanee,
Georgia, USA, ARRIS has R&D centers in Suwanee; Beaverton,
OR; Chicago, IL;
Kirkland, WA; State College, PA; Wallingford, CT; Waltham, MA; Cork,
Ireland; and Shenzhen,
China, and operates support and sales offices throughout the
world. Information about ARRIS products and services can be found
at www.arrisi.com.
HITS and other marks used are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Comcast. All other product or service names are the
property of their respective owners.
SOURCE ARRIS