iN DEMAND To Launch 24/7 HDTV Channels

[jlegge]

iN DEMAND is preparing to launch as many as three high-definition (HD) television channels featuring a variety of movies, sports, and general entertainment, the first of those to be named INHD and to be unveiled on September 1, 2003, announced Steve Brenner, President and Chief Executive Officer.

While iN DEMAND's core business will continue to exploit the traditional models currently being used for both pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VOD), the model for the new HD channels will be 24-hour/7-day, linear programming, not PPV or VOD. However, both will share equally from advantageous economies of scale, making iN DEMAND uniquely positioned to supply additional sources for HD content to distributors as lower-priced digital televisions become more widely adopted.

"By exploiting our existing infrastructure, we were able to devise an expeditious solution for HDTV on behalf of our distribution partners," said Rob Jacobson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Those economies of scale also provide a solution that is highly cost-effective and bandwidth-efficient. In the end, the big winner will be the customer, because we can deliver more HD value quicker than they would get otherwise."

INHD will feature several hundred hours of movies, professional and college sports, and general interest programming that maximizes the HD experience. At launch, there will be 12 hours of unique programming daily that will be recycled twice a day. Following the launch of INHD in September, iN DEMAND plans to launch additional HD networks later in the year with more of a focus on movies and sports. INHD will have a separate and distinct brand strategy from iN DEMAND.

The content will be available in widescreen, high-resolution format and will also feature Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio when available. While the audio is equivalent to most DVDs, the picture quality is superior. iN DEMAND is working with major digital file server vendors and set-top manufacturers to deliver its HD content in the 1080i format.

"Adding new linear channels to our product line in some respects marks a major transformation of iN DEMAND from a business model focused narrowly on transactional content to one more broadly focused on both transactional and linear programming," said Brenner. "With the aggressive rollout of VOD still underway, both models will continue to play significantly important roles and remain vitally important to the overall product mix and success of our affiliates."

iN DEMAND's foray into the HD space began earlier this year when it delivered a live HD broadcast of the 2003 NBA All Star Game, which was broadcast in standard-definition on TNT.

iN DEMAND also became the nation's first VOD provider to adopt the HD format commencing with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in April, and "Friday After Next," "About Schmidt," "Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers," "The Ring," and "Catch Me If You Can" scheduled for upcoming months.

According to a recent CTAM survey, digital cable subscribers have the highest unaided awareness of HDTV among multichannel TV consumers at 79 percent. Ninety-two percent of adults who have seen HDTV or are broadband users have unaided awareness of the technology. HDTV's picture quality, which is five times sharper than standard-definition TV, is cited by 66 percent of consumers as the most appealing attribute of HDTV.

Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable operator, is aggressively moving forward with plans to make HD programming readily available to customers, while a large percentage of Time Warner's digital customers who are equipped with HD-ready set-tops also have access to HD content.

[gb4fan92]

I have not heard of anyone getting Greek Wedding on InDemand anywhere . And I read a lot of forums on HDTV. So I'm not holding my breath on this one.

[Matt Heebner]

HD In Demand is coming soon to CABLE. Just a matter of time till it happens.
 Again I have to start asking the question, what is the future of DirecTV ? No big announcements, unlike Dish Network. No unique programming like cable's HD In Demand and HD VOD. There isn't even confirmation that DirecTV is going to charge the rumoured $10/mo for HD programming.
I am not encouraged about DirecTV's direction at this moment.

Matt