On the eve of the political conventions, Comcast Corp. signed a major broadband-content-distribution deal with ABC for ABC News product, as well as a content deal with The Walt Disney Co. that will see Comcast launch Disney Connection on a new Kids Channel on the MSO's broadband portal.
The deal does not include any ESPN content.
ABC will provide its ABC News on Demand product and ABC News Live, its 24/7 live Internet-streaming feed, to Comcast's 5.7 million broadband subscribers.
Comcast subscribers will be able to see complete rebroadcasts of Nightline, plus selected reports from World News Tonight, Good Morning America, This Week, 20/20 and Primetime Live.
The MSO will also take the ABC News Live feed -- a 24-hour Internet-news service, which will provide gavel-to-gavel programming of the political conventions -- starting next week.
Disney Connection -- which will be housed in a Kids Channel slated to launch later this year -- includes games, activities and video from Disney, as well as selected access to premium Disney product, including Disney Blast and Disney Toontown Online.
"This agreement with Disney and ABC News enables us to add significant value to our customers' lives, specifically in areas of high interest, including kids, news and entertainment," said Greg Butz, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Comcast Online.
"Our agreement with Disney marks one of the most comprehensive broadband agreements in our industry to date," he added.
"The consumer wins through access to advanced content from brands they know and love, which can help both to attract new broadband-access subscribers and to provide existing subscribers with a premier broadband experience," said Steve Wadsworth, president of Walt Disney Internet Group.
