Comcast and the Walt Disney Company announced a 10-year, multiplatform distribution deal Wednesday that will allow Xfinity customers to watch Disney content -- including ESPN, ABC and Disney shows live or on demand -- on television, online, and on tablets or other handheld devices.
The deal between Disney and the company's largest cable provider affects all 22.4 million Xfinity customers in markets around the country.
It sets a new 10-year-term for all of the companies' agreements, including those that were not yet set to expire, saving the companies from negoatiating each deal piecemeal over the next several years.
Terms were not disclosed. The deal expands Comcast's ties to ABC almost a year after the cable provider took ownership of NBCUniversal, home to ABC rival NBC.
Besides offering vast new access to Disney content, it will allow customers to watch it in more ways. They will be able to view live ESPN games, for example, on a tablet as well as personal computer or TV. The two companies have also agreed to collaborate on new technology to make Disney shows more accessible on a range of devices.
The deal also brings Disney Jr. to Xfinity subscribers for the first time.
"We are very pleased to have reached this unprecedented and innovative, long-term agreement with Disney which embraces the future of entertainment and allows Comcast to continue to bring our vision of TV Everywhere to Xfinity customers whether at home or on the go," said Neil Smit, president and CEO of Comcast Cable.
"This landmark deal is a great example of what can be achieved when programmers and distributors collaborate and innovate together to meet the ever-evolving needs of consumers and enhance the viewing experience," said Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and the president of Disney/ABC Television Group.
Networks and stations included in the deal include ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN 3D, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FullCourt and ESPN3. It includes retransmission consent for ABC-owned WABC in New York, WLS in Chicago, WPVI in Philadelphia, KGO in San Francisco, KTRK in Houston, KTVD in Raleigh-Durham, and KFSN in Fresno, Calif. It also covers more than 10 high-definition networks.
The deal will give viewers more access to ABC, ABC Family, and Disney shows, enabling to watch them on demand -- with fast-forwarding disabled.
Here's the release:
PHILADELPHIA AND BURBANK –– JANUARY 4, 2012 –– Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today announced a long-term, comprehensive distribution agreement that will deliver Disney’s top quality sports, news and entertainment content to Comcast’s Xfinity TV customers into the next decade on television, online, on tablets and handheld devices. The new agreement enhances the multichannel business model and supports the companies’ mutual goal to deliver the best video content to customers across multiple platforms using the latest technology and cloud innovation.
