Comcast customers in the Denver area can now use their video-on-demand cable service to watch films at home the same day they’re released on DVD.
Denver and Pittsburgh are the only Comcast markets participating in the six-month trial, which started Nov. 28. Generally, films hit cable’s on-demand lineup 30 to 45 days after they’re released on DVD. But cable companies have long been eager to reduce that window.
Philadelphia-based Comcast confirmed that its trial run is underway but wouldn’t comment on the record. The nation’s largest cable provider and several major film studios are cooperating on the venture. The on-demand movies cost $3.99.
The move could hurt sales of DVDs at retail outlets such as Wal-Mart and video-rental chains such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.
Kristin Battenfield, a Comcast customer in Denver, doesn’t go to video stores and says Comcast’s new approach would continue to keep her away.
“I would definitely be interested instead of waiting,” she said. “I would purchase fewer DVDs.”
Noah Arnold, a shift manager for the Video Station rental store in Boulder, said that while there have been several changes in the movie industry, he doesn’t think it will hurt business.
“People like the community of the video store, browsing and asking for advice. So I don’t think it will hurt us that much,” he said.
Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst of the Leicht man Research Group, said the move makes tremendous sense from a consumer standpoint.
“It’s the ultimate convenience of not leaving your home. It’s not movies over the Internet but straight to your TV,” he said.
Comcast offers about 8,000 programs through its video-on- demand service. It introduced video-on-demand in 2002 and said customers have ordered more than 3.4 billion programs since 2004.
Among the movies that hit video stores last week and are available on Comcast are “Barnyard” and “World Trade Center.”
Battenfield said she was surprised to see “World Trade Center” available on-demand while searching the listings a few days ago because she’s accustomed to waiting several weeks for newly released DVDs to make it to video-on-demand.
Comcast is working with Disney, Lion’s Gate Entertainment, Universal, Warner Bros. and Paramount on the release of certain titles. Comcast wouldn’t say which movies would be released or give specific dates.
This isn’t the first time the release window between cable and films has shrunk. Last February, Comcast began offering films produced by the Independent Film Channel on-demand the same day they were released in theaters.
Mark Cuban, who owns the Denver-based high-definition network HDNet, released “Bubble” in 32 theaters and on its HDMovies pay-TV channel on the same day last January. The DVD was released a few days later.
Comcast has 24.1 million customers nationwide, with 12 million subscribing to digital cable, which generally includes video-on-demand options. The company wouldn’t say how many customers it has in the Denver area, but it has 800,000 in the state.
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
