Local programming is proving to be a weapon of choice in the competitive battles between cable, IPTV, and DBS operators. Larger cable companies seem to be paying more attention to the advantage local brings them – especially over DBS. Smaller IPTV operators have been leveraging local content for some time. Larger companies like Comcast are beginning to realize the value and are now going “hyperlocal.” Early indications are promising. Time Warner Wisconsin reports that local VOD programming views have exceeded Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and others. Comcast’s eastern division (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.) reports 2 million views for local video-on-demand in the first quarter of 2007, compared with 3.7 million views for all of 2006 and 2.6 million in 2005.
Read this Philadelphia Daily News article for more details.
