June 13, 2007, 7:17AM
Twenty channels, including five high-definition channels, will join the cable lineup when Comcast officially takes over for Time Warner-Houston on Tuesday.
Mailers were expected to go out today to all current TW subscribers announcing the new lineup, which shows renamed tiers and new channel groupings but keeps pricing the same.
The high-definition channels being added are:
* ESPN2 HD. High-def version of the sports and information channel.
* MHD. Music High Definition, which Tony Speller, senior vice president for Comcast's Houston region describes as "a combination MTV, VH1 and Country Music Television."
* Versus/Golf HD. Two sports networks sharing the same channel number. Versus offers hockey, rodeo and other sports.
* Starz HD. Movie channel available to Starz subscribers only.
* Cinemax HD. Movie channel available to Cinemax subscribers only.
Comcast's HD offerings 21 channels total will be complemented by more than 100 hours of HD content available on Comcast's "video on demand" service, Spelling said.
"We're updating our VOD platform from a system that had roughly 1,000 hours of content to one that has 6,000 hours of content and 9,000 different programs," he said.
That programming will roll out gradually and should be available to all in the greater Houston market by year's end.
Fourteen non-HD channels also join the lineup. They are:
* The Africa Channel. All-English channel celebrating Africa.
* ESPN Deportes. Spanish-language sports channel.
* Flix. Films from the '60s, '70s and '80s.
* Fox Reality. New and off-network reality series from around the world.
* GolTV. Soccer channel available in two different packages, one in English, one in Spanish.
* Gospel Music Channel. Gospel music 24/7.
* ImaginAsian TV. Movies, animé, sports and music.
* Indieplex. Commercial-free independent and art-house movies.
* MTV Tr3s. Lifestyle and music channel aimed at Latinos.
* Logo. Original series, films and documentaries focused on gays, lesbians and transgenders.
* MoviePlex. An affiliate of the Encore movie channels, this one runs movies of a different theme (crime, Western, etc.) every day.
* NFL Network. 24/7 football channel offering multiple games during the season.
* PBS Kids Sprout. Aimed at preschoolers ages 2 to 5.
* Retroplex. Commercial-free classic movies from the '50s, '60s and '70s.
Comcast will introduce a new tiering system that has several notable upgrades or improvements.
The new "Basic Service" tier includes all local channels (and their HD signals) as well as Chicago "superstation" WGN, Tube Music (affiliated with Channel 39), and Spanish-language channels LATV (affiliated with Channel 2) and V-me (affiliated with Channel 8). Price: $16.42.
An "Expanded Basic" tier adds 55 channels to the "Basic" tier, including eight HD channels. Price: $44.99.
"Digital Basic" is for customers who want the first two tiers plus access to video on demand, including MoviePlex. Price: $51.99.
Niche channels such as ESPN News, Current TV, Gospel Music Channel and Toon Disney are on the "Digital Classic" tier. Price: $55.99.
"Digital Preferred" adds Logo, Indieplex, Sundance, four Encore channels and more. Price: $56.99.
A sports pack, which includes the NFL Network, goes for an additional $4, while a 15-channel Spanish-language package can be added for $5 more. Premium movie packages and international channels are also available. HDNet pack, offering Mark Cuban's HDNet and HDNet Movies, can be had for another $3.
A package that includes everything except the international channels is available for $86.99, which matches the current price for a similar offering on Time Warner.
All prices do not include the cost of equipment such as a digital box or an HD tuner.
Comcast enters a TV market more competitive than ever before. AT&T, Dish and DirecTV promise HD packages, for example, as good or greater than what Comcast is promising.
AT&T offers West Coast feeds of several cable channels and boasts 27 HD channels. Dish, like Comcast, offers 21 HD channels, but with a significantly different channel list. DirecTV has been advertising 150 HD channels by year's end.
"We're bringing customers the HD content they're demanding, the most popular channels they are asking for," Spelling said. "In addition, we have HD VOD, with more than 100 hours of HD content available. So I would say we are extremely competitive in that space."
He emphasized the quality, quantity and diversity of the programming Comcast provides as reasons to stick with cable. As for cost, the company noted that savings can be accomplished by bundling cable with other services Comcast offers, including phone and Internet access.
"We've been in the business a long time," added Ray Purser, Comcast's vice president of government and public relations in Houston. "We're investing $200 million in the market to launch new products and services. We have a call center of 900 employees who understand the business. Our competitors are trying to catch up to us, but they have a long way to go."
»
www.chron.com/disp/story ··· 763.html