NBC Shows to Be Available On-Demand for Cox Subscribers

Trial to Be Conducted on Cox Systems in Orange County and Palos Verdes, Calif.

By Jon Hemingway -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/24/2007 12:53:00 PM

Primetime NBC programs will be available free on-demand for Cox Communications digital-cable subscribers.

Ad-supported episodes of NBC shows 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Las Vegas, Life and Bionic Woman will be available to Cox customers on-demand the day after their premieres. The fast-forward function will be disabled for the trial so that the viewing experience will be the same as the airing on the linear channel.

The trial will be conducted on Cox systems in Orange County and Palos Verdes, Calif.

For NBC U, this is the latest move in a strategy to deliver its content with a multiplatform approach.

Last week, the company said it would make available full-length ad-supported episodes for download on a new web site called NBC Direct. The service will begin beta tests in October.

NBC U and News Corp. are also expected to launch video-streaming site Hulu this fall, taking aim at web video giant YouTube.

In August, negotiations between Apple and NBC U spilled out into the public forum. Apple said it will not include NBC U’s fall shows for paid download on its iTunes site after NBC U said it would not seek to renew its contract at the end of the year.