Comcast, MGM Hope New VOD Channel Has Impact

Cable operator, movie studio team up on video-on-demand channel dedicated exclusively to action programming.

By B&C Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/12/2008 5:45:00 PM

Comcast and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios will team up to launch what they called the first video-on-demand channel dedicated exclusively to action programming.

The cable operator and the movie studio announced a partnership to launch Impact, which will debut on Comcast systems this week.

The Impact news comes on the heels of MGM's announcement in late July that it would team up with Weigel Broadcasting to create This TV, a multicast channel based on its library of more than 4,100 films and 10,000 hours of television programming.

Impact will feature action films and TV shows, many in HD, including movies from the James Bond series, Rocky, Magnificent Seven and RoboCop. MGM library films available on the service will include action stars such as Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone and Charles Bronson.

Impact will also feature programming themes such as thrillers, crime, espionage, Westerns, war films and martial arts.

“The Comcast On Demand platform is the perfect environment for targeted marketable brands and programming,” MGM Worldwide Television co-president Jim Packer said in a statement. “With more than 1,000 titles in the MGM library that fit our new brand, I’m confident that action fans will find Impact a one-stop destination for all of their action-entertainment needs.”

Comcast Cable Communications senior vice president of new media Matt Strauss added, “We’re excited to announce this partnership to launch an action-focused channel, as movies are a very popular feature on VOD. MGM’s vast library will give action fans access to their favorite movies at anytime through On Demand, with many available in HD, further complementing our growing HD offering.”