POP CULTUR: COMCAST TO ADD HBO & CINEMAX TO STREAMING TRIAL

COMCAST ADDS CINEMX, HBO TO ITS STREAMING TRIAL

PHILADELPHIA— And you thought the HBO hit TV series "Entourage" would never be streamed over the Internet — at least legally.

Comcast Corp. said Monday it will be streaming HBO and Cinemax shows, movies and other content online to 5,000 subscriber households in a national trial set to start in coming weeks. It is the first time the two premium movie channels will be offering their programs over the Internet to computers. Downloads to mobile devices may come in the future.

HBO and Cinemax will join TNT, TBS and Starz in Comcast's online video trial. If the technical test is successful, Comcast will roll out access coast-to-coast to its subscribers at no additional cost.

The trial is part of a joint effort with Time Warner Inc. to offer cable programming on the Internet as viewership increasingly moves outside of the living room. But programmers and pay-TV operators will provide access only behind a walled garden of subscribers.

Unveiled last month, the venture dubbed "TV Everywhere" by Time Warner and "On Demand Online" by Comcast began with TNT and TBS.

The cable channels will be available through Comcast.net and Fancast.com, Comcast's video aggregator site supported by advertising. About 750 hours of programming a month initially will be available and expected to increase over time.

Critical to the trial is authentication of viewer as a paying subscriber. Users will be asked to log on with a user name and password. If they are paying for the five cable networks, the system will authenticate them.

The trial includes only Comcast customers of both video and Internet services. In the future, deals will be made with other ISPs, even Comcast rivals such as phone companies.

The HBO and Cinemax trial will include full-length episodes of "Entourage" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as well as movies including "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Dark Knight."

Subscribers can watch the programs online right after they are shown on television. They also can access a library of older programming.

POP CULTURE: COMCAST TO LAUNCH WIRELESS WEB ACROSS U.S

Comcast rolls out wireless Web

Subscribers can access Internet anywhere in U.S., launches in Portland, Ore.

By Yinka Adegoke

NEW YORK - Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, said on Monday it is introducing a wireless service for subscribers to access the Web beyond their homes anywhere within the United States.

The so-called fourth-generation (4G) wireless service, is the first execution of a partnership between Comcast, Clearwire Corp. and other companies that use the emerging WiMax high-speed mobile technology.

Many consumers already update their blogs and watch videos using their mobile phones. Cable companies such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable Inc. do not want to become irrelevant by restricting subscriber access to the home.

The new service, called "Comcast High-Speed 2go," is expected to deliver data to laptops, netbooks and other devices over a wireless network at faster speeds than has been commonly available to date.

Comcast said it will offer download speeds of up to 4 megabits per second. Existing 3G wireless networks typically offer download speeds between 1 and 1.5 megabits a second.

Cablevision Systems Corp offers mobile Internet service via Wi-Fi, a short range service typically limited to a home, restaurant or "hotspot." The operator is providing Wi-Fi service to its digital subscribers throughout its market in the New York metropolitan area.

Comcast High-Speed 2go launches officially in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday and is expected to expand to Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia before the end of the year, Comcast said.

A Metro version of the data card, which is typically installed into a laptop to allow wireless Internet access, will cost $49.99 a month when bundled with home Internet service. The Metro version will only work within the 4G metropolitan coverage area.

A nationwide version for $69.99 a month will allow subscribers to access the Internet via Sprint Nextel Corp's 3G network where the 4G network is not available.

WiMax is expected to blanket entire cities with Web access for mobile devices at speeds up to five times faster than traditional wireless networks, but the technology is still unproven.

After previous stumbles, such as a collapsed partnership with Sprint, cable companies are hoping that Clearwire, founded by wireless pioneer Craig McCaw, will help them resolve their long-running wireless conundrum.

The cable industry is also trying to figure out ways to make more video available beyond traditional TV sets.

Last week, Comcast and Time Warner Inc. said they started testing ways to allow people to watch more TV shows over the Web, while making sure they keep paying for their traditional cable or satellite TV services.

Comcast will likely try to market the new wireless service as a way for subscribers to watch their favorite shows wherever they are in the United States.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31618784/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

TV NEWS

Chelsea Handler inks new deal at Comcast E! host adds production as part of eight-figure pact By James Hibberd Chelsea Handler has inked a sweeping multiyear new deal with Comcast Entertainment Group that includes a production deal for the late-night talk show host.The agreement includes Handler staying at the network as executive producer and star of her E! show "Chelsea Lately" through 2012. Handler also is establishing a new company, Borderline Amazing Prods., which will have a first look-deal with Comcast's suite of cable networks. "It is a unique pleasure to work with someone as extraordinarily talented, smart and, of course, funny as Chelsea," said Lisa Berger, executive vp original programming and series development at E! " 'Chelsea Lately' is a breakout hit that has significantly grown E!'s late-night audience, particularly among young women." "Chelsea Lately" launched in 2007 and has climbed steadily in the ratings. Since moving to 11 p.m. last month, the series has drawn an average audience of 746,000 total viewers, up 31% over the slot a year ago. The show performs best among women 18-34 and delivers more young viewers in that demo than Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson and Carson Daly. Fellow E! talent Ryan Seacrest signed a similar talent-plus-production agreement with the company in 2006. With her deal, Handler has the potential to become a larger player in the Comcast universe. Sources say the contract, which was packaged by William Morris, is worth eight figures and that Handler had suitors from the broadcast networks. She recently appeared in the online version of "In the Motherhood," which ABC picked up as a series, and had a New York Times best seller with "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea."

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