Comcast Media Center Scores VOD Deal with Raycom Sports

Charlotte-based Raycom Sports has selected the Comcast Media Center’s (CMC) Content Services unit to manage and deliver its video on demand (VOD) programming, the two companies announced today.

On Demand programming from Raycom Sports that will be delivered via the CMC’s VOD distribution platform includes highlights of ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) college basketball and football games (in HD and SD formats) and other programming carried on the ACC Network.

CMC’s VOD footprint encompasses cable systems across multiple MSOs serving more than 56 million VOD-enabled households in the U.S. and Canada.

“We are very excited to partner with CMC on our video on demand programming,” said Colin Smith, vice president of Distribution & New Media for Raycom Sports.  “CMC has all the capabilities we were looking for in a VOD model. The CMC’s ability to ingest multiple live sports events in a variety of formats and turn them around for quick distribution allows us to offer a quality viewing experience to television households.”

Raycom Sports owns the syndicated television rights of ACC men’s basketball and football telecasts through 2023. In addition, Raycom operates the ACC Network, which distributes both new and historical ACC content through multimedia outlets.

“We are thrilled to have Raycom Sports as a customer,” said Richard Buchanan, vice president and general manager of Content Services at Comcast Media Center.  “Through their involvement with regional sports networks, Raycom’s digital media team has had the chance to experience first-hand what we have to offer, and selecting us validates that we are unequalled in the scope and quality of the services that we provide.”

CMC, which distributes more than 12,000 hours of on demand video programming per month, provides its wide range of VOD services from one central location including content acquisition, transcoding, editing and distribution.  The platform operates under automated workflows and remote management capabilities to accelerate the delivery of VOD content.  In addition to its role in uploading and managing television programming and related metadata, the CMC’s web-based portal lets clients track each VOD asset from CMC receipt to distribution across the VOD platform’s footprint.