Comcast`s Annual "TV Pulse Survey" Shows the Drama Genre and New Hawaii Five-O are the Most-Anticipated `What to Watch` This Fall TV Season

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:59am EDT

Time-Shifted Technology Usage Up More Than 60% from a Year Ago and 80% from
Three Years Ago

Two-Thirds (62%) of Consumers Have Watched Primetime TV Series through
Time-Shifted Technology

80+% of Consumers Regularly Watch Live Primetime Television
PHILADELPHIA--(Business Wire)--
The fall TV season is nearly here and that means America`s favorite shows will
soon be back on the air. With the fall season heating up in the coming weeks,
Comcast announced the findings of its second annual "TV Pulse Survey," an
independent nationwide survey* conducted by International Communications
Research, that revealed America`s most-anticipated new and returning primetime
series. The survey also discovered that more consumers than ever before plan to
watch their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere using time-shifting technologies
such as, video-on-demand (VOD), digital video recorders (DVRs) and the Internet.


"Time-shifting has hit the mainstream and is changing the way people watch TV,"
said Diana Kerekes, Vice President of Entertainment Services for Comcast. "The
results of our `TV Pulse Survey` underscore more consumers are watching their
favorite shows when and how they want to watch them." 

Time-Shifting

While more than 80 percent of consumers state they regularly watch primetime
television, and 80 percent plan to watch it live, consumers are also using
time-shifting technologies. More than two-thirds of consumers (62 percent) have
watched primetime TV series through technologies that include VOD, DVR and the
Internet. Time-shifted viewing is on the rise with 61 percent using these
technologies more than one year ago, and 84 percent using them more than just
three years ago. 

More and more consumers are using various platforms when watching TV, and this
fall, they`re planning to turn to a wide variety of time-shifting technologies.
Interestingly, among Comcast customers, On Demand usage for watching TV series
this fall is significantly more than the average primetime viewer. 

National Consumers Planned Viewing This Fall

* Live - 80%
* DVR - 41%
* Online - 17%
* On Demand - 16%
* Mobile - 1%

Comcast Customers Planned Viewing This Fall

* Live - 81%
* DVR - 32%
* On Demand- 30%
* Online - 18%
* Mobile - 1%

Top reasons consumers are using time-shifting technologies include personal
schedules (79 percent) and programming conflicts (63 percent). 

New Fall TV Season Shows

Half of consumers polled (49 percent) say the new fall TV season is important to
them. This is especially true among those who are under age 55, are female and
have children in the household. "Serious" trumps "smiles" as consumers are most
excited to watch:

* Dramas (75 percent) 
* Comedies (68 percent) 
* Movies (57 percent) 
* News/Educational (50 percent) 
* Sports (45 percent) 
* Reality shows (38 percent)

When asked about several of the new TV series that are creating the most buzz,
consumers ranked the following shows in order of preference, including:

* Hawaii Five-O (40 percent) 
* No Ordinary Family (23 percent) 
* The Event(21 percent) 
* Nikita(9 percent) 
* Lone Star(8 percent).

Consumers were also asked to rank the most-anticipated returning shows,
including:

* The Good Wife (21 percent)
* Glee (19 percent)
* Modern Family (18 percent)
* Mad Men (15 percent)
* The Prisoner (13 percent)
* Community (9 percent)
* Gossip Girl (6 percent)

This fall television season, Comcast customers will have access to all of the
highly anticipated shows on multiple platforms including this year`s hot shows
such as: Mad Men, Parenthood, The Closer, DexterandThe Good Wife. They can watch
live on TV, On Demand, online or by DVR. In an effort to provide even more
efficiency, ease, and control for consumers, Comcast subscribers will also be
able to go online (XfintyTV.com), set their DVR remotely, and watch on TV. 

In the past year, television series have surged to the top viewed category On
Demand. Overall, titles available on Comcast On Demand are viewed more than 350
million times each month, and this service offers more than 17,000 choices each
month. Viewers can also prepare for the new season by viewing previous seasons
and sneak peeks of favorite shows through On Demand on their televisions or
through XfinityTV.com. At XfinityTV.com, viewers will find thousands of TV
shows, including current hits and timeless favorites. In addition, XfinityTV.com
features a dedicated fall TV microsite with previews of new and returning shows,
a calendar of premieres, the 25 facts consumers absolutely need to know about
the new season, as well as the latest news, interviews, and insider info about
TV`s hottest shows and stars from our expert editors. 

Primetime Viewing Behavior

Given so many choices, it`s no surprise that of the 80+ percent of consumers
that regularly watch primetime, nearly half say they watch or record three to
four primetime TV series in a typical week (44 percent). In addition, the
majority of viewers plan to watch or record TV during the 8:00 - 10:00 pm
timeframe (87 percent between 8:00 - 9:00 pm and 88 percent between 9:00 -10:00
pm). 

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the
nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication
products and services. With 23.2 million cable customers, 16.4 million
high-speed Internet customers, and 8.1 million Comcast Digital Voice customers,
Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of
cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. 

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television,
Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional
sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media,
which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net
(www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor,
which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball
team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose
arena in Philadelphia, the Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for
sporting events, concerts and other events. 

*SURVEY CONDUCTED BY AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH FIRM, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
RESEARCH (ICR) ON BEHALF OF COMCAST.NATIONWIDE 1,000 INDIVIDUALS WERE SURVEYED.

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Comcast Corporation
Media Contact:
Alana Davis, 215-286-5211
Alana_davis@comcast.com
or
Ellen Mellody, 215-286-4675
Ellen_mellody@comcast.com



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