Comcast Media Center introduces fiber-based product for content distribution via the HITS platform

MAY 7, 2010 -- HITS, a business unit of the Comcast Media Center, announced a national terrestrial fiber distribution service for delivering video programming to cable MSOs.

The new tool combines CMC’s expertise, tier 1 conditional access from Verimatrix, and video processing and delivery powered from Harmonic Inc. The HITS fiber-based product provides content security and addresses access control concerns.

The new fiber service uses the Comcast network to deliver video content to its HITS affiliates. Connecting to the fiber network makes it easier for MSOs to broaden their portfolio of HD to their subscribers, and adds an array of services in the future, including iTV, 3DTV, and more. The HITS fiber-based service can either be used for the primary delivery of video content or serve as a redundant, backup path for satellite-delivered programming in the event of satellite interruptions, thereby reducing downtime and minimizing the impact to customers.

"Fiber delivery has the bandwidth and resiliency to deliver the large number of video services and encoding formats that can help MSOs compete in today's environment,” says Gary Traver, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the CMC. "The HITS fiber-based solution offers a reliable and potentially cost-effective content delivery method that an MSO can leverage in their long-term business strategy to add future services and revenue streams."

Content security provided by Verimatrix and Harmonic helps enable HITS to deliver content to third parties through a centralized fiber infrastructure.