Comcast Spotlight and DISH Network Make it Easier for Advertisers to Reach Their Audiences on Regional Sports Networks

 

NEW YORK and ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan 27, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- One-Stop Convenience, Broader Reach Offers Advertisers More Choices and Convenience

Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation's third-largest pay-TV provider and digital television leader, have announced an agreement that calls for Comcast Spotlight to sell the advertising on DISH Network's ten regional sports network feeds in seven U.S. markets. The markets are Boston, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta and Houston.

"Comcast Spotlight's mission over the last seven years has been to simplify the advertiser experience in placing media on pay-TV networks DMA by DMA," said Charlie Thurston, President of Comcast Spotlight. "We've worked with MSOs and pay-TV providers across our 85-market footprint to create interconnects that simplify the ad buying experience. This new venture with DISH Network is an extension of our philosophy of bringing convenience and ease to the ad community. From national spot advertisers to local zone clients, being able to reach their market base through one media source, including research and electronic billing data, is the smart choice."

NCC, the nation's largest spot cable sales organization, will manage multi-market buys for national advertisers. "Charlie was instrumental in designing the interconnect portion of NCC's earlier deals with other pay-TV providers, and this new arrangement with DISH Network is a mirror image," added Greg Schaefer, President of NCC. "It's a great opportunity to expand advertisers' reach with MLB, NBA and NHL franchises."

"This agreement presents an excellent opportunity for advertisers to market to sports fans all over the U.S. via the DISH Network platform," said Michael Finn, vice president of Ad Sales for DISH Network. "We are excited to work with the Comcast Spotlight team to simplify this process and reach as many subscribers as possible."

Comcast Spotlight's participation in interconnects across the country makes pay-TV as easy to buy as broadcast television, enabling advertisers to buy all or part of a market with one-stop shopping - one buy, one tape and one invoice - across multiple markets. Comcast Spotlight represents approximately 30 million subscribers nationwide, including customers of Comcast and other cable companies.

Said Steve Burke, COO of Comcast Corporation and President of Comcast Cable, "Charlie's vision from day one at Comcast Spotlight has been to streamline the advertising process in buying spot cable. This is the next logical step for the industry and is perfectly timed coming on the heels of last summer's agreements with other pay-TV providers."

Mr. Thurston added, "The folks at DISH Network -- Carl Vogel, Michael Kelly and Michael Finn--have been a pleasure to work with in blueprinting this initiative with the regional sports networks. Keep in mind DISH Network has approximately 13.78 million subscribers that local advertisers couldn't reach before, and Spotlight has 1500 account executives and 25 years experience with these DMA advertisers. NCC, led by Greg Schaeffer and Ken Little will also serve as a helpful partner in rolling out these markets. We look forward to working with DISH Network and potentially others down the road on opportunities that benefit advertisers."

David Verklin, CEO of Canoe Ventures, LLC, said, "Canoe is very encouraged by this announcement. This agreement is another step on the journey to turn television into a platform and for satellite to participate in the future of advanced advertising technology created by Canoe."

About Comcast Spotlight

Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps put the power of cable to use for local, regional and national advertisers. It is focused on providing multi-platform marketing solutions to reach audiences most effectively and efficiently. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Comcast Spotlight has a presence in nearly 90 markets with approximately 30 million owned and represented subscribers. Comcast Spotlight is a trademark of Comcast Cable. For more information, visit www.comcastspotlight.com.

About DISH Network Corporation

DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation's third largest pay-TV provider and the leader in digital television, provides approximately 13.78 million satellite TV customers as of Sept. 30, 2008 with industry-leading customer satisfaction which has surpassed major cable TV providers for eight consecutive years. DISH Network also provides customers with award-winning HD and DVR technology including the ViP(R)722 HD DVR, which received the Editors' Choice awards from both CNET and PC Magazine. In addition, subscribers enjoy access to hundreds of video and audio channels, the most International channels in the U.S., industry-leading Interactive TV applications, Latino programming, and the best sports and movies in HD. DISH Network offers a variety of package and price options including the lowest all-digital price in America, the DishDVR Advantage Package, high-speed Internet service, and a free upgrade to the best HD DVR in the industry. DISH Network is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 300 company. Visit www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information.

SOURCE DISH Network Corporation

http://www.dishnetwork.com