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I Want My `CSI’-No, I Demand It

Feb 23, 2004  •  Post A Comment

While Disney may be giving Comcast the cold shoulder, CBS and NBC are both in discussions with the nation’s largest cable system operator about participating in an ongoing test of a video-on-demand service Comcast calls On Demand, currently available to about half of the MSO’s more than 20 million subscribers. This appears to be an expansion of an earlier agreement to offer programming from CBS News and MTV Network. Among the shows being discussed for the prime-time schedule are hits “CSI” and “CSI Miami,” said David Poltrack, CBS’s executive VP of research and planning, and CBS spokesperson Dana McClintock. Mr. Poltrack stressed the discussions are preliminary. NBC is also in discussions with Comcast, along with a couple dozen cable networks. A deal for a series as popular as “CSI” may take a while. Sources close to Comcast said the program suppliers are not being paid at this point, given the experimental nature of the VOD test. Comcast spokesperson Chris Ellis said his company does not discuss negotiations with programmers.